The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Beach schools will allow principals and teachers to choose whether to show a back-to-school speech Tuesday by President Barack Obama. The division also will allow parents to keep their children out of the viewing, according to a memo sent to principals Friday.
Local administrators took the same approach last year, when plans for a back-to-school speech by the president were criticized by some Republicans.
Last year, "we got some calls and some principals got some calls on both sides of the issue," said Kathy O'Hara, the division's assistant superintendent for communications. "Some felt it was disrespectful we didn't let the kids watch it live, and there were others who thought it might be political and didn't want their children watching it."
This year, nobody has called so far.
According to information from the White House, the president plans to encourage children to "work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning. "
"That kind of message is just plain good advice," the memo to Beach principals said. However, the division won't require principals to show the 1 p.m. speech because "the first weeks of school are often hectic."
The speech will be live streamed Tuesday at whitehouse.gov/back-to-school, and the Beach plans to post the speech at vbschools.com.
Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Last year the hulabaloo was the teacher guide sent out in
advance of the speech. It contained a class assignment for the students to write a letter about how each student and their parents could help Obama achieve the goals talked about in the speech. So the uproar was that parents who do not support Obama's goals were to have their children indoctrinated into supporting his goals across a range of issues. Yes Obama is the President but not every American supports the goals of the Obama administration. Last year's speech as outlined in the advance teacher materials wasn't designed as the typical Presidential speech of do good in school and listen to your parents and teachers. It was designed to get the children to advance Obama's agenda by having the children write a letter to their parents about they could help Obama move various hot-button issues forward. And of course there was an uproar that caused Obama to back off and change the speech. All though it was reported that several teachers gave the letter writing assignment anyway.
just say
"NO".
Teleprompter use
The school system can simply take the teleprompter feed vice actually having POTUS speak, right?
Why Not?
The kids should listen to the POTUS at the beginning of the year, and start of each day with the pledge. They are government schools after all.
He never says anything in his speeches anyways, just a lot of doublespeak.
Why Not?
Well said comments and I agree so much with what both Souper & Joshk said. But I'm sure there are several hundreds of parents that just don't want their kids to hear the President because of something pretty stupid and trivial! Smarter minds need to prevail on this one.
That's Why
These days, I haven’t heard any politician on either side make any speech about anything to anyone within throwing in things to try to get their party votes. This would be no different. The best thing we can teach the kids is not to listen to any of them.
Watching Obama
Another waste of time in our schools. If students dont know they are to do well, try hard and do what is expected, nothing Obama, or anyone else can say will have any effect.
Its the parents job to do this, not the President. Plus he has messed up enough all ready, we dont need to give him access to your kids.
Carter then Reagan were in
Carter then Reagan were in office when I was in middle and high school.
The only indoctrination I recall was a fair amount of flag-waving,ie, reminding us of their expectations, our unique responsibilities as American students, and encouraging us, for the good of the country and us all, to rise to the challenges before us.
Occasional references to potential threats to national security (economy and communism by Carter/Reagan or economy and terror by Bush/Obama) aside, they're really all kind of the of the same.
It is mind-numbingly ridiculous that any parent would want to prevent their kids from hearing a patriotic message from our nation's elected executive.
It's a government-run school. If you want your kids shielded from patriotic messages, home-school them.
A President can not make a student learn
Every president tell studenta to try hard in school, so why is Obama special?? It's up to the student if they want a future.
Everyone knows that each student is different and has their own learning level,some students can learn quicker than than others.
wrong message to kids
Look, I did not vote for the guy and won't vote for him again in 2012. But the fact of the matter is that the students need to respect the office if not the man.
He is the elected leader of the country and the commander in chief of a nation at war.
Teach the kids government, not politics.