Wilhelm has studied the Common Core State Standards and come away with a generally positive opinion. His concern is that now that the Standards are written, we let professional teachers mold them into the best possible practices for teaching their students. With specific advice for working with students--developing background knowledge, making room for practice, frontloading lessons--Wilhelm gives us perspective on how to incorporate the standards into what we know about our students, urging us to be proactive in taking on that challenge. (Contains 1 figure.)