Photo credit: U.S. Department of Education
There's quite a buzz going around about Tuesday, September 8th.
That's the day President Obama will address PreK-12 students via televisions and screens in public school classrooms, auditoriums, and 'cafetoriums' across the nation. This is a feat never before attempted by a sitting president.
Reactions are mixed, no doubt in part because our nation is politically polarized. While some parents think it is a good idea for the president to reach out to school kids, others disagree. Why? Many prefer to be the gate-keeper of social and spiritual influences and want politics and religion kept out of schools.
Some parents view the president's move as over-reaching and suspect that propaganda will be forced on a young, impressionable, captive audience. Many of these concerned parents are rallying to keep their children home on September 8th. There are movements at work to boycott public schools on that Tuesday.
Here is the actual PreK - 6 itinerary for schools and an outline of the president's message.
Click here to download a grade 7 - 12 itinerary.
What do you think?
Comments
Definitely keep the kids home that day. Obama now intends to use public schools as brainwashing centers.
Heil Obama!
Propagana incoming
Narcissistic President. My children will take the day off.
I am personally on the fence on this issue. On one hand it seems like it could be used as a stand for brainwashing, on the other maybe it could inspire kids to do better (we all need inspiration). Either way, this may also be an opportunity for families to start a discussion that's worth while. Parents, I think that you should let your kids go to school that day and watch the address yourself as well. Then that night talk to them about it. If there are things that the president says that concern you, voice your view to your kids and listen to theirs as well.
Your child can't be brainwashed by one spot in time, it takes lots of time and the influence of people around them. One address isn't going to alter your child.
I entreat you all, use this as an opportunity to think and express, not shun before anything happens.
I personally love that Obama cares enough about education that he is willing to go nationwide to express the importance of learning and school and bettering yourself. How is this wrong? Is it because he's black - or is it because he actually gives a crap about this country and wants to see it better and he's not sitting on his butt doing nothing like most of the other presidents did? My daughter will be sitting there with her obama time for change tshirt on proud as can be to be an american with an awesome president.
OMG it is Hitler all over again but this time it's the United States that is snowed.
Nobama is really using his brainwashing tactics close to home on this one. Why should our children be subject to the first brain washing national event in US History. He is a sick Man witha giant size ego. Leave my kids alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear Leader will tell us all how to educate.
I too am on the fence. It can be a good teaching moment between me and my kids (here is what the Pres really says about XY and Z...we may disagree, but we don't hate...we respect the office of the presidency...your mother and father would never vote like he does and this is why...). I just am suspicious of ulterior motives. If all President Obama wants to do is motivate and encourage students to set worthy goals, then I am okay with that. But I will be watching for the subliminal messages.
Our "dear leader" is nuts. If I had kids in school I would pull them out of this indoctrination session.
Is this administration completely tone-deaf? Have they NO idea how this looks? And what would have happened if GW Bush had tried a similar stunt?
No matter how high-minded Obama's intentions, this stunt simply REEKS of a totalitarian leader talking his image and insidious message directly to impressionable kids (and teachers) right over the heads of unsuspecting parents.
The cynicism of scheduling it on the first day of school in most of the blue states is truly frightening.
It's quite simply the first annual rally of Obama Youth.
Next Year: snitching on your parents.
Ironic, isn't it, that Europe is today commemorating the 70th anniversary of the German Invasion of Poland which started WWII.
It's a shame my son will not be able to enjoy his first day back to school.
I'll be taking the day off. This is sick! If Bush tried anything like this there would be a firestorm of outrage!
KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON OBAMA!!!
We will not be standing idle whist the dear leader attempts to inculcate our children.
If the president wanted to say something to all the school children of America, let him send a letter. What he is doing crosses the line between normal presidential regard for the children and utter propaganda by a person with delusions of grandeur.
Not since Goebbels took to the German radio has a generation witnessed such shear political hubris and stood by to accept it. Brain washing is right. We must stand up, every single time this ideologue dares to attempt these blantant forms of social engineering.
First they came for our wallets, next for our health, looks like our family is next. Lord help us keep the POTUS out of the schools!
My kid is staying home. And my blood is boiling.
How DARE Obama. If there is a seperation of church and state, why is there no seperation of executive powers and education?
imagine if Bush addressed all school children. It's wrong on so many levels.
Sample questions on the Lesson Plans provided:
What is the President trying to tell me?
What is the President asking me to do?
Sounds a lot like the questions believers ask:
What is the Lord trying to tell me?
What is the Lord asking me to do.
Robin and Tessa - think about it. This man wants to begin the process of controlling our children's minds. It completely unethical, inappropriate and dangerous to let this happen.
Well, I guess we should stop all the President's Challenge for Physical Fitness, too. All it did was motivate forty years of phys. ed.... If you read the outline/notes on www.ed.gov, and disagree fundamentally, just use it as a teachable moment and tell your kids how to think critically.
Looks like the formation of "Obama Youth"
Read a great observation from fellow Examiner in Newark (Newark Young Conservative Examiner) on how everything is always about HIM with Obama: foxyurl.com/tdh
I grew up in New Hampshire and every candidate for president came and talked to us as kids. I think that exposure to this sort of things helps kids get connected with the world and allows them to grow. I cannot tell you how much I benefited from listening from, Reagan, Ford, Carter, Jackson, Bush, Dukakis, etc. I am a firm independent. I believe in the values of both parties as valuable, but acknowledge the practical limitations of both.
Encourage the kids to get to know the president, take your kids to places to learn about civics. This is good, I am glad to see people getting the chance that I got as a kid.
I seriously doubt he's going to discuss policy issues. I seriously doubt he's going to talk about health care or anything remotely close to that.
He's basically going to be an inspirational speaker. I wouldn't care if any President at all talked about those kind of subjects (reaching goals, striving to be your best, etc). That subject should be universally accepted.
Now the only reason I could fathom to be against this type of speech to your children, is because you yourself are 1) an idiot or 2) a racist.
Personally I think most detractors are both.
My whole family will boycott school on September 8th. We will gather at 2 locations, to go over The Constitution of the United States, with the ones old enough to understand it's meaning. First hes going to appoint the children to deliver Census information by the Department of Commerce, now indoctrination. They all need to get our of our government, out of our lives, out of our schools, and out of the business of indoctrinating our children.
LOL Kittychan "President's Challenge for Physical Fitness" when did that have any impact on Americans, they are saying we are the worlds most obese nation. There is more tax dollars wasted.
Every time I hear Obama's name, I can't get Toby Keith's song out of my head:
"I wanna talk about me, I wanna talk about 'I'
Wanna talk about number 1 oh my, me, my,
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see..."
This is repulsive!!! My kid will stay home if she is not allowed to opt out of this intrusion on her education. I'm sending a letter to her principal today. We see just how similar Obama is to Hitler's youth. His message may be innocent on the surface, but he doesn't do ANYTHING without ulterior motives. Obama, get out of our classrooms!!!
If it were any other president, I wouldn't mind, but I won't let Saul Alinsky or Karl Marx give a speech to my child without knowing what he is going to say first.
If you blindly allow anyone with radical socialist agendas and policies give speeches and lessons to your child, you are a fool. And what would you do when your child grows up and tells you that Communism is better than American capitalism?
No, Ronald Reagan giving a speech to my child is a whole lot different than Obama's speech. What does Obama have to say to our children that he cannot say during prime time, on TV, at our homes??
This is marxist propaganda and indoctrination, pure and simple.
My grandson will enjoy an extra day off.
The wingnuts are here... too bad freerepublic and the spineless freepers have to ban people from their site instead of debating on the facts. Hey freepers, you're cowards... and you're dumb!
I guess Dear Leader needs an ego boost since he is tanking in popularity. Unfortunately, he is using children to achieve this goal.
He is the President, elementary and some middle school kids will listen with open ears. However, I think it is going to be a hard sell to high school age kids.
I am going to talk to my 10th grader tonight, I want to hear what he has to say about this matter. I will leave it up to him to decide if he wants to go. I think he is going to lean toward staying home, parent permission to stay home, yep bet so.
You people are idiots. Nazi? Socialist? Communist? Marxist? Pick one, or define ANY of them...your choice.
Dino
I'm getting real tired of libs calling anyone who disagrees with their liberal, marxist polices a racist. I don't like Obama and I don't agree with his policies. Of course, I don't much care for Carter either. Does that make me a racist? Of course not! Only narrow-minded bigots that can't defend their policies or political positions resort to using the racist card.
My problem with this school speech is that the DOE is providing a cirriculum that asks students to state how they can help Obama achieve his goals or how they can support Obama. This line of questioning has nothing to do with encouraging the students to be better students. This is just more campaigning by Obama and it is wrong.
Of course someone pulls out the "If you don't like Obama, you are racist" card.
If this had been anyone in his camp, I would be opposed i.e. Biden or Pelosi.
I do not want some chubby singer or sports star to tell my daughter to stay in school.
If Obama wants to truly help our students, give the schools more money to buy proper supplies and pay for good teachers. That will do more than a stupid 20 minute speech. How much money is this going to cost? For the amount of time it will take for schools to set up TVs for enough students, they could be doing there jobs and teaching the students important matters.
Why should students stay in school anyways? If Obama has his way, our kids will not have to work to have health insurance, income, or homes. You will be taxed to death if you have a job in order to pay for the deficit he is mounting on our youth.
No I will not have that. I will teach my child the importance of school. I am the parent not the government unless they change that too
This is beyond sickening. He is doing this to plant seeds. Very HITLEResque!!
Oh, I should also say if this was a Republican like Palin or McCain, I would feel the same way.I do not believe in the two party political system. It is not about helping our country, its about winning and it is the regular citizens who get the short end.
The only time I remember school being interrupted for a Presidential speech was September 11th. That I can understand.
Would be nice if he released his college transcripts to see how well he did in college before he talks to actual student....let's face it this makes a school teacher's head hurt...how can a President disrupt...and that is what he is doing...lunches/classes/study halls/etc to talk about himself...good grief...
How wonderful Preident Obama is stressing to ALL Children the importance of their education and being the best they can be. The President is doing a wonderful job in all areas. The nation should be proud of what he's accomplished and his priorities so far. Thank You.
Dino
I'm getting real tired of libs calling anyone who disagrees with their liberal, marxist polices a racist. I don't like Obama and I don't agree with his policies. Of course, I don't much care for Carter either. Does that make me a racist? Of course not! Only narrow-minded bigots that can't defend their policies or political positions resort to using the racist card.
My problem with this school speech is that the DOE is providing a cirriculum that asks students to state how they can help Obama achieve his goals or how they can support Obama. This line of questioning has nothing to do with encouraging the students to be better students. This is just more campaigning by Obama and it is wrong.
Sept 8 - Keep your kids home on Obama Indocterination day!
Please pass this information on to all your your friends who have their children in public school.
I read this post and read through the email and it made me sick. Our children are taught Socialism right away in 1st grade. As your child took pride in picking out their Spiderman or glitter laden pencils to use for school, they walk into class on that first day and the teacher takes them out of their hands. She places all the pencils nice expensive ones like yours along with cheap lead breaking ones of others into one big box...then hands them all out so that everyone can "spread the wealth" and have "social equality".
On sept. 8th Obama will be speaking live to children nation wide as he expains to them to work hard so that they can contribute to the "global economy". I want my children to contribute to their nations economy, my communities economy - not a socialist "global one world economy"!
I wonder if any of the TEACHER UNIONS will be asking their upper grade class to read, The Obama Corruption by Malkin or Catastrophe by Morris. Or would you like to bet they will be reading propaganda books about the struggles of a black man in America and how he was able to rise above the opression of the white man to overcome and become President? I suppose they will leave out about his years of community organizing for the most corrupt organization - ACORN? Or possibly how he has appointed over 30 CZARS of whom all are either Marxist, Communists, Socialists, or in the very least Extreem Radicals! Do you think they will educate the children that they are lucky to have lived during a time when their paren
Do you think they will educate the children that they are lucky to have lived during a time when their parents were able to choose how many children they can have? Because according to our Science Czar Lloyd, he believes the consititution does not put a limit on Americans as to how may kids they can have. In fact, he feels we should follow the leader of such countries as China who limit couples to have only 1 child because of overpopulation. In fact he also has a written in his book that he favors sterilant in the drinking water to control population.
I wonder if the teachers will inform their children that they should avoid exposing Obama for any corrupt activity should they lose their jobs like Inspector General Walpen who was fired and told he was "confused" in his old age when he exposed corrupt dealings between himself an a Governor.
This is an unprecidented act to being the school year with a presidential address which in my opinion is to indocterinate our children!
I am a retired school teacher and an English professor. I am absolutely stunned parents, teachers and our schools would go along with such an obvious government indoctrination program aimed at our impressionable youth.
Learning about civics and American political history is great. Having our president step into classrooms to tell children what a great president he is, this is a slap across the face Lady Liberty and America.
You parents and teachers out there going along with this obvious indoctrination of our American children, you are neither good parents nor good teachers; you are socialists sacrificing our children to a "brown shirt" political philosophy.
This indoctrination program is frightening. More frightening is parents and teachers participating in this indoctrination.
Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation
Puma Politics
I am a proud parent and a Soldier in the United States Army.
I think it's great that our President is taking the time to address our kids. I know that not everyone agrees with Barack Obama's policies. I also do not personally agree with all of his policies, as I also did not agree with all of Bush's, Clinton's, etc.'s policies. But when they addressed they public, I sat down and listened. Once my kids came along, we all sat down and listened together, regardless of our personal opinions of the person in office.
That being said, how I feel is only my opinion. I hope that we all can respect the opinions and decisions of our fellow countrymen. We all have the right to share our like or dislike of the upcoming speech. Do you have a right to let your kids hear the speech? Yes. Do you have the right to not allow your children to hear the speech? Yes. That is why I fight, so that we may all make those decisions for ourselves.
Remember: we are not wrong; we are all unique and free!
Do you think they will educate the children that they are lucky to have lived during a time when their parents were able to choose how many children they can have? Because according to our Science Czar Lloyd, he believes the consititution does not put a limit on Americans as to how may kids they can have. In fact, he feels we should follow the leader of such countries as China who limit couples to have only 1 child because of overpopulation. In fact he also has a written in his book that he favors sterilant in the drinking water to control population.
I wonder if the teachers will inform their children that they should avoid exposing Obama for any corrupt activity should they lose their jobs like Inspector General Walpen who was fired and told he was "confused" in his old age when he exposed corrupt dealings between himself an a Governor.
This is an unprecidented act to being the school year with a presidential address which in my opinion is to indocterinate our children!
Dino
I'm getting real tired of libs calling anyone who disagrees with their liberal, marxist polices a racist. I don't like Obama and I don't agree with his policies. Of course, I don't much care for Carter either. Does that make me a racist? Of course not! Only narrow-minded bigots that can't defend their policies or political positions resort to using the racist card.
My problem with this school speech is that the DOE is providing a cirriculum that asks students to state how they can help Obama achieve his goals or how they can support Obama. This line of questioning has nothing to do with encouraging the students to be better students. This is just more campaigning by Obama and it is wrong.
I don't like Barack Obama, I am a racist and very happy to be one.
I figure if GW Bush can read to our students w/o releasing his transcripts then Barack Obama can too.
Let's face it people, the Left is turning our country into a socialist state! Not only is this propaganda from Obama, read the headlines people! Also, the swine flu issue they are pushing is just an excuse to inforce martial law. Sad state of affairs.
I strongly recommend that before the Obama address to the student proletariat, each teacher require that her kids read James Clavell's "The Children's Story"--and also mention that Clavell was once a POW in a Japanese camp.
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 country 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
Hilarious, A guy who won't show ANY of his school records now talking to kids about education. He's lost most of his adult audience and now has to find some way to get his mug on TV. KEEP YOUR KIDS HOME!!!!
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