As educators, the standards serve as our yellow brick road. They will get us safely through the school year and ensure that we are equitable to our students. Diverting from the yellow brick road can put us in danger of leaving our students with gaps in their mathematical knowledge. We can enrich our students’ experience the yellow brick road by equipping them with tools like agency and inquiry-based learning, their Scarecrow and Tin Man. Metaphors aside, the standards also provide crucial structure. Students can be overwhelmed when given too much choice. Much like in classroom management, solid structure is a key to victory when it comes to putting students in charge of the learning. The progression of the Common Core Standards IS that structure that enables students to succeed!