Obama School Speech: Encourage Children to Set and Achieve Education Goals
Conservative Pundits and Followers See Intrusion, Threaten Boycotts
The Duncan letter follows up on this White House interview conducted by student reporter Damon Weaver of Canal Point, Florida in which President Obama announced his school speech plan Obama also answered question's posed by Weaver about the administration's education policy.
The U.S. Department of Education website provides lesson plans to help teachers prepare for the Obama school speech and to discuss education goals with students.
For students in grades pre-k through 6, the lesson plan for the Obama school speech suggests familiarizing students with the president, hypothesizing what he might say to the nation's students, thinking about why they should listen to elected leaders, and imagining themselves in the president's role. The lesson plan encourages students to analyze what the president is saying during the speech, and, for those old enough to do, take notes of the key points made. After the speech, the Obama school speech lesson plan encourages discussion of the students' ideas about what the president said and what they would like to tell the president.
For older students, the Obama school speech lesson plan focuses on analyzing personal strengths and determining how to use them to meet goals. The lesson plan urges students to compare the occasion of the Obama school speech to other historic occasions when a president has addressed the nation. After listening with purpose and taking notes, the seventh through twelfth graders following the school speech lesson plan will engage in guided discussion of the key points the president made. They will also offer their viewpoints on the challenges facing their generation and their roles in addressing those challenges.
Of course some conservative pundits were quick to denounce the Obama school speech as an unwarranted intrusion of politics into education with their followers threatening boycotts of schools on September 8. The most extreme likened Obama's school speech plan to Nazi propaganda and communism.
As a product of the American public school system whose children attend public schools, I embrace the president's school speech. Having carefully read the proposed curriculum and finding it progaganda-free, I liken it to my own school days when I was encouraged to exercise because that's what President Kennedy wanted us to do (how I hated that Chicken Fat record that shrilled "Give that chicken fat back to the chicken and don't be chicken again") or asked to read a proclamation from Governor Volpe declaring Labor Day.
Both Republican and Democratic presidents have a long history of speaking to children in classrooms (remember where George W. Bush was on September 11, 2001?), but the internet has made it possible for all children to "meet" the president rather than a select few.
Sources: www.ed.gov; http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html; http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf; http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/7-12.pdf; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP-695ATg-c; http://www.examiner.com/x-18093-Houston-Homeschooling-Examiner~y2009m9d2-Obama-school-speech-controversy; http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=1621571; http://mediamatters.org/research/200909020012.
Published by Carol Bengle Gilbert - Featured Contributor in Travel and Lifestyle
2010 Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year, Carol has consistently been designated a Top 100 Yahoo! Contributor Network writer. She received a 2008 People's Media Award for "Best Article." Web writing... View profile
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22 Comments
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Why is it that people of color have such a problem with the president that you all put into office?
I am 35 years old and since i can remember we as children and parents
did not have a say so on the president speech. So why is their a problem is it because he is 95%African and 5% caucasian. And if so those who have a problem with this how about home-schooled your damn children.
I wish all people would open their minds wide enough to listen to people of both political parties. We learn nothing if we listen only to those who think exactly as we do. Of course, children should listen to the President of the United States. I do not understand the controversy at all.
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.
I too am amazed that there are some people in this country that are alarmed at President Obama's speech. Our children need positive mesages now and what could be more positive than talking about the benefits of staying in school. With all that our President has to face right now, isn't it gracious of him to take some time out for the citizens that sometimes get overlooked: the kids? Thanks for writing this article, and I'm happy to hear from Wendy that there are some conservatives who also think the far right are overdoing it. Good article to spur discussioni. We need more of that - discussion- and less shouting!
Well written. I am a conservative, but this alarmist reactionary reporting of every move The President makes is ridiculous. I wonder how far we are undermining the office of the President with all this shenanigans.
I think there is a difference between listening to our elected leaders and doing what the elected leaders tell us to do. If parents truly valued education for their children%2C they would be encouraging their children to listen to as many points of view as possible and to make their own decisions based on the information they gather%2C rather than blindly following either a politician or a talking head without trying to gather any information. It%27s frustrating to see our society moving in a direction where fewer and fewer people are able to form critically reasoned arguments%2C and even more frustrating to see that people are proud to make their completely uninformed voices heard. Our elected leaders make decisions that affect our lives%2C and the reason it is important to listen to them is so that we can make rational arguments against the decisions that are bad for us. When we don%27t listen%2C we spout off nonsense and spread lies out of ignorance. If we want our nation to imp
I'm simply amazed that people act like this is so much different than a school turning on a TV in a classroom to watch a President speak. I'm amazed that people are so up in arms when so many politicians have run around addressing schools in times past, including former presidents.
I'm not pro-Obama, but aren't there more important things to worry about? Presidents give speeches. That's what they do.
Maybe if the parents did their job and spent more than the normal 10-15 minutes per week with them, maybe they could sit down with their children and explain rationally why they agree or disagree with the President on any matters of concern. Maybe that would teach them to think for themselves. What a concept!
I've also read info that indicates that (in response to the concerns expressed by some) that they are already changing the proposed speech. In some areas (according to Washington Times) teachers will be encouraged to ask themselves how to improve education. It doesn't sound like the address will be shown in all schools.
Oh, geez. I'm tired. It should have said for reason of which you are aware. So arrest me, grammar police.