If Teaching Children About Education is Wrong, Then I Don't Want to Be Right

Just when I think nothing else can surprise me about the heated political culture we live in today, another issue rises to the surface that makes me question who we are as Americans. After all, President Obama's plan to deliver a speech to public school students urging them to work hard and stay in school should not be an issue. The fact that the President, who has two wars going on, an economy in disarray, health care reform on the emergency table and a host of other issues afflicting the nation, is willing to spend some time encouraging our youth to work hard and stay in school should be commended.

Yet, it has caused fervor and outrage across the country, particularly in Texas, where conservative parents suggest the president is trying to indoctrinate their children with socialist ideas. Many of these parents intend on keeping their children home the day of the speech and/or have asked school officials to not show the speech.

Now as a mom, I believe parents have the right to raise their minor children the way they feel best and to have a say in what they're exposed to but that aside, I honestly have to ask has it truly come to this? Are we so politically and culturally divided in this country that we can't even agree that advocating for hard work and children to stay in school is a good thing? I suspect this outrage, which I personally believe is nonsense, has more to do with the messenger than the message. You see, I still believe, many conservatives just can't fathom or accept that President Obama won the presidency. Many conservatives, whether because of his race or his ideology, will never accept him as president of the United States. As a result, nothing he does will ever be good enough or suffice for them.

It really is a shame. After all, the President isn't giving a policy speech. His comments aren't aimed at discussing health care reform, his beliefs on Afghanistan or any other political issue. Rather, his speech is about education. As a mom, I believe our children need all the encouragement they can get to stay in school. At no other time in our history, is this speech and words of encouragement more important. The truth is whether we want to acknowledge it or not, our youth are facing escalating hurdles. In some of our communities throughout this country, less than half of our inner city youth are graduating high school and unemployment and crime among are youth are astronomical. What's worse, in some of our communities, particularly our inner cities, many of our youth are walking around in a zombie like state. They're physically alive but their souls died long ago.

Our challenge as Americans is to identify how we will address the challenges that many of them will and are enduring so if the President's speech can inspire just one kid to stay in school and do well with their lives then how can this not be a good thing. Bottom line: we should be parents first because our first responsibility is to our children and we shouldn't let partisan politics or anything else get in the way of this. After all, our youth are our future so if educating them is wrong, then I definitely don't want to be right!