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President Obama shows a lack of political wisdom. AP Photo Jim Cole
The President essentially handed his conservative opponents a gift with his planned address to school students and the accompanying lessons released by the Department of Education. Fox News and other conservative media figures are capitalizing on the planned speech along with selective quotes from the lessons to paint the President as somewhat out to indoctrinate the country's school children.
I actually believe there is nothing wrong with the President giving an address once a year to the nation's school children. From all signs the address is to focus on the need for students to work hard in school, set goals, and take responsibility for their learning. I find nothing wrong with the President encouraging students in such a non-partisan way. I believe Obama's actual speech will probably be politically neutral and serve only to give some good advice to students regarding their education.
My issue comes with the lack of political foresight from the Obama administration in how the speech and accompanying lessons will be perceived by the public at large. Someone would have to be completely oblivious to politics to not be aware of the current conservative arguments regarding a government takeover and seize of power by the Obama administration. By releasing this speech and the lessons that go with in the heat of this debate the President feeds the faulty perception that he is becoming a tyrant.
Fox News is already doing a wonderful job as portraying the President's address and lessons as indoctrination. The media outlet quotes a number of their hand-picked educational experts who warn about the dangers of the President addressing school children. Most damning Fox News quotes some of the questions from the lessons that go along with speech. The lessons are entirely optional and speaking as a former teacher I can tell people that even most liberal teachers will not waste their time with the lessons released by the Department of Education. However that fact will be lost on the public at large. When the public hears that lessons include questions like "How will he [the President] inspire us?" they will immediately conclude indoctrination is afoot. When they hear that one lesson asks students to write "letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president" many of the Glenn Beck loyalists are going to lose it.
The truth is the President's speech and lesson amount to much less than indoctrination. Our students are not being told to praise their "Great Leader" everyday as is done in North Korea. However even I will admit the questions in the lessons could use some rewording. After all what if a student was not "inspired" at all by the President's speech? The question assumes they are inspired but I can promise you many students will not care for the speech at all. The President should have simply addressed students about a hard work ethic and the need to set goals (which I believe he will do) and not released the accompanying poorly worded lessons. As it is the Obama administrations lack of political wisdom will provide conservatives with more fodder to stoke their audience.
Comments
Obama is avoiding addressing the true problem with our education system. Obama is a sissy boy.
Over in Los Angeles, California, you will find the highest paid teachers of our nation, obscenely high paid. The Los Angeles county dropout rate is fifty percent. Los Angeles is rendering our kids into illiterate hamburger flippers.
Much the same is true across our nation.
Obama is to address our teachers, staff, school boards and our education system. Obama is to offer a blistering critique of our failing to provide decent educations to our children.
This lack of quality education in America is not the fault of our students, this is the fault of our dysfunctional education system. Yes, inspiration for students is good, but students are the wrong target audience. We can inspire our kids to do well in school but this is pointless while our teachers are failures at teaching our kids.
Obama is avoiding the true problem. Obama is a sissy boy.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma
To the author,
For the most part you are correct, but here is something to ponder...
1) when you question "political foresight from the Obama administration" did you ever think maybe the administration doesn't care if "The People" or you, get upset, they view us/them as children who need to be led.
2) They didn't all get up one day in N Korea and say "Gee I think I will start calling KJI dear leader" for most of them it is the only thing they have ever known and for the others the usurpation of their will came slowly until one day the woke up mumbling the words.
If the Obama administration were to take into account every wild charge that the Glenn Becks of the world might throw at it for the most innocuous of activities, they would simply never get anything done. Maybe instead of preparing the fainting couch for all the dandies, they should just go about their business.
This is nothing less than PROPAGANDA from this Fascist administration.
It seems that Obama's DOE bypassed local school boards and went directly to the principles of the schools. He KNEW many school boards, many of which are elected and accountable to the parents, would not approve of him taking time away from school and brainwash the children.
Hitler and Obama Bud Bill Ayers as well as other Dictators KNOW you need to get to the children for revolution.
Here is a quote by Education Professor Ayres. "This is my fourth visit to Venezuela, each time at the invitation of my comrade and friend Luis Bonilla, a brilliant educator and inspiring fighter for justice. Luis has taught me a great deal about the Bolivarian Revolution and about the profound educational reforms underway here in Venezuela under the leadership of President Chavez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution."
What did we expect from this Fraud in the WH?
BS Zone-
I have 2 friends teaching in Venezuela right now. Do you want to know a dirty secret? Those kids do better in school and are more well rounded as a whole than the kids in this country. This isn't an endorsement of communism. They seem to be doing a good job there though.
Thank you Mixelplix. My thoughts exactly.
My take: The article is written assuming that this was just poorly planned by the administration. Obama has not poorly planned a thing in his political career. Although he has sorely underestimated the American people, as he did with Health Care, he knows exactly what he is doing.
Whether or not teachers use the accompanying lesson plan is not the point. His intention is suspect.
I think a direct address with inspirational overtones would be great. As long as it stuck to merely encouraging strong effort and follow through. But there is too much that can be read into what has been presented.
How Orwellian. -and kind of creepy. I'm honestly not even that into politics.
Poor Joe is still lost.
I just called the school to "opt out" of this activity for my child. I don't think school time should be used for Obama. Didn't Hitler use to address the school age children in Germany? Sad state that America is in right now.
There is something a lot of people do not realize, that teachers are unionized. The union 100% supports the Democrats, nothing less. These teachers are teaching our children, America's future. And they will be teaching our children with the new education plan that Obama has in store. Obama is now addressing any oppenent of his health care reform as an American terrorist, how sad to stoop so low to call people who stand up for what is right a terrorist.
1) NOT every teacher is a member of the NEA. There are other education unions and associations that actually care about education.
2) Until we see the speech or get a transcript of it, no one knows for sure what will be said. So the only thing to go on is Obama's words in the past. Based on that, I would be very concerned about this speech.
1) NOT every teacher is a member of the NEA. There are other education unions and associations that actually care about education.
2) Until we see the speech or get a transcript of it, no one knows for sure what will be said. So the only thing to go on is Obama's words in the past. Based on that, I would be very concerned about this speech.
What business is it of the President to address minors? Minor children are not of voting age and have no business being addressed by anyone in government! Get this ass-clown out of office!
I do not see a problem with President Obama giving an inspirational speech to the children. This country school dropout rate is extremely high and any encouragement can possibly make a difference. I think some of us are jumping to conclusion and really need to visit the school with our children and if the speech is not to our liking excuse the child from school. I am suprised to read and feel the racial undertones of some of the response made by my friends of every race on facebook and myspace. We are quick to point the blame on the president for everything that is wrong with the country, but we fail to remember the problem was an inheritance with the position. WE voted for him why can't we give him a chance? And in closing for name callers, you should start with the man/woman in the MIRROR!
I for one did not vote for Obama, but my hope and prayers on election day were such that I sincerely hoped the man would prove me (and the hairs on the back of my neck) wrong. So far, not so much. I think that we as a people need to not rely on either Democratic or Republican news media as they are both pumping their own agenda. Rely on some stinkin common sense people. Where did that go? Why don't we start running Obama's actions through a "what if George Bush had done it" filter. I am betting if George Bush had even suggested such a thing as speaking directly to our non- voting children there would have been mass protests outside our schools. Not to mention he would have been ridiculed by every major news station. I do not think Obama is the devil, I do however think he likes the sound of his own voice and all common sense has disappeared from Washington.
If my child is not allowed to say a prayer in school then why should they be forced to listen to a political statement.
And why waste all the money it cost to create and send those packets out which are so poorly worded and useless.
I am a teacher, and I feel the President would not have caused such frenzy (both ways!) had he had the speech scheduled for night when parents and students could watch together. It has caused a huge uproar in our middle school with parents calling for 2 days which has taken nearly all day for our principal and A.P.'s taking the calls. Our school decided that those who want to go will watch in our cafeteria throughout the day and those who do not wish to view it will stay in classes with an alternative assignment. As our nation is politically divided, this is just causing more division in our children. Many parents are simply taking their kids out of school that day which hurts both our ADA and lack of instruction for the students. Bad, bad timing! Hope it turns out better than most of our teachers and parents feel that it will! I do not believe that Pres. Bush and Reagan were televised in talking to children at school.
I wrote a long tirade, and it was not posted. Too tired to do it again. As a teacher, I totally disapprove of taking curriculum time to do this when it is only dividing our middle school parents and kids even more on this poorly timed speech. Indoctrination? I think so! It has been brought up that Bush and Reagan spoke to the childen----but it was NOT televised all over the U.S. DURING the school day.
I never thought I’d see the day when parents would demand a President of the United States be barred from addressing their children. Because our current President is of another party (and, in some cases, because he is of African descent), he is now being treated as, immoral, villainous, toxic and alien. It will surely not be lost on African-Americans that a new precedent is being set for our first African-American President. Speaking as a Democrat, I have never in my life dreamed of treating any Republican President like a drug pusher or sex offender simply for offering to speak to schoolchildren. It is the height of impudence that any President’s remarks be “screened” by parent-ideologues of the other party, by tendentious teachers or school administrators. That any teacher, principal, school board, municipality or state should take part in this outrage is nothing less than a scandal. I rarely use this term, but there is no other term for it: is un-American.
To Katy the teacher: I am not sure where you were teaching, or if you were even old enough to be in school when Pres. Reagan addressed OUR nation's children in 1988. I also don't know your whereabouts when Pres. Bush, Sr. addressed OUR nation's children in 1991. I have to say that you would be one of the teachers that would benefit from a lesson plan already prepared for you,as it is clear you are not doing your research. As for the rest of you, what happened to respect for the office? My spouse and I are political opposites, yet we are careful to be as factual as we can and respect others' opinions and views. There will be no brainwashing, no indoctrination, just the PRESIDENT speaking to YOUR child, encouraging YOUR children to work hard, to think about what they can be responsible for (schoolwork)and be respectful of others, and someone telling them what a difference they can make. People here sound like they want to teach their children the opposite; like hate and intolerance.
Robert Moon is spamming The Activity Pit again: twi.cc/lAlq
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