https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OPpbQWg9X8&list=FL2W3PdJh991YShMfAuihpZw

Education is the most important thing to success. Well, with all this testing and mistrust of teachers by the governor of New York State (Andrew Cuomo), it is almost impossible for us students to succeed in school and at the same time enjoy our lives. There is no problem with raising standards, and of course, our education system needs reform. But, it is not being done correctly and teachers, students, and parents are suffering from our current education regulations.

Also, Common Core is a "one size fits all" standard that is designed to be the same for every state. It does not take into account the diversity of our schools. Its main goal is to compete globally. It is funded by the rich, including Bill Gates (who doesn't send his children to a school where Common Core is implemented). More importantly, the teachers are trying to reach out to NYS Governor Cuomo in order to set things straight and put forth their opinions. Instead, Cuomo rejects the teachers.

Teachers are now evaluated based on test scores and for some reason, some of the best teachers in this state are rated ineffective. Governor Cuomo is not an expert on education and neglects to meet with teachers in their classrooms to learn what real improvement is. Students, like me, are learning topics in order to pass exams, not learn passionately. I can guarantee that after taking the final New York State Regional Exam or the NYS Test at the end of the year, everything that has been learned is forgotten. Why? Because they never learned how to apply to real life situations and teachers now a days are not passionate about teaching. Who could blame them? They don't have any freedom to teach their own way. Finland is one of the most successful countries in education. They have a broad guideline for school subjects and are not harassed with tests. So, I call to action for a reform in the NYS standards. Get rid of Common Core and cut down on testing, especially evaluative tests on teachers and students. My little sister is 6 years old and currently in the 1st grade. She is also subject to Common Core Standards. The homework she receives is Common Core-based and she does not understand it. Even I, at times, don't understand the concept of what it's trying to teach. It just adds stress to my little sister and she ends up crying while doing her homework because it doesn't make any sense. Governor Cuomo, overworking us students is not going to make us smarter, it turns us into information robots, not creative and passionate learners. Do not think that making us take standardized tests one thousand times is going to teach us how to learn from the heart. Like Finland, we should have a national, broad guideline to what we are going to learn. The teachers know what's best and it's time to trust them. They did not go through college to sit behind a desk and be told what to teach, how to teach, when to teach, and cram information into students' brains to get ready for every test. New York State is the only state to use Regents Exams that determine whether a student graduates. Our education is being toyed with and every signle year, the teachers have to get used to a new set of SPECIFIC GUIDELINES that they are not accustomed to.