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A Mother’s View: President’s Address to Schoolchildren
Not an “issue of singular national importance”

by

In an ideal world, we should not rush to criticize the head of state of a country asking to address the nation’s schoolchildren.  So, to a certain extent, I agree with the folks as Founding Bloggers who offered that they saw

. . . nothing wrong with a presidential address to students. Context is everything though, and the Department of Education’s suggested activities and exercises provide an abundant supply of context.

But, when you look at the initial talking points offered by the Administration, you see a highly troubling context. And the changes they offer make the initial intent more manifest–to enlist children in promoting the president’s agenda

The White House has re-written its activist talking points for teachers/administrators disseminated by the US Department of Education and removed the language about “helping the president.”

Until the public outcry, we saw the President of the United States using his office to enlist American schoolchildren in helping him.

Still, even with the more “anodyne” talking points, this represents using school time for a project of questionable academic merit.  Following this controversy online while staying at my brother’s house, I have gotten an earful from my sister-in-law (who is also mother to a smart young blogger):

If you want children to watch this, encourage them to do this at home where they can watch with their parents.  And if there’s any issue of discussion, do it at home.  But, don’t take up academic time . . . . Too much of our education is taken up with social causes.  We need to educate our children.

She distinguishes the President’s planned talk next week from 9/11 when she thought it appropriate to take time out from class for students to watch TV news coverage given that “we were all so shocked.”  This, however, is “not an issue of singular national importance.”

No, this is not the time for a President to deliver a special, nearly unprecedented address to schoolchildren.  It might be appropriate were we at war.  But, given the heat this has generated in the “rightosphere,” the President knows people are paying attention–as we have seen by the White House decision to amend its talking points.

And because people are paying attention, I would daresay that he will now not use it to promote his agenda–as he initially may have intended.  In the end, his remarks, as the revised talking points, may become quite anodyne.  And that wouldn’t be so bad.  But, why take away valuable teaching time for a banal address from a self-important chief executive?

RELATED:  My nephew thinks because the President is failing on healthcare, he “has moved his efforts back to his core constituency: children.”

UPDATE: Is Obama violating federal law with this address to schoolchildren?

Comments

  1. I’ve read that Chairman Obama is seeking to replace 11 Sept. in people’s minds by having them focus on civic duties instead of remembrance. Given this and the left’s desperate attempts in the past to make people forget, I don’t think that it’s too far off the mark.

  3. Great perspective from a Mom. I have several youngsters in schools in PA., and their Mothers are horrified to the point that they may not begin school until next Wednesday.
    I did hear a good alternative. Teachers in the Charlotte Mechlenberg District are viewing it first to see if it is appropriate for their students to watch at a later date.
    I tink all school districts should use this approach.

  5. I hate the way Obama and his minnions are trying to invade every aspect of our lives. It reminds me so much of George Orwell’s Big Brother from Animal Farm.
    If they can’t influence the adults, now they are going after the children. It is really sick.

    When you are a child things should be simple. Your parents are the ultimant authority in all you do. The teachers have a job to do, educate you so you can become a working productive member of the rest of
    society. Politicians, social workers, etc, need to leave them alone. There will be plenty of time for those things when they are older.

    Reading, writing, and arithmatic. Should be the major focus in school. Leave dogma and doctrine out of it from all aspects. A little real American History is good too.

    I don’t have children but if I did, I would probably opt to home school, I am beginning to see why folks choose it.

  6. Obama requires curriculum time for a K-12 message to the national, captive public school student body. This is a unique moment in Presidential history. What can he possibly say that is of such importance?

    Certainly he would want to avoid any Cult of Obama comparisons to youth squads which dictators have created so effectively in the past.

    If he has some special, powerful thoughts that will stir minds from Kindergarten to the Senior year, perhaps they should be written, read, studied and examined.

    If he just wants to be there to say study hard, be good and eat your vegetables, I would argue that he is wasting his valuable time and disrupting the school day for light and transient reasons. Of course, however, if he believes such words coming from his anointed head will have special power and meaning, then I guess he is acting in his role of Dear Leader. After all, the Dear Leader can not possibly make it to all the schools, so it is necessary to bring all the schools to the Dear Leader.

    I am concerned that Obama and the cult of personality are at the core of this cockamamie idea. The adoring NEA can be counted upon to help lead the Dear Leader chants. How long before his picture is in every classroom? (But not the American flag.)

  7. I am trying to hold off my judgement until I know exactly what he plans to say, but I have a huge knot in my stomach about the whole thing. As Obama’s number one supporter Oprah always tells her audience, “Listen to your intuition”, my intuition has loud sirens, bells and whistles screaming at me about this.

    I printed the “Menu of Classroom Activities” from the ed.gov website and it tells teachers to ask the kids “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?”

    I think it’s far more important for kids to listen to their parents so I’m curious about their answers to those questions. With so many corrupt politicians running this country, I don’t feel comfortable having my kids listen to any of what they have to say, other than when I can explain to them that what the politicians say and how they behave are often two different things!

  9. Obama works fast. It took all of ten years for Hugo Chavez to create a socialist revolutionary curriculum of indoctrination of students from K-university designed to create loyalty to the revolution and to Hugo. Obama is doing the same thing in only eight months. The student is surpassing his mentor.

  10. “It took all of ten years for Hugo Chavez to create a socialist revolutionary curriculum of indoctrination of students from K-university designed to create loyalty to the revolution and to Hugo.”

    Yes, my friend’s mother teaches at a private music university in Caracas that is now being nationalized by Chavez. Such a shame.

  15. how do you distinguish obama’s speech from the one given by bush I in 1991?

    Easy. According to the WaPo at the time, Bush’s speech “urged students to study hard, avoid drugs and turn in troublemakers.” Not to mention Richard “The Dick” Gephardt blew a gasket. Chairman Obama’s speech is about rounding up more supporters and most likely to organize the Obama Youth.

    Anymore dumbass questions?

  18. I have no problem with the president, whomsoever they may be, wanting to address the nation.

    The rub comes when the address is mandatory, to a captive and impressionable audience, and is scheduled during a time when that audience is separated from their parents, who are likely to be working and will have less of an opportunity to also view the address.

    I would have absolutely no concern if a “beginning of school year” address was scheduled for an early evening TV slot, so that parents and kids could watch it together, should they CHOOSE to to watch it at all.

    Now you’ll have to excuse me, the telescreen is signaling that the 2 minutes hate is about to begin…