Chancellor Carmen Fariña tells 250 UFT members at the Brooklyn town hall meeting on May 29 that she is looking to introduce some common sense into how the schools are run. “I do believe in the Common Core, but it needs to be aligned with common sense,“ she said during the meeting at the UFT Brooklyn borough office. Fariña encouraged teachers to question practices that were not working for them, try different approaches, and “bring some creativity back into the classroom.” The day before, at the town hall at the Staten Island borough office, she spoke of the importance of making schools a welcome place for both students and educators. “I always think of the teacher first,” she said. “We want not only improved test scores, but an improved environment.”