Common Core: Our Tax Dollars Hard at Work

Damon, my 5th grader, showed me one of his school workbooks.  You should take a look, too.  Note this is Common Core.

 Below are some metaphors comparing mothers to Great Britain, babysitters to British soldiers, and a child to the colonists.

(1st Picture) Mother: I built this fence for your own safety.  Please don't leave the yard.  In History: Great Britain orders the colonists not to settle in the west.  They said it was to protect the colonists.

(2nd Picture) Child: Why should I have to act like the babysitter's servant?  In History: The colonists are angry about having to house and feed the troops.

(3rd Picture) Mother: You need to pay me a quarter if you're going to use the phone.  In History: Colonists protest about taxation without representation.

I took a better picture of the next page.  You can read it yourself.

Is anyone feeling disgusted or outraged yet?  I'm not sure if the purpose of this activity is to:
1. Undermine the role of parents
2. Undermine the importance of the American Revolution or
3. Teach children how to make clumsy metaphors.
It does all three quite well.  I love that we pay taxes so the masterminds behind Common Core can teach our children such wonderful things.  What do we do?  Refuse to pay taxes like Thoreau and go to jail?  I think I'll start by e-mailing my state representatives, letting them know how displeased I am with Common Core.  If you are bothered by Common Core, please do the same.  Update: See May 21, 2014 post.

Sidebar: I flipped through the workbook and found positive things, too, like Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech.  This reminds me of George Will's statement, comparing Common Core to the thin end of an enormous wedge.  Now there's a good (and frightening) metaphor.

Another Sidebar: I e-mailed my concerns to Damon's teacher.  She said the purpose of the worksheet is to show how Great Britain treated the colonists like children.  So maybe I'm way off-base here.  Gah.  I hate having to question my original conclusions...