Core Assignments That'll Leave

13 Common You Scratching Your Head

It's impossible to step into a PTA or school board meeting without discussing Common Core. The much-talked-about program — which emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills — has had parents across the country in an uproar for the past few years. Since when does it require a mathematician degree to help your first grader with her homework?

While the majority of parents' concerns revolve around the testing methods used to measure students' success, it's the usually insanely detailed homework kids must complete that drives parents insane. Gone are the days of simple word problems and showing your work with numbers. Now, kids must decode confusingly phrased equations and use number lines, blank circles, and "hidden partners" to solve them. Sounds complicated? That's because it is. Here, a series of Common Core assignments that have reduced children — and their parents — to tears.