Teacher: "We Are Losing That Love of Learning"

A Kings Park science teacher repeatedly thanked the district's Board of Education for passing a resolution on Tuesday night that takes a clear stance: the state's new Common Core curriculum needs changes. 

Chris Philp, a science teacher at Kings Park High School, took up to say "thank you, thank you, thank you" on behalf of the district's teachers to board trustees for taking a stand on the state's new Common Core curriculum and high-stakes testing on Tuesday night. 

"Its a long time coming and I think it's important that the district stands strong on some things that are troublesome and all the reforms that are being pushed through, some being shoved down our throats," Philp said. 

Philp offered board members feedback on the state's Common Core changes to the seventh and eighth-grade science curriculum, given he previously taught for 8 1/2 years at William T. Rogers Middle School. 

Students are frequently spending up to 80-minute periods working straight from workbooks, according to Philp, many of the state's Common Core modules have errors, ranging from a character chart based on a book not read by students to illegibly printed articles leaving teachers and librarians to hunt down the intended source material. 

"A workbook is by definition test prep," he said. "It’s a lot of test prep, that is concerning." 

He suggested the Board of Education could have more strongly worded their resolution to better reflect some of the concerns expressed by community members in recent months. 

In the classroom, Philp said he's faced questions from students asking if they will have the opportunity to perform hands-on science experiments, indicating the heavy emphasis the new Common Core placed on reading and writing may be limiting the teacher's ability to engage with students. 

"I'm afraid we are losing that love of learning and that’s more important than an individual content," Philp said. 

He and other teachers across Kings Park Central School District have taken to wearing neon green laces, often as lanyards, to indicate their unity for necessary changes to the Common Core and high-stakes testing. He presented four pairs of these laces to board of education members. 

"We committed to working together as a district to do what we we need to do to assist our students and assist our teachers the best we can. We are dealing with this, we are not alone," said Board President Marie Goldstein. 

"We get it. We are a partner here. The people you see around this table here are always here to work with anyone to do what is proper," said Tom Locascio, vice president of the board, added. 

However, board members would not take the neon green laces offered by Philp given the district is currently locked in contract negotiations with the Kings Park Teacher Association.