?? About Presidents Address to Students

[BuffettFan]

I saw some debate in the last couple of days about the Presidential Address on 9/8 to school students. Earlier this morning, the school system for our county posted on its website that they will NOT be broadcasting this address to their students. (Im not sure I believe their reasoning, because we are a very conservative county, and I could def. see them just wanting to avoid upsetting parents...) I'm wondering if any other school systems have made the same decision......

Anyone else's schools not participating ?

Here's the announcement from the school's website:


President Obama's Address (9/3)



President Obama’s back-to-school address to students will not be shown live on Tuesday, September 8 because of the 12:00 lunch hour. However, FCS families will have access to view the recorded message online at www.forsyth.k12.ga.us .

Teachers will also have access to video of the speech to preview and use for instructional purposes when it fits into the curriculum. If a teacher chooses to show the speech in class, parents/students will be notified. More information about the speech can be found at www.ed.gov .

 

[Camicar]

Have we become so polarized as a nation that some of us are afraid of having children watch a presidential address geared toward children?

What are folks expecting Obama to do? Drop trou?

 

[FireDancer]

I find nothing wrong with giving the parents the choice of what their children see. I can say when I was in school we never watched presidential addresses, period. It had nothing to do with specific politics, just that outside of a political science class that is just not part of the curriculum and we didn't have poly sci in K through 12.

Now a days the address will be available online just about everywhere so it does not have to be watched live.

 

[sbell111]

That is crazy. Did they broadcast last year's address?

 

[ChrizJen]

Have we become so polarized as a nation that some of us are afraid of having children watch a presidential address geared toward children?

What are folks expecting Obama to do? Drop trou?

This is what I was going to say yesterday. I really don't understand the uproar over the whole thing. It's supposed to be a "pep talk" of sorts to students about the importance of education. I'm not sure what part of that is so offensive to some...

 

[ChrizJen]

That is crazy. Did they broadcast last year's address?

I wasn't aware that George W. Bush had an address to school children on the first day of class last year...

 

[The Mystery Machine]

As far as I know, my dd's middle school will not be broadcasting it.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

This is what I was going to say yesterday. I really don't understand the uproar over the whole thing. It's supposed to be a "pep talk" of sorts to students about the importance of education. I'm not sure what part of that is so offensive to some...

Exactly. Much ado about nothing as far as I'm concerned. Would not bother me a bit if it was a Republican president either. I think it is a great idea.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I think more of the uproar was about the lesson plan that went along with the speech than the speech itself. The initial lesson plan encouraged students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help President Obama. A lot of parents also didn't agree with their children having to find things about the speech that inspired them, which essentially assumed that the children had to find Obama inspiring. They saw the two things I have mentioned as indoctrination.

 

[jrmasm]

Just got an email that our school district is showing it to K-12.

Some how I just can't get worked up about it.

 

[mikki'smom]

My daughter teaches sixth grade and has addressed this issue by informing the parents of her students that she will tape the Presidents speech and then watch it tonight. If the speech is one of encouragement and touches on topics that are in their course of study, then it will be used in class the next day. If he is using this as a tool to further a political agenda, then it will probably not be used. She is trying to teach her kids, however, that there are different ways to approach a situation and that is certainly okay to disagree. It is not okay, however, to be disagreeable.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I think more of the uproar was about the lesson plan that went along with the speech than the speech itself. The initial lesson plan encouraged students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help President Obama. A lot of parents also didn't agree with their children having to find things about the speech that inspired them, which essentially assumed that the children had to find Obama inspiring. They saw the two things I have mentioned as indoctrination.

Yep, I think the lesson plan with the assignment is what's getting a lot of people. My guess is there are a lot of folks who wouldn't have appreciated a lesson plan requiring kids to write letters about how they can help President Bush.

 

[BuffettFan]

My kids are in high school....old enough to make up their own minds about what they hear....so I really didnt have an opinion one way or the other... Like previous posters, I'm not sure what parents are thinking he might say/do. Im not an Obama supporter, but I also dont think its a big deal.

Im hoping that they are sincere in their reasoning, and its because it interferes with the lunch schedule, and not a political decision. I will be interested to hear about other school districts

 

[bethbuchall]

Our kids won't be in school yet, so I guess our district doesn't have to make the decision.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

Yep, I think the lesson plan with the assignment is what's getting a lot of people. My guess is there are a lot of folks who wouldn't have appreciated a lesson plan requiring kids to write letters about how they can help President Bush.

I would have thought it was great. It's not like he's going to be seeking their opinions on liberal policies. I'd imagine it's geared towards children and their education. Why should we not want children to feel they should have a say in their education. My dd's first grade wrote pretend letters to President Obama last year. My DD asked him for a playground for their school as they didn't have one.

 

[EMom]

I would imagine the speech itself will be harmless enough. But the lesson plans that accompanied it gave me the creeps. Before anyone starts chanting, "I'll bet if it was Bush giving the speech, you wouldn't have a problem with it,"......Yes, I would. I didn't vote for Bush and I'd have had a serious problem with it if you substituted "Bush" for "Obama" in any of this. It's wrong to assume only conservative Republicans are unnerved by this.

The most objectionable item was:

*Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials , like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?

*There was also something in an earlier draft about, "How can you help the president?" but I understand they withdrew that after getting too much grief.

If a lesson plan asks my young and impressionable child, "Why is it important to listen to President Obama (or Bush) or asks, "How can you help President Obama (or Bush)?" my child and many others will not get that the question is LIMITED to educational goals. They will take it in a broader sense. As a former teacher and a lawyer, I find these lesson plans disturbing. It smacks of subtle indoctrination and I'm not even a conspirarcy theorist, just someone who has studied history and recognizes a pattern. For crying out loud, the president of Russia also addresses Russian school children at the start of the year and in other countries, children have to write assignments about how they can "help their leader." It gives me the shivers.


Why not give this speech in the evening when parents can see it too WITH the kids? And why give such detailed lesson plans? After all, it's JUST a speech...... If that's the case, then just talk and stop with the assignments already.

As for "listening to our leaders".....Well, it's about time THEY listened to US.

 

[sbell111]

I think more of the uproar was about the lesson plan that went along with the speech than the speech itself. The initial lesson plan encouraged students to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help President Obama. A lot of parents also didn't agree with their children having to find things about the speech that inspired them, which essentially assumed that the children had to find Obama inspiring. They saw the two things I have mentioned as indoctrination.

Well, here's the suggested lesson plan. I'm not seeing the Devil that you have described.

Even if it were there, all schools would have to do is ignore the suggested plan and create their own.

 

[FireDancer]

Why not give this speech in the evening when parents can see it too WITH the kids? And why give such detailed lesson plans? After all, it's JUST a speech...... If that's the case, then just talk and stop with the assignments already.

Sounds like a better idea to me.

 

[EMom]

As some of the previous poster are pointing out, it's the assignments that are wigging me out. What did my child find inspiring? That assumes Obama is, as a matter of course, inspiring. What can my child do to help Obama? I thought my child was supposed to help her fellow citizens and her country. Why is it important to listen to President Obama and Congress, etc? I thought I was raising my child to ask questions, not follow blindly. So YES, these assignments bother me.

I swear, take any of them and substitute "Mao" or "Stalin" for President Obama and you'd have a history lesson. I'm not saying Obama is Mao or Stalin, but I am saying that as an American, this is unnerving.

And BTW, the lesson plan has supposedly been revamped since last night when I printed it. They were taking too much heat, probably realizing they'd gone too far. But they fact that they wanted to TRY it bothers me terribly.

 

[sbell111]

... The most objectionable item was:

*Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials , like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
...
As for "listening to our leaders"....

Ummm, it IS important to listen to what these officials say, even if we disagree with them. Especially if we disagree with them.