Better Things to Do

Lately I find myself feeling angry. Maybe righteously indignant is a more accurate term.

Basically, my whole life I knew that I wanted to be a mother. You could have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I would have answered, “A mother.” I wanted that for a number of reasons. As ten-year old, I watched how much my own mom enjoyed motherhood. The older I got the more I appreciated her for giving me a firm foundation to build on. I wanted to supply that for my own children. Much to my high school careers teacher’s dismay my careers report was written on being a stay-at-home mom. He told me it couldn’t be done, there were just too many obstacles in today’s world – no way could a family survive on one income, etc., etc., etc. Well, here I am twenty years later, proving him wrong. (No, I don’t hold a grudge…) It hasn’t always been easy and our family may not always have the things we want, but we always have what we need. And if my children ever need to know where to find me, or need a safe place, home is it because I am here for them.

My sister started sending me things a little at a time about Common Core last May. (2012)
I really started digging in and researching it in August. Near the beginning of September there were two little lines on the pregnancy test. One week later I started contacting people about how to start a grassroots anti-Common Core movement. It’s now April, a little more than three weeks away from my due date.

I have spent the past seven months, not preparing to have a baby, but, instead, reading through and researching documents, learning, sifting, going down rabbit holes. Almost all between the hours of 10:00 p.m. And 1:00 a.m. while my children are sleeping. Laundry is piling up in the corners of my bedroom. Grocery shopping?? Forget about it. I am about 4 months behind in balancing my bank statement. The list could go on and on. Getting everything done would have been hard enough not being pregnant. But I don’t remember a time in my life when I have had so much on my plate. So much important stuff.

I suppose I could have turned my back on Common Core and figured that someone else would do it. But like all of the other moms involved in anti-Common Core movements around the country with whom I discussed this at length, something wouldn’t let me drop it. I have felt compelled to move forward.

So, yes I am angry. I am angry that for the last several months I have had to do this. Angry that this is even on my radar. At this point I’m frustrated enough with so many of our “leaders” that I am going to point fingers.

1. George HW Bush, for putting the U.S. back into UNESCO after Ronald Reagan had removed us.
2. Bill Clinton, for Goals 2000 and all the other garbage that paved the way for Common Core
3. George W. Bush, for No Child Left Behind, which was really just a precursor to Common Core
4. President Obama. Enough said.
5. Arne Duncan. Look at his track record in Chicago. Is that really what our country needs?? Read what he has planned for your children. Is that what you want?
6. Supt. Tom Luna, for either misleading the citizens of Idaho on Common Core, or for not doing enough research to realize what he’s gotten us into. (Come on, he was the president of the CCSSO! I find it hard to believe he’s just an innocent bystander) But maybe even more so for saying, “Just trust me,” without ever backing up anything he says with documentation.
7. Butch Otter, for taking the stimulus funds that began tying our state to this.
8. Our state legislators, for not doing their homework. Surely if I as a mother of almost 8 children could take the time to figure this out, our elected officials could do the same.
9. The local media, for completely ignoring this issue. I have been hounding them for months with no response – except for our local NPR station. I had a in-depth, lengthy interview with them three days ago for an upcoming multi-part story they plan to air on Common Core. From everyone else… crickets.
10. Bill Gates, for thinking he runs the world!

I’m trying to take a step back. All of my other babies got to come home to a neat, organized house; to a calm and happy mother. This baby deserves no less. But with something as rotten to the core as Common Core, this baby also deserves a mother who will fight to protect them from the, (dare I call it,) evils of the world.

Won’t you please help me?  Because tonight I’m staying up till midnight not to work on Common Core, but to put laundry away instead.