View Full Version : September 8, 2009
September 8, 2009
Do you know who will be in the classrom with your child?
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10582301/President-Obama’s-Address-to-Students-Across-America-September-8-2009
"President Obama’s Address to Students Across America September 8, 2009
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities: President Obama’s Address to Students Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
Before the Speech:
• Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be President?
To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?........"
How long before each child will be required to have the little red book?
Hmmmm, they voted to keep religion out of school, the pledge of allegiance....but allow politics?!?:rolleyes:
I have no issues with these activities - typical foreshadowing, predicting, observing, recording, analyzing, reporting type activities for schools.
Context may be important - in this case, why education is important to students and how their education will help them achieve their goals - as indicated in the Secretary of Education's letter to principals from the Department of Education's web-site:
Dear Principal:
In a recent interview with student reporter, Damon Weaver, President Obama announced that on September 8 — the first day of school for many children across America — he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.
This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation's school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov 12:00 noon eastern standard time.
In advance of this address, we would like to share the following resources: a menu of classroom activities for students in grades preK-6 and for students in grades 7-12. These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website www.ed.gov in the coming weeks.
On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society's most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.
Sincerely,
Arne Duncan
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Context may be important - in this case, why education is important to students and how their education will help them achieve their goals...
IMO, a worthy goal that will go completely unachieved without enduring and full parental/guardian reinforcement. Those that haven't received that already are likely to continue going without, regardless of the President's broadcast.
ZonieDiver
09-01-2009, 14:22
Like Richard, I have no problem with this type of activity. As a teacher, I appreciate notice such as this, so that I might prepare classroom activities to augment/supplement/reinforce/clarify etc.
He is, despite my extreme differences with him in regard to policies/attitudes, the President of the United States. Ask yourself, "If this had been done by President Bush, would I have a problem with it?" I wouldn't.
Razor is correct. Of more importance is how the parent or guardian approaches such things. How aware do they make their child(ren) of such things? Do they discuss politics, policies, history, economics, government around the dinner table. Hell, do they even eat dinner together at all - ever?
Parents should enquire as to what their child's teacher is doing in regard to this program. How will the teacher approach it? (I know how I would. Unfortunately, I also know how my evening school colleague will approach it.)
Praetorian
09-01-2009, 15:19
Thanks for pointing this out....
Dozer523
09-01-2009, 15:37
As long as he doesn't try to read along!:p We remember how well that went the last time a new President tried to "read with me";)
As long as he doesn't try to read along! We remember how well that went the last time a new President tried to "read with me";)
Maybe that's why he's doing it three days earlier this time! ;)
Richard
GratefulCitizen
09-01-2009, 16:02
September 8, 2009
Do you know who will be in the classrom with your child?
Yup.
The pastor's wife and the deacon's wife.
They are the teachers.
My kids won't get targeted at home, either.
Don't have cable tv.
Don't have at-home internet access.
How long before each child will be required to have the little red book?
If they're gov't issue, my kids will draw bulls-eyes on them and use them for target practice.
My kids' school gives them each a children's Bible at the end of the year.
Oddly enough, the color is usually red.
I make no apologies for indoctrinating my own children.
The fertile shall inherit the earth. :D
The fertile shall inherit the earth.
Sounds like a quote from either Mao's Little Red Book, the Catholic Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the Koran. :D
Richard
GratefulCitizen
09-01-2009, 16:34
Sounds like a quote from either Mao's Little Red Book, the Catholic Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the Koran. :D
Richard
The allusion was deliberate.
It figures that you would catch it. :lifter
Herein lies the motive for going after kids through the public indoctrination system: the fertility gap.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008831
incarcerated
09-02-2009, 17:41
I expect the thing to go something like this:
(watch to the whole thing: the important stuff is at the end.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwG5MhVGQ6k&feature=related
My boys will not be involved in this period
I guess their 4 day will be extended
As long as he doesn't try to read along!:p We remember how well that went the last time a new President tried to "read with me";)
Maybe that's why he's doing it three days earlier this time! ;)
IIRC, critics of Bush the Younger subsequently alleged that his presence at an elementary school on that awful day was "proof" that his presidency was a failure.:rolleyes: Gotta love those double standards.
[FWIW, my two cents are that any president, regardless of the motivation, who encourages students e to take their education seriously is doing a good deed.]
If I can go out on a limb here, and ask a simple question???
Does anyone else think it rather strange that:
"President Obama’s Address to Students Across America September 8, 2009
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities: President Obama’s Address to Students Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
Before the Speech:
• Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be President?
To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?........"
This seems a little "1984" to me...but I am most likely wrong, and just not educated enough to read it for what it is???:o :confused:
Holly
Warrior-Mentor
09-02-2009, 18:10
We're good for now...ramadan won't be over by then...
Don't have at-home internet access.
How do you survive? :eek:
I think it will go more like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQT830mo8Mc
Every word he says is going to be picked apart by both sides. If he goes into anything overtly political with children this age it will be career suicide. I'm just glad my kids are not old enough yet to participate... this time.
I'm just glad my kids are not old enough yet to participate... this time.
I would think you would welcome the opportunity to engage in this discussion with your children.
The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
But that's me - and YMMV. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
I would think you would welcome the opportunity to engage in this discussion with your children.
The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.[/I]
But that's me - and YMMV. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Richard Sir,
Am always inclined to follow the lead of the QP, when attempting to understand complex situations, and complex theories.
So in this situation, the conflict arrises when the Source of the "Challenge" is a man like Barrack Hussien Obama...
Am at a loss here, but am trying to understand, and appologize in advance if this seems like a stupid question.
Holly
Some of the classroom activities suggested by the Department of Education to coincide with the speech:
Menu of Classroom Activities President Obama’s Address to Students Across America (PreK‐6)
Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.This has been edited since the first time I downloaded the document and now reads: Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short‐term and long‐term education goals.
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?
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf
"I pledge to be a servant of our president." - 3:54 into the embedded video.
Parents upset over 'leftist propaganda' video
Education » Principal apologizes for showing 'I Pledge' to students.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13249171?_requestid=5883011
I would think you would welcome the opportunity to engage in this discussion with your children.
The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.
But that's me - and YMMV. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Under most circumstances I would agree. But like my parents told me, choose your friends wisely because people will judge you by the friends you keep.
And in Obama's case your dealing with a person who has no issue hanging out with and taking advice from the likes of Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Van Jones, Cass Sunstein, John Holdren, Mark Lloyd and Jeff Jones....just to name a few!
That is a well rounded lot of Anti-Americans.......those are the type of 'Friends' you tell your kids to stay far, far away from and you tell them to stay away from anyone that associates with them.
So what is President Zero going to communicate to my Kids? If his smoke and mirrors campaign promises are any indication, I should expect this little event to be nothing close to what is stated on the Menu of Classroom Activities (which says absolutely nothing about what Zero is going to focus on).
The man is at very least a LIAR and a MANIPULATOR. The only difference between Obama and a Drug Dealer is what he is Peddling.
It is a good day to take your kids to the Dentist or something.
incarcerated
09-02-2009, 21:07
:munchin
"I pledge to be a servant of our president." - 3:54 into the embedded video.
Here are the facts about the "I Pledge" video - if anyone is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA1ysSbw&feature=player_embedded
We never showed a video/movie without having previewed it and agreeing to the appropriateness of its use to the subject of discussion.
However - IMO - this video is an appropriate video to be used for a high school level speech, government, or film course to engage in an age appropriate discussion of point of view, the influence of Hollywood or Madison Avenue on our culture, the use of subliminal and overt messaging in advertising, etc.
So what is President Zero going to communicate to my Kids?
Ref posts #3 and #18, and http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html
Maybe the Secretary of Education should have written his letter to school Principals telling them what the POTUS was going to focus on in Klingan so Americans could understand what he is planning to communicate to the students. :confused:
FWIW - here in North Texas school districts are leaving it up to the individual school principals and classroom teachers themselves to choose whether or not they want to engage in the POTUS' message to the students on 8 Sep 09.
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Let's see....
The NEA and it's states organizations are loyal foot soldiers of the left.
The left calls and they march and protest.
The Prez wants to talk to all the little kiddies and the classroom teacher was to guide the talk and papers into "how we can help the president".
Of course that first idea has now been changed to shared responsibility.
Yeah, when the rat gets it's tail caught in the trap it starts to sign another tune.
Just here waiting for the "racist" charge to be slung at anybody who opts their kid out for the day.
Interesting,, The WH is back-tracking before it starts..
White House Withdraws Call for Students to 'Help' Obama.. President Obama's plan to inspire the nation's schoolchildren with a video address next week erupted into controversy Wednesday, forcing the White House to pull out its eraser and rewrite a government recommendation that teachers nationwide assign students a paper on how to "help the president," the Washington Times reported.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/03/white-house-withdraws-students-help-obama/?test=latestnews
I wonder how much of the youtube pledge video was being used in the POTUS classroom segment??
Here are the facts about the "I Pledge" video - if anyone is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA...layer_embedded
"I pledge to be a servant of our president." - 3:54 into the embedded video.
I think our POTUS should interact with the children of this nation,, But I am also leery of the left using subliminal and back-handed innuendo to alter what I think is a basic parents job. Do all parents do well,, NO,, look at the rising crime.. That does not mean the responsibility should be usurped,, and by a dicidely Left leaning education system,, Richard and a small minority excluded..
Here are the facts about the "I Pledge" video - if anyone is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcPA1ysSbw&feature=player_embedded
We never showed a video/movie without having previewed it and agreeing to the appropriateness of its use to the subject of discussion.
However - IMO - this video is an appropriate video to be used for a high school level speech, government, or film course to engage in an age appropriate discussion of point of view, the influence of Hollywood or Madison Avenue on our culture, the use of subliminal and overt messaging in advertising, etc.
You're laying out a pretty specific set of circumstances...and also requires that the teacher moderating the discussion is not a Obamaton.
I really don't want this propaganda opportunity anywere near my grade school aged kids. Just doesn't feel right to me.
I can just imagine.....
Hi Kids! I am President Barack Obama (he flashes his big smile) and I am speaking to you today about education and how you can help me through education. Now I know you've probably heard a lot of stories about me and some of your parents don't like me (flashes smile), but let me make it clear to you that my Administration and myself are trying to make a better world for you.
And through education (brainwashing) we can make that happen, which is why I am speaking to you today. It is important that you study and learn so that you can help me and your country become a better place.
He touches (plants the seeds) on Green Energy and Health Care. Then he asks them to discuss what they learn with friends, family and neighbors (Community Activist).
And then he mentions they can become part of a new club in school called 'Civics Corps' which they can join and get a cool Red Jacket!
You are the future of this nation and together we can change it.
I don't trust his motivation and intentions. ;)
Speedgod
09-03-2009, 11:57
You're laying out a pretty specific set of circumstances...and also requires that the teacher moderating the discussion is not a Obamaton.
I really don't want this propaganda opportunity anywere near my grade school aged kids. Just doesn't feel right to me.
I agree.
My kids will not be anywhere near that speech that day.
Team Sergeant
09-03-2009, 12:33
Fact is the Federal government has zero authority to do what they did and now the white house knows it.
"Christina Erland Culver, former deputy assistant secretary for education, said presidents have traditionally addressed classrooms on the first day of school, but the problem with the event was the accompanying materials from the Department of Education.
"That's where they kind of got into a slippery spot. Federal statute denies any authority to the Department of Education to provide any kind of curriculum or anything that can be passed down to the state, and that's part of the statute forming the Department of Education. So they kinda got themselves into this mess because they didn't really understand some of the key legal roles or the dos and don'ts at the federal Department of Ed," she said."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/03/white-house-withdraws-students-help-obama/?test=latestnews
Not only is it inappropriate IMO, but it's against the law. But I guess they know that now.....
Please tell me how "I pledge to be a servant of our president" in any context is "appropriate"? If I recall correctly senators, congressmen and presidents work for the "people" not the other way around. Now in socialist/dictatorships the people do "serve" their leader.....
"White House Withdraws Call for Students to 'Help' Obama"
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/03/white-house-withdraws-students-help-obama/?test=latestnews
I wonder if obama will appoint a "Foot in Mouth" Czar to make excuses for "Zero" everytime he makes an asinine comment or statement.
I'm sure glad there's a few real media outlets such as Foxnews & Washington Times that take a stand on these issues and report them.
I think I'll go and clean my guns and later purchase some more ammo at the non-union Wal-Mart.;)
TS
The Reaper
09-03-2009, 12:51
Again, I have to ask, what would the left have done if President Bush had asked for an opportunity to preach to our/their children?
They have to realize that the pendulum swings, and like so many other issues, if they are okay with The One doing it, it should be okay when the next conservative POTUS wants his turn.
Hypocrisy.
TR
incarcerated
09-03-2009, 13:24
Again, I have to ask, what would the left have done if President Bush had asked for an opportunity to preach to our/their children?
The Left would have been apoplectic, and had a conniption fit similar to Coke and Mentos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWS0FZEqdJA
Fact is the Federal government has zero authority to do what they did and now the white house knows it.
Please tell me how "I pledge to be a servant of our president" in any context is "appropriate"? If I recall correctly senators, congressmen and presidents work for the "people" not the other way around. Now in socialist/dictatorships the people do "serve" their leader.....TS
TS Sir, Very well said!!! Am very curious as well.:munchin
Holly
incarcerated
09-03-2009, 19:19
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/02/flashback-bill-ayers-declares-education-the-motor-force-of-revolution/
Flashback: Bill Ayers declares education “the motor-force of revolution”
By Michelle Malkin
September 2, 2009 10:36 AM
I thought this would be a useful refresher as President Obama’s September 8 junior lobbyist recruitment speech approaches. It’s his Chicago pal Bill Ayers’ 2006 speech at the World Economic Forum in Caracas, Venezuela.
You can separate Obama from radical Ayers’ neighborhood. But you can’t separate Ayers’ radicalism from Obama.
"President Hugo Chavez, Vice-President Vicente Rangel, Ministers Moncada and Isturiz, invited guests,comrades. I’m honored and humbled to be here with you this morning. I bring greetings and support from your brothers and sisters throughout Northamerica. Welcome to the World Education Forum! Amamos la revolucion Bolivariana!
This is my fourth visit to Venezuela, each time at the invitation of my comrade and friend Luis Bonilla, a brilliant educator and inspiring fighter for justice. Luis has taught me a great deal about the Bolivarian Revolution and about the profound educational reforms underway here in Venezuela under the leadership of President Chavez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution, and I’ve come to appreciate Luis as a major asset in both the Venezuelan and the international struggle—I look forward to seeing how he and all of you continue to overcome the failings of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane. Thank you, Luis, for everything you’ve done.
I also thank my youngest son, Chesa Boudin, who is interpreting my talk this morning and whose book on the Bolivarian revolution has played an important part in countering the barrage of lies spread by the U.S. State Department and the corrupted Northamerican media.
On my last trip to Caracas I spoke of traveling to a literacy class—Mission Robinson— in the hills above the city along a long and winding road. As we made our way higher and higher, the talk turned to politics as it inevitably does here, and someone noted that the wealthy—here and everywhere, here and in the US surely—have certain received opinions, a kind of absolute judgment about poor and working people, and yet they have never traveled this road, nor any road like it. They have never boarded this bus up into these hills, and not just the oligarchy or the wealthy—this lack of first-hand knowledge, of open investigation, of generous regard is also a condition of the everyday liberals, and even many of the radicals and armchair intellectuals whose formulations sit lifeless and stifling in a crypt of mythology about poor people. Everyone should come and travel these roads into the hills, we agreed then—and not just once, but again and again and again – if they will ever learn anything of the real conditions of life here, surely, but more important than that, if they will ever encounter the wisdom and experience and insight that lives here as well.
We arrived at eight o’clock to a literacy circle already underway being conducted in a small, poorly-lit classroom. And here in an odd and dark space, a sun was shining: ten people had pulled their chairs close together—a young woman maybe 19, a grandmother maybe 65, two men in their 40s—each struggling to read. And I thought of a poem called A Poor Woman Learns to Write by Margaret Atwood about a woman working laboriously to print her name in the dirt. She never thought she could do it, the poet notes, not her– this writing business was for others. But she does it, prints her name, her first word so far, and she looks up and smiles— for she did it right.
The woman in the poem—just like the students in Mission Robinson—is living out a universal dialectic that embodies education at its very best: she wrote her name, she changed herself, and she altered the conditions of her life. As she wrote the word, she changed the world, and another world became—suddenly and surprisingly—possible.
I began teaching when I was 20 years old in a small freedom school affiliated with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The year was 1965, and I’d been arrested in a demonstration. Jailed for ten days, I met several activists who were finding ways to link teaching and education with deep and fundamental social change. They were following Dewey and DuBois, King and Helen Keller who wrote: “We can’t have education without revolution. We have tried peace education for 1,900 years and it has failed. Let us try revolution and see what it will do now.”
I walked out of jail and into my first teaching position—and from that day until this I’ve thought of myself as a teacher, but I’ve also understood teaching as a project intimately connected with social justice. After all, the fundamental message of the teacher is this: you can change your life—whoever you are, wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done, another world is possible. As students and teachers begin to see themselves as linked to one another, as tied to history and capable of collective action, the fundamental message of teaching shifts slightly, and becomes broader, more generous: we must change ourselves as we come together to change the world. Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions small and large. La educacion es revolucion!
I taught at first in something like a Simoncito—called Head Start—and eventually taught at every level in barrios and prisons and insurgent projects across the United States. I learned then that education is never neutral. It always has a value, a position, a politics. Education either reinforces or challenges the existing social order, and school is always a contested space – what should be taught? In what way? Toward what end? By and for whom? At bottom, it involves a struggle over the essential questions: what does it mean to be a human being living in a human society?
Totalitarianism demands obedience and conformity, hierarchy, command and control. Royalty requires allegiance. Capitalism promotes racism and militarism – turning people into consumers, not citizens. Participatory democracy, by contrast, requires free people coming together voluntarily as equals who are capable of both self-realization and, at the same time, full participation in a shared political and economic life.
Education contributes to human liberation to the extent that people reflect on their lives, and, becoming more conscious, insert themselves as subjects in history. To be a good teacher means above all to have faith in the people, to believe in the possibility that people can create and change things. Education is not preparation for life, but rather education is life itself ,an active process in which everyone— students and teachers– participates as co-learners.
Despite being under constant attack from within and from abroad, the Bolivarian revolution has made astonishing strides in a brief period: from the Mission Simoncito to the Mission Robinson to the Mission Ribas to the Mission Sucre, to the Bolivarian schools and the UBV, Venezuelans have shown the world that with full participation, full inclusion, and popular empowerment, the failings of capitalist schooling can be resisted and overcome. Venezuela is a beacon to the world in its accomplishment of eliminating illiteracy in record time, and engaging virtually the entire population in the ongoing project of education.
The great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda wrote a poem to his fellow writers called “The Poet’s Obligation” in which he instructed them in their core responsibility: you must, he said, become aware of your sisters and brothers who are trapped in subjugation and meaninglessness, imprisoned in ignorance and despair. You must move in and out of windows carrying a vision of the vast oceans just beyond the bars of the prison– a message of hope and possibility. Neruda ends with this: it is through me that freedom and the sea will call in answer to the shrouded heart.
Let those of us who are gathered here today read this poem as “The Teacher’s Obligation.” We, too, must move in and out of windows, we, too, must build a project of radical imagination and fundamental change. Venezuela is poised to offer the world a new model of education– a humanizing and revolutionary model whose twin missions are enlightenment and liberation. This World Education Forum provides us a unique opportunity to develop and share the lessons and challenges of this profound educational project that is the Bolivarian Revolution.
Viva Mission Sucre!
Viva Presidente Chavez!
Viva La Revolucion Bolivariana!
Hasta La Victoria Siempre!"
Utah Bob
09-03-2009, 20:29
Again, I have to ask, what would the left have done if President Bush had asked for an opportunity to preach to our/their children?
They have to realize that the pendulum swings, and like so many other issues, if they are okay with The One doing it, it should be okay when the next conservative POTUS wants his turn.
Hypocrisy.
TR
Well, GHW Bush did. He gave a "Don't do drugs" talk.
The Democrats opposed it. They said the broadcast was too expensive.:rolleyes:
I agree.
My kids will not be anywhere near that speech that day.
I've been stewing over this all day. My school district is showing it live, but parents can opt kids out if they choose. But you know that that information is not being disseminated. We had to ASK the school.
I may let my kids watch, because they are very mature for their ages and my wife and I have taught them to think for themselves and to try and discern the underlying motives of the people who are telling them things (or trying to sell them things etc.)
In fact, we just talked over the dinner table about the WH message that was being fed (and largely accepted) to a left-leaning education system. We talked about Obama's associations with racists and terrorists and how he kow-tows to those who would love to tear down our country as we know it. We talked abotu my distrust of the Teacher's union and the danger when there is a cozy relationshiop between the executive branch and the education system in this country. We also talked about how these types of presidential addresses (from this President at least) are less about encouraging education , an more about preparing schoolkids to vote for OBAMA in the next election and/or socialist candidates in the future.
You know, in reality, I'm less worried about MY kids and more worried about the impact of this propaganda on OTHER kids.
6.8SPC_DUMP
09-03-2009, 22:58
I think Obama has an outstanding chance to give children the motivation to work hard in school and make a better life for themselves. Particularly some minority children whose surroundings make the idea of a better life hard to believe - unless they make money from crime, music or athletics.
But BHO talking in schools should be a politicized issue based on his plans.
BHO's education agenda includes civilian service - and it's been passed into law - but not widely reported by MSM. At first he wanted it to be mandatory but now there are just financial incentives for service. I have a feeling it will be big news in 2010 as BHO has requested $1.1 billion to fund that first year. I'm not saying that it's a "hitler youth group" - but parents should know about it.
H.R.1388 - The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act - was made law April 21, 2009.
Text of the "Serve America Act": Link (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ013.111)
OpenCongress Summary: Link (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/1/111-h1388/show#)
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (formally the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act) authorizes a dramatic funding increase for AmeriCorps and other volunteer programs, and the creation of new programs for seniors and veterans. It establishes a goal of expanding from 75,000 government-supported volunteers to 250,000, and would increase education funding and establish a summer volunteer program for students, paying $500 (which would be applied to college costs) to high-school and middle-school student who participate.
President Barack Obama signed the legislation on April 21, 2009. While it authorizes $5.7 billion over six years, Congress must still approve the funding as part of the budget.
Makes sense to me that it would follow the administration's agenda to Integrate Service into Learning:
Expand Service-Learning in Our Nation's Schools: Set a goal that all middle and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year. Develop national guidelines for service learning and give schools better tools both to develop programs and to document student experience.
Expand Youth Programs: Create an energy-focused youth jobs program to provide disadvantaged youth with service opportunities weatherizing buildings and getting practical experience in fast-growing career fields. Expand the YouthBuild program to give 50,000 disadvantaged young people the chance to complete their high school education, learn valuable skills and build affordable housing in their communities.
Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
Promote College Serve-Study: Ensure that at least 25 percent of College Work-Study funds are used to support public service opportunities instead of jobs in dining halls and libraries.
Link (http://change.gov/agenda/service_agenda/)
Seems more like a WPA 'pump priming' type effort to me. :confused:
FWIW - many schools (public and private) and organizations (e.g., BSA troops, honor societies, fraternities and sororities, church groups, etc) already mandate their students/members perform various numbers of hours of community service annually.
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
bandycpa
09-04-2009, 06:53
The wife handed me a piece of paper today before the lads (ages 9 and 6) went off to school today. She said "Well, that's a facial expression I've never seen from you before. I didn't know your face could twist that way." It was a permission slip for the Obama speech on Sep 8.
I, too, am torn about whether to let the Bandy Boys watch the speech. The kneejerk part of me says absolutely not. But, as Richard points out so many times, facts remain when feelings fade away. So I read up on what the speech was supposed to be about, and have decided to approach Sep 8 this way.
I'm in favor of our leaders telling our kids to work hard, stay in school, and set goals for their lives. I wish those verbal sentiments were stated with concurrent positive action by our leaders, but that's another story for another time. Let's face it, our kids are being taught the media's version of the world via tv by the latest "tweener" (see Nickelodeon's recent 'green' campaign), the latest flash-in-the-pan pop superstar, their favorite athlete, and so forth. As parents, we have to respond to any message that is presented before our kids as "gospel", and present the pros and cons of the message to our kids based on our own family value system. The message from BHO is no different. Keeping them out of the speech, just as a reactionary move, is no different than shielding them from anything else going on in the world that we may not approve of. We can only keep them in bubblewrap for so long. If we keep them protected for too long, they will not be able to think for themselves, and will be ripe for the ideological picking once they get into the real world on their own.
Also, remember that the text of the speech is going to be put online Monday. I plan on checking it out then so I will know what the lads will be hearing on Sep 8. I will keep the permission slip until Tuesday morning so that, in the event it truly is a brainwashing session, I can opt them out on the day of the speech. I doubt seriously though that this will be the case. So, I will be prepared to sit down with both of them and talk about what the President says on Sep 8...just like I should with every other message that floats between their precious little ears.
Bandy
I wonder if obama will appoint a "Foot in Mouth" Czar to make excuses for "Zero" everytime he makes an asinine comment or statement.
I thought that was unofficially Biden. Not so much to make excuses, but as a comedic sidekick so BO could say "I may have said something bad, BUT LOOK AT THAT GUY!"
I've been kicking around Richards perspective on this, but last evening.....
The Wife and I went to Back to School Night to visit the classes of my two grade schoolers. While we were waiting to talk to my son's energetic and charismatic teacher I over heard him talking to another parent, who from past conversation has made it known they are a ardent supporter of Obama.
What were they talking about? They were talking about next Tuesday and they both were extremely excited, giddy in fact. Oh I can't to wait see! I am so excited!
Will the classroom discussion afterward be fair and balanced or slanted? Should we go and monitor what goes on? If we don't agree with the discussions direction should I leave with my kids or confront the teacher?
Should any grade school parent be put into such a predicament....I don't think so.
....Also, remember that the text of the speech is going to be put online Monday. .............
The Speach or the Revised Speach?
We'll never know.
What we do know is many parents were up in arms over what was first put out. The "do for" the President has been dropped.
Has the White House done an "Oh, crap we were caught" and now revised the Speach into the good 'ol Ra Ra speach about do good in school?
As, I said, we'll never know.
And about Opt Out - BS.
Remember the stink about "Opt Out" for saying the pledge?
That was - The rest of the class would look at who sat out the Pledge and treat them different.
So know the classroom teacher can show "The Speach" and ID all the right wing little trouble makers because their parents didn't want them to listen to the Speach. The teacher "Well class, it's clear that most of us want to help people - not like Johnny and Mary. They want the poor to get sick and die. Johnny, Mary why do you want the poor to die just because they get sick? Is that how your parents think?"
Pete
Waiting for Richard's "Teachers wouldn't do that reply".
bandycpa
09-04-2009, 10:47
The Speach or the Revised Speach?
We'll never know.
What we do know is many parents were up in arms over what was first put out. The "do for" the President has been dropped.
Has the White House done an "Oh, crap we were caught" and now revised the Speach into the good 'ol Ra Ra speach about do good in school?
As, I said, we'll never know.
That's true, and I'm with you on that. I'm going to ask the boys questions about what they heard during the speech, and then compare that with what I've read. It's a shame I even feel like I should think that way, but such is the world.
Bandy
Waiting for Richard's "Teachers wouldn't do that reply".
Teachers shouldn't do that - I'd fire any teacher I found doing that to a student or a class - and have. :mad:
We always allow an 'alternative assignment' for such activities w/o any sort of reprecussion. For example, there are parents who will not allow their high school students to view Schindler's List when studying WW2 - so we allow them to use the National Holocaust Museum's web-site to study the subject and present a short overview to their classes on the resources they found to be offered there. For the POTUS speech, a short reflective paper on personal educational goals and how one might attain them is sufficient.
Will the classroom discussion afterward be fair and balanced or slanted? Should we go and monitor what goes on? If we don't agree with the discussions direction should I leave with my kids or confront the teacher?
If you're concerned, arrange to sit in with the class - I'd wager the discussion with a teacher such as you've described might be a bit more balanced if you did.
I invited parents to come visit as often as they wanted - just made sure I personally let them know the parameters of expected behaviors and what subjects they would be seeing that day beforehand, some guidelines for participating and expressing any opinions or concerns, and then ensured we sat and visited before they left campus to personally discuss how their day had gone/questions/concerns/etc.
Schools which deny parents an open and objective look at their programs - as well as do not allowing for appropriate parental input - are hiding something IMO.
Should any grade school parent be put into such a predicament....I don't think so.
I disagree - schools work best when all the 'stakeholders' are actively involved.
Unfortunately - many of the concerns brought up are valid somewhere out there - and a lot of it depends upon the relationships between the parents and the schools/teachers - bottom-line is that a parent should attempt to do what a rational person* would think is best for their child.
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
* Remember - there are a lot of parents with strange opinions, too.
Why not include bestiality and polygamy? :munchin
Angry Parents Suing California Schools Over Mandatory Gay-Friendly Classes
Thursday , September 03, 2009
A lawsuit in California that was filed last month by angry parents who object to a gay-friendly curriculum they say is being foisted on kindergartners could well become a test case for schools around the country.
Parents in the Alameda Unified School District were refused the right to excuse their kids from classes that would teach all kids in the district's elementary schools about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender alternative families.
The parents say they are concerned about "indoctrination" in the schools, but administrators say the course is needed to protect against sexual discrimination — and that the lessons are protected by laws in California and 10 other states.
Those states, which stretch from Washington to Maine, will now be eyeing the court results in California in a case that warring sides say pits parents' rights against a schools' responsibilities.
The contested California curriculum includes an annual 45-minute LGBT lesson taught to kids from kindergarten through the fifth grade. The kindergartners will focus on the harms of teasing, while the fifth graders will study sexual orientation stereotypes.
The move toward the new classes began two years ago, when teachers noticed that even kindergarten students were using derogatory words about sexuality, such as "fag."
The FOX News Reporting unit was present at a debate in the school district in May when angry parents pushed back against the controversial lessons, capturing over 10 hours of heated dispute, which saw parents shouting back and forth across the aisle.
Some parents like Carrie Brash said the curriculum is necessary to combat bigotry that was already rearing its head among even young children, who were bullying her daughter in school.
Brash said her daughter had to endure taunting chants of "Lesbian, lesbian, your mom's a lesbian," from kids in school.
But other parents said the new curriculum ignores other kids who have been targeted for abuse.
"My child has been the product of bullying because she's black," said Dion Evans, who noted that students have "never viewed a single video in the classroom" that deals with racism.
But Evans said he wasn't expecting the district to take care of what he called a parent's duties in educating his daughter, as the school is "already (too) strapped for cash to incorporate these changes."
"I know how to successfully parent, educate, and instill value and self-worth in my child," he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,546280,00.html?test=latestnews
incarcerated
09-04-2009, 12:32
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ib8qja0qqnnbZFsHF7kP6GV9XVfQD9AGK7880
Gibbs: Furor over school speech is 'silly season'
By BEN FELLER (AP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday dismissed as pointless the furor over President Barack Obama's plan to deliver a televised back-to-school speech to the nation's students.
"I think we've reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can't tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school," presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters. "I think both political parties agree that the dropout rate is something that threatens our long-term economic success."....
Oh, that's it: it's all about improving the economy!
Sorry, Mr. Gibbs, but if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were loosing the trust of the American people.
Didn't lose my trust.
Never had it to begin with.
frostfire
09-04-2009, 17:48
I think I'll go and clean my guns and later purchase some more ammo at the non-union Wal-Mart.;)
TS
reminds me of:
"When they come for my guns, I don't mind giving them away.......one bullet at a time"
:D
Ret10Echo
09-04-2009, 18:19
I was quite pleased to receive this notice from our School district. Unfortunately it still left an open-end to the presentation, but the immediate threat has been put aside. There is a reason I live in the area that I live.
To: All Principals From: Dr. _________________, Superintendent
RE: Activities for September 8, 2009
Recently we have been made aware of a planned speech by President Obama to the nation’s children scheduled to be delivered at 12:00 on September 8th. The U.S. Department of Education has developed a menu of potential classroom activities to use before, during and after the speech. Unfortunately, we just received this information today.
Because we are closed on September 4 and September 7, we have determined that there is inadequate planning time for our students to listen to this speech live on September 8th.
As per our Video Usage Policy, teachers must preview material in its entirety before it is used in the classroom.
We will record the message and determine at a later time how it can most appropriately be used with our students.:(
Also, several parents have already contacted us asking for the option of excluding their children from this presentation. We need to make certain our community is aware of this planned activity and afford them the opportunity to have input into the proposed program. To be clear, no teacher should be showing this speech to their students on September 8. Mr. _________________, Assistant Superintendent, will provide further instruction next week. This information will also be posted on our website
Ret10Echo.. I also like where you live.
I am hard at work, home schooling my kids...
:lifter
My husband and I spent some time discussing this yesterday, and some time discussing it with our daughter.
She is in 7th grade and I think mature enough to start discussing politics. She hears her father and I discuss it at home virtually every night. She gets ready for school in morning watching the news.
We have both spoken to her about the fact that we respect the Office of the President of the United States, regardless of who is sitting in that seat. That does not mean we agree with the policies or the actions of the person currently sitting in that seat.
We discussed with her that her father and I have spent a lifetime swearing to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the POTUS.
I personally think this will be a good learning experience for her. I thought about going and sitting in her classroom, but decided against it. I told her we will discuss it when she gets home Tuesday night, and what was said in class. We will go from there.
Just found this note about pre-Sept 8th suggested reading list for K-6..
I don't think PETA will like the 5th from the bottom??
My husband and I spent some time discussing this yesterday, and some time discussing it with our daughter.
She is in 7th grade and I think mature enough to start discussing politics. She hears her father and I discuss it at home virtually every night. She gets ready for school in morning watching the news.
We have both spoken to her about the fact that we respect the Office of the President of the United States, regardless of who is sitting in that seat. That does not mean we agree with the policies or the actions of the person currently sitting in that seat.
We discussed with her that her father and I have spent a lifetime swearing to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the POTUS.
I personally think this will be a good learning experience for her. I thought about going and sitting in her classroom, but decided against it. I told her we will discuss it when she gets home Tuesday night, and what was said in class. We will go from there.
This is the decision I reached as well. I like my kids to be subjected to all points of view. It can lead to very healthy discussions with your child. My child, in the 10th grade, surprises me with his grasp of issues when we discuss his questions. And, the presidents message may turn out to be very worthwhile, you never know
incarcerated
09-05-2009, 07:58
Just found this note about pre-Sept 8th suggested reading list for K-6..
JJ, have you been visiting my kids' elementary school? :D
Pretty good summary from NPR yesterday afternoon. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Obama Speech To Students Faces Opposition
NPR, 4 Sep 2009
When children all across the country return to school Tuesday, some will see a welcoming message from President Barack Obama and some won't.
Obama's planned address to students has touched off yet another confrontation with Republican critics, who have battered the White House over health care and now accuse the president of foisting a political agenda on children.
The president hopes to speak directly to students Tuesday about the need to work hard and stay in school. His address will be shown live on the White House Web site and on C-SPAN at noon EDT, a time when classrooms across the country will be able to tune in.
Schools don't have to show it. But districts across the country have been inundated with phone calls from parents and are struggling to address the controversy that broke out after Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter to principals urging schools to tune in.
Districts in states including Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin have decided not to show the speech to students. Others are still thinking it over or are letting parents have their kids opt out.
Some conservatives, driven by radio pundits and bloggers, are urging schools and parents to boycott the address. They say Obama is using the opportunity to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the boundaries of federal involvement in schools.
"As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education — it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality," said state Sen. Steve Russell of Oklahoma, a Republican. "This is something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq."
Arizona state schools superintendent Tom Horne, a Republican, said lesson plans for teachers created by Obama's Education Department "call for a worshipful rather than critical approach."
The White House plans to release the speech online Monday so parents can read it. The president will deliver the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.
"I think it's really unfortunate that politics has been brought into this," White House deputy policy director Heather Higginbottom said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"It's simply a plea to students to really take their learning seriously. Find out what they're good at. Set goals. And take the school year seriously."
She noted that President George H.W. Bush made a similar address to schools in 1991. Like Obama, Bush drew criticism, with Democrats accusing the Republican president of making the event into a campaign commercial.
Critics are particularly upset about lesson plans the administration created to accompany the speech. The lesson plans, available online, originally recommended having students "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president."
The White House revised the plans Wednesday to say students could "write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals."
"That was inartfully worded, and we corrected it," Higginbottom said.
In the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, the 54,000-student school district is not showing the 15- to 20-minute address but will make the video available later.
PTA council president Cara Mendelsohn said Obama is "cutting out the parent" by speaking to kids during school hours.
"Why can't a parent be watching this with their kid in the evening?" Mendelsohn said. "Because that's what makes a powerful statement, when a parent is sitting there saying, 'This is what I dream for you. This is what I want you to achieve."'
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, said in an interview with the AP that he's "certainly not going to advise anybody not to send their kids to school that day."
"Hearing the president speak is always a memorable moment," he said.
But he also said he understood where the criticism was coming from.
"Nobody seems to know what he's going to be talking about," Perry said. "Why didn't he spend more time talking to the local districts and superintendents, at least give them a heads-up about it?"
Several other Texas districts have decided not to show the speech, although the district in Houston is leaving the decision up to individual school principals. In suburban Houston, the Cypress-Fairbanks district planned to show the address and has had its social studies teachers assemble a curriculum and activities for students.
In Wisconsin, the Green Bay school district decided not to show the speech live and to let teachers decide individually whether to show it later.
Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer said in a statement he was "absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology." Despite his rhetoric, two of the larger Florida districts, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough, plan to have classes watch the speech. Students whose parents object will not have to watch.
The Minnesota Association of School Administrators is recommending against disrupting the first day of school to show the speech, but Minnesota's biggest teachers' union is urging schools to show it.
Quincy, Ill., schools decided Thursday not to show the speech. Superintendent Lonny Lemon said phone calls "hit like a load of bricks" on Wednesday.
One Idaho school superintendent, Murray Dalgleish of Council, urged people not to rush to judgment.
"Is the president dictating to these kids? I don't think so," Dalgleish said. "He's trying to get out the same message we're trying to get out, which is, 'You are in charge of your education."'
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112552947
"Why can't a parent be watching this with their kid in the evening?" Mendelsohn said. "Because that's what makes a powerful statement, when a parent is sitting there saying, 'This is what I dream for you. This is what I want you to achieve."'
This would be much better IMO. Yes...I realize there are some parents that don't take the time or interest in their children, but for those that do this allows for some further discussions in the home.
Besides, the message should be about education and how it can help the individual child...and I guess ultimately the country, not "the president".
Here's another take on this speech.
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/mmalkin/2009/mm_09041.shtml
Why Parents Don't Trust the Educator-in-Chief and His Comrades
By Michelle Malkin
September 4, 2009
They think we're crazy. "They" are the sneering defenders of Barack Obama who can't fathom the backlash against the president's nationwide speech to schoolchildren next Tuesday. "We" are parents with eyes wide open to the potential for politicized abuse in America's classrooms.
Ask moms and dads in Farmington, Utah, who discovered this week that their children sat through a Hollywood propaganda video promoting the cult of Obama. In the clip, a parade of entertainers vow to flush their toilets less, buy hybrid vehicles, end poverty and world hunger, and commit to "service" for "change." Actress Demi Moore leads the glitterati in a collective promise "to be a servant to our president." Musician Anthony Kiedis pledges "to be of service to Barack Obama."
The campaign commercial crescendos with the stars and starlets asking their audience: "What's your pledge?"
This same "Do Something" ethos infected the U.S. Department of Education teachers guides accompanying the announcement of Obama's speech -- until late Wednesday, that is, when the White House removed some of the activist language exhorting students to come up with ways to "help the president." Education Secretary Arne Duncan had disseminated the material directly to principals across the country -- circumventing elected school board members and superintendents now facing neighborhood revolts.
O's bureaucrats can whitewash offending language from the Sept. 8 speech-related documents, but they can't remove the taint of left-wing radicalism that informs Obama and his education mentors. A spokesman maintained that the speech is "about the value of education and the importance of staying in school as part of his effort to dramatically cut the dropout rate." But the historical subtext is far less innocent.
Obama served with Weather Underground terrorist and neighbor Bill Ayers on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge education initiative. Downplaying academic achievement in favor of left-wing radical activism in the public schools is rooted in Ayers' pedagogical philosophy. Obama served as the program's first chairman of the board, while Ayers steered its curricular policy. The two oversaw grants to welfare rights enterprise ACORN and to avowed communist Michael Klonsky -- a close pal of Ayers and member of the militant Students for a Democratic Society. SDS served as a precursor to the violent Weather Underground organization.
As investigative journalist Stanley Kurtz reported, Klonsky and Ayers teamed up on the so-called "small schools movement" to steer schoolchildren away from core academics to left-wing politicking on issues of "inequity, war and violence."
A cadre of like-minded educators and national service administrators across the country share the same core commitment to transforming themselves from imparters of knowledge to transformers of society. The "change" agenda trains students to think only about what they should do for Obama -- and rarely to contemplate how his powers and ambitions should be limited and restrained.
Ayers preached his education-as-"social justice" agenda to his "comrades" at the World Education Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, three years ago:
"This is my fourth visit to Venezuela, each time at the invitation of my comrade and friend Luis Bonilla, a brilliant educator and inspiring fighter for justice. Luis has taught me a great deal about the Bolivarian Revolution and about the profound educational reforms underway here in Venezuela under the leadership of President (Hugo) Chavez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution, and I've come to appreciate Luis as a major asset in both the Venezuelan and the international struggle -- I look forward to seeing how he and all of you continue to overcome the failings of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane."
Ayers continued:
"I walked out of jail and into my first teaching position -- and from that day until this I've thought of myself as a teacher, but I've also understood teaching as a project intimately connected with social justice. After all, the fundamental message of the teacher is this: You can change your life -- whoever you are, wherever you've been, whatever you've done, another world is possible. As students and teachers begin to see themselves as linked to one another, as tied to history and capable of collective action, the fundamental message of teaching shifts slightly, and becomes broader, more generous: We must change ourselves as we come together to change the world. Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions small and large. La educacion es revolucion!"
This is why informed parents do not trust the Educator-in-Chief and his "comrades." You can take Obama from the radicals in Chicago. But you can't take the Chicago radicalism out of Obama.
---
Michelle Malkin is the author of the forthcoming "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2009).
COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
Richard got the better of me...
I still think it is an intrusion on my little ones, I think it is overstepping and I won't change my mind about that. But I think I will go sit in and watch....that way I can see what goes on with my own eyes and then I can carry on a knowledgeable discussion with my kids if need be.
Keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer comes to mind. Which I believes comes down to you cannot put up a good fight against an enemy you have little knowledge of.
Ret10Echo
09-05-2009, 18:18
So the lack of, or shall we say shortage of, students advancing in post-secondary education is a result of the children's lack of understanding of how important education is?
Copy of the Speach can be found here.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/
All in all, this version is pretty good.
Kinda' shorted his step dad and grandparents though.
In all this hoopla' over Obama's speach to school kids you keep hearing from the left that "Bush did it."
Well just what happened before and after Oct 1, 1991?
"When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings"
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/When-Bush-spoke-to-students-Democrats-investigated-held-hearings-57694347.html
"........That didn't stop Democratic allies from taking their own shots at Bush. The National Education Association denounced the speech, saying it "cannot endorse a president who spends $26,000 of taxpayers' money on a staged media event at Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington, D.C. -- while cutting school lunch funds for our neediest youngsters."
Lost in all the denouncing and investigating was the fact that Bush's speech itself, like Obama's today, was entirely unremarkable. "Block out the kids who think it's not cool to be smart," the president told students. "If someone goofs off today, are they cool? Are they still cool years from now, when they're stuck in a dead end job. Don't let peer pressure stand between you and your dreams............"
Once again the MSM sides with the libs by failing to tell "The rest of the story."
Simple politics - :mad: - a game of ins and outs where either side, once in, will say and do anything to stay in - and the side which is out will do or say anything to get in and then try to stay there, too.
And so it goes...:(
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Utah Bob
09-08-2009, 11:40
Well, it's over. I was reloading some 45 ammo and missed it. I looked to the north for a smoke column to see if the students had revolted and were burning Dove Creek HS.. Also remained on alert for groups of them marching down the road waving red flags and singing The Internationale, but so far all remains quiet.
I'll file sitreps as needed. :munchin
Dozer523
09-08-2009, 13:34
I was quite pleased to receive this notice from our School district. Unfortunately it still left an open-end to the presentation, but the immediate threat has been put aside. There is a reason I live in the area that I live.
"Dr. _________________, Superintendent" is a chicken-shit. Sound like he copped the P-8 excuse for "why I didn't do my homework". Sorry, not impressed.
Ye-haw it is over...........not quite. They did not show the Obama speech in either of my kids classrooms today for reasons I do not know yet.
BUT......Thursday the September 10th
'Mr. Coleman's class to watch the President Obama's speech to students in conjunction with social studies lesson on citizenship and as encouragement for 3rd grade hard work/have fun ethic.'
I am I wrong think of a 'I Pledge' scenario?
{sic} am I wrong think of a 'I Pledge' scenario?
Personally, I think too many ffolkes are reading way too much into the original intent of this whole matter - the idea of an educated citizenry being important to the success of a democratic republic is a tenet of the founding principles of our nation...and its future.
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Roguish Lawyer
09-08-2009, 16:20
Well, it's over. I was reloading some 45 ammo and missed it. I looked to the north for a smoke column to see if the students had revolted and were burning Dove Creek HS.. Also remained on alert for groups of them marching down the road waving red flags and singing The Internationale, but so far all remains quiet.
I'll file sitreps as needed. :munchin
LOL
Personally, I think too many ffolkes are reading way too much into the original intent of this whole matter - the idea of an educated citizenry being important to the success of a democratic republic is a tenet of the founding principles of our nation...and its future.
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
True, our success as a country will depend on how well educated the citizenry is.
But how it is handled in the classroom depends on the educator....are they open minded or do they have a narrow focus. A Southern Baptist might have a different perspective on citizenship versus a Buddhist or Muslim.
As for the original intent, at least one portion of the classroom activities was to write how you can help the President.
Were talking 3rd graders here, and to a large degree they think in black and white, right and wrong with little to no grey area in between.
Personally speaking, I would rather have them learn about citizenship in Scouting and that we do.
Utah Bob
09-08-2009, 16:56
School year is 9 months long. "O" had a 1 hour talk. Most kids won't remember it by the Christmas holiday.
Maybe the few that do remember it will just remember that the Prez said, "Stay in school". I don't think that will cause the downfall of the country.:rolleyes:
School year is 9 months long. "O" had a 1 hour talk. Most kids won't remember it by the Christmas holiday.
Maybe the few that do remember it will just remember that the Prez said, "Stay in school". I don't think that will cause the downfall of the country.:rolleyes:
Agreed......I just don't like it ;)
incarcerated
09-08-2009, 17:37
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,548062,00.html
Obama Wasn't the Only President to Spark Outrage Over Speech to Kids
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
By Bret Baier
History Lesson
President Obama's speech to school children Tuesday has received a lot of attention. As we've reported President George H.W. Bush delivered a similar speech to students back in 1991. But the Washington Examiner reports the complaints leading up to Obama's speech were relatively muted compared to the outrage 18 years ago.
Back then, some Democrats not only denounced Bush's speech, but even launched congressional hearings into the matter and asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate federal funds used for the speech. The GAO eventually said the administration did nothing wrong.
But at the time -- October 10, 1991 -- the National Education Association said it could not "endorse a president who spends $26,000 dollars of taxpayers' money on a staged media event... while cutting school lunch funds for our neediest youngsters."
But, ahead of President Obama's speech -- September 6, 2009 -- the NEA wrote: "We applaud President Obama for delivering this message to students."
We don't know how much today's event cost taxpayers.
Little Less Talk
If you haven't been counting the number of speeches President Obama has delivered, CBS' Mark Knoller has.
Tuesday's address was the 263rd speech or set of remarks delivered by President Obama since he took office only 231 days ago -- that's 32 more speeches than days he's served. As Brit mentioned earlier, President Obama has delivered 28 speeches specifically on the issue of health care. But if you include all remarks in which he mentioned health care reform that number jumps to 121.
Meanwhile, a former top campaign adviser for the president says he wants a little less talk and a lot more action from his old boss. Former deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand tells the Politico: "I am one of the millions of frustrated Americans who want to see Washington do more than it's doing right now... I'm one of the many Americans who are losing patience."
By far the most senior member of Obama's political team to openly express doubts about the president, Hildebrand added: "The problem is, Obama isn't listening enough."....
Praetorian
09-08-2009, 18:14
School year is 9 months long. "O" had a 1 hour talk. Most kids won't remember it by the Christmas holiday.
Maybe the few that do remember it will just remember that the Prez said, "Stay in school". I don't think that will cause the downfall of the country.:rolleyes:
My kid forgot it already.... If they really wanted to recruit him, they would have needed to have Sponge Bob.
A question for all you...
The School District made the decision not show the Obama speech because of parent complaints/concerns. Considering that, would you consider it out of step for a teacher to seemingly go against that decision and show it 2 days latter in a classroom?
I looked to the north for a smoke column to see if the students had revolted and were burning Dove Creek HS...
Brief hijack....I believe it is still Dolores County HS...
Dozer523
09-08-2009, 19:28
A question for all you...
The School District made the decision not show the Obama speech because of parent complaints/concerns. Considering that, would you consider it out of step for a teacher to seemingly go against that decision and show it 2 days latter in a classroom? As a teacher I'd be impressed :)that they would have the eggs (I can't spell in Spanish:p). He/She better document all the BS block checking to meet the standards (which are designed to keep a little boobie and all naughty words out of the classroom -- not introduce any number of valid discussions among the students. (I'd love to be in the Bright Certer of the Universe's civics class if they discussed the political backlash). Just to be on the safe side the "eggy" teacher should pair with another teacher . . . say, the Union rep. :p
As a teacher I'd be impressed :)that they would have the eggs (I can't spell in Spanish:p). He/She better document all the BS block checking to meet the standards (which are designed to keep a little boobie and all naughty words out of the classroom -- not introduce any number of valid discussions among the students. (I'd love to be in the Bright Certer of the Universe's civics class if they discussed the political backlash). Just to be on the safe side the "eggy" teacher should pair with another teacher . . . say, the Union rep. :p
Kind of what I was thinking. The teacher is a likable lad, but from his own mouth has tendency of pressing the envelope and can be a bit confrontational (which in this instance does not help my apprehensions). But in his defense the School District has been a bit sketchy on whether they are or aren't showing the event. As of September 4th it was up to the building Principals and Teachers, but as of today it was reported they weren't and there is nothing on the District website about what is going on.
So I'll have to call and see what is and isn't going on.
Aside from my dislike of Obama and my son coming home as stating we need to help President Obama, I think what is pissing me off is we planned to attend today and then we are told they aren't showing it in my kids classrooms, only to find out later from an item in a backpack they are doing it Thursday.......a Liberal tactic of bait and switch :D
Utah Bob
09-08-2009, 22:28
Brief hijack....I believe it is still Dolores County HS...
Ah yes. The DCHS sign always confuses me. :D
The School District made the decision not show the Obama speech because of parent complaints/concerns. Considering that, would you consider it out of step for a teacher to seemingly go against that decision and show it 2 days latter in a classroom?
Not if it had the necessary approval of either the site-based principal or district and was used in a manner consistent with district guidelines.
...I just don't like it
Finally, the crux of the matter.
As for myself, forty-two years ago (at 16 years old) I knew everything (according to my father) - now I know little - except to realize education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance tempered by the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper.* :)
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
* With grateful appreciation to Will Durant and Robert Frost.
A pretty good opinion piece from an educator - with the idea that an issue such as he brings up (Afghanistan) is a developmentally appropriate discussion at the high school level.
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
The Problem With Obama's Speech To Kids: It's Bland
Jonathan Zimmerman, CSMonitor, 8 Sep 2009
Jonathan Zimmerman teaches history and education at New York University. He is the author of "Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory."
Here's a quick quiz in preparation for President Obama's speech to America's students today. To succeed in school and in life, you should:
a. work hard
b. set goals for yourself
c. take responsibility for your own actions
d. all of the above
The correct answer is "d," of course. But every American kid knows that already.
And that's the real problem with the president's message, which will be broadcast live on the White House website and on C-SPAN: It's bland, neutral, and mind-numbingly obvious. You can't even imagine a cogent objection to it.
Of course, that hasn't stopped GOP firebrands from trying. In the blogosphere, especially, Republicans have charged that Mr. Obama's speech will indoctrinate students with his supposedly "socialist" views. Across the country, parents have demanded that schools obtain their permission before showing Obama's speech to their children; others have announced that they will simply keep their kids home today.
But there's nothing socialist – or even partisan – about Obama's speech. If you think otherwise, go online and read the text of the speech or the White House's suggested classroom activities to accompany it. One exercise asks children to make a poster of their goals; another instructs each student to "brainstorm" about what qualities promote personal success. Not a word about Obama's positions on healthcare, taxes, or anything else.
And that's precisely the problem here. To really learn, our kids need to confront the real dilemmas that grip our country. No one will learn anything new from yet another bromide about hard work and personal responsibility; instead, they'll tune out.
So how about using this week to teach our children something they don't know?
Consider our ongoing war in Afghanistan, which appears to be losing its support at home. Fewer than half of Americans now say they approve of Obama's handling of Afghanistan, where he has pledged to increase troop levels. Indeed, 41 percent say they want the troops to start coming home, up from 33 percent in April and 24 percent in February.
Are they right? I don't know, myself. But here's what I do know: Our kids need to be reading, talking, and thinking about the answer. Some of them will become soldiers one day, of course, but all of them will become citizens. And they will have to sort these things out for themselves.
What better time than this week? Just three days after Obama's school speech, after all, the nation will commemorate the eighth anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The 9/11 attacks remain at the heart of America's rationale for fighting in Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda planned and financed them.
That's why Obama referred to 9/11 no fewer than five times in his address last March justifying increased troop commitments to Afghanistan. Unless we root out terrorists and rebuild Afghanistan, the argument goes, we will always remain in peril.
I'm not sure I buy that. But I'd like to hear the president make the case for it directly to our young people. And, most of all, I'd like to hear them respond.
That would bring even more of Obama's enemies out of the woodwork, of course, braying about propaganda and indoctrination. But any teacher worth her salt would expose students to arguments against the president's position, insisting that the kids formulate their own.
And to do that, of course, they would have to learn something about the history of the conflict. How many American children know that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, for example, or that the United States supported the anti-Soviet mujahadeen? How many kids could even find Afghanistan on a map?
As soon as the president has finished his dull speech about hard work and personal responsibility, let's get down to the truly hard work of teaching our children how to be citizens. We need to give them the information and skills to debate and decide the most pressing issues of our time, including the war in Afghanistan. That's our biggest responsibility, as adults, and we all need to remember it.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0908/p09s01-coop.html
The teacher reminds me a lot of a certain enthusiastic, agenda driven and sometimes confrontational Rec. Soccer Coach that bent the rules and influenced the hearts and minds of some kids in a positive manner.
And like the Coach, the teacher has parents whispering in his ear....it takes a person like you to make this work, but if you cross the line we can pull the plug on it in the blink of an eye.
Finally, the crux of the matter.
Yeah, I know it is 90% me :rolleyes:
Ret10Echo
09-09-2009, 07:33
Finally, the crux of the matter.
Wasn't that always 'IT'...?
My initial thought when I heard about the idea was in all honesty that I do not care for the man so why should he be allowed to talk to my child without me there?
Our children's attitudes and positions will come from those that provide the greatest level of influence. I have chosen for that influence to be MINE...not the school system, not a politician, not some rap-artist.
The idea that children require exposure in order to develop is true, but that exposure should come with guidance.
So the very simple response is this...."Mr President, I don't like you or your policies and NO you may NOT talk to my child...not about education, healthcare or the color of the sky."
Period.
Our children's attitudes and positions will come from those that provide the greatest level of influence. I have chosen for that influence to be MINE...not the school system, not a politician, not some rap-artist.
I hope you are not too disappointed if your child decides otherwise. ;)
It might do well to remember that - children are educated by what the grown-up is and not by his talk (Carl Jung).
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Dozer523
09-09-2009, 12:52
Aside from my dislike of Obama and my son coming home as stating we need to help President Obama, I think what is pissing me off is we planned to attend today and then we are told they aren't showing it in my kids classrooms, only to find out later from an item in a backpack they are doing it Thursday.......a Liberal tactic of bait and switch :D I'm sure they sweated blood and spent hours coming up with that nasty tactic at the midnight meeting of the super secret, liberal "Destroy America via kids" select commission. :p:D
Ret10Echo
09-09-2009, 12:58
I hope you are not too disappointed if your child decides otherwise. ;)
There is a point where all children have to make a decision...usually that freedom comes with time (I would say that it comes with being an adult...but I have seen that standard being waived more often than not :D).
I see it as my responsibility to "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." and I take that seriously.
It might do well to remember that - children are educated by what the grown-up is and not by his talk (Carl Jung).
And I could not agree with you more.... In fact that point should be a far heavier burden on the parents of today than it appears to be.
I hope you are not too disappointed if your child decides otherwise
Old scholastic saying: "You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink"- "You can give a child a book, but you cant MAKE him think".
As a parent it is as stated previousely, our job to point our children down the right road. What they do on their journey is their responsibilities.
I'm sure they sweated blood and spent hours coming up with that nasty tactic at the midnight meeting of the super secret, liberal "Destroy America via kids" select commission. :p:D
Hahaha! I was actually joking ;)
School kids taught to praise Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aqMTD5UFmU
Hmm, check out the "about" in the upper right hand corner of the page.
I wonder just how much more of this stuff is flying around out there under the Radar.
GratefulCitizen
09-26-2009, 14:00
School kids taught to praise Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aqMTD5UFmU
Hmm, check out the "about" in the upper right hand corner of the page.
I wonder just how much more of this stuff is flying around out there under the Radar.
The father of a local student knew about the "pledge" issue prior to the 8th.
He told his first-grade daughter that she was not to pledge to any man, only to her country.
The daughter resisted the event on the 8th, much to the chagrin of faculty and administration.
They decided to call the father in to discuss the issue.
He came in and told them his thoughts on the matter.
They called Child Protective Services.
CPS visited his home and found everything to be fine.
The father pulled his daughter from public school and enrolled her in the same school my children attend.
He is considering legal action against the local district.
Page, Arizona is a very red area of a very red state.
If this type of intimidation can happen here, what is happening in blue states?
incarcerated
09-26-2009, 14:41
Page, Arizona is a very red area of a very red state.
If this type of intimidation can happen here, what is happening in blue states?
PM from the People's Republic of California inbound.
If this type of intimidation can happen here, what is happening in blue states?
PM from the People's Republic of California inbound.
I hope you'll share with the rest of us, incarcerated.
Defender968
09-27-2009, 08:02
He came in and told them his thoughts on the matter.They called Child Protective Services...
He is considering legal action against the local district.
IF there isn't more to the story than I would definitively contact a lawyer, I don't have kids yet but find this type of academic dishonesty disgusting and very troubling to our countries future. More and more I am considering homeschooling when the wife and I do eventually have children.
Interesting follow-up from a teacher:
A speech that encourages staying in school is seen as indoctrination, but it's OK to lure sixth-graders into selling magazines – with offers of skipping school?
And so it goes...;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Schools Shun Obama Yet Let Sales Firms Prey On Students
Betty Buehler, CSM, 30 Oct 2009
"OK, sixth graders, scream!"
And, oh, do they, sending one teacher toward the exit covering her ears.
Who owns the sixth graders' attention during this period, just days after untold school districts, bowing to parental pressure, refused to broadcast President Obama's talk telling students to take responsibility for themselves and their education?
Let's just say that you won't be reading this in Time magazine, since Time Inc. owns fundraising company QSP, which is visiting our school today.
The screaming is the opening to the annual school fundraiser assembly, kicking off a couple of weeks of good, capitalist behavior by our country's youngest army of salespeople.
They will be rewarded for their efforts with prizes: The baby hoodie keychain/cellphone/music player holder is the teeny starter, with an electric guitar, iPod touch, or $250-dollar American Express card at the other end, for those who can outsell the rest.
Even better? Students who sell fast will be entered into a drawing, their names being placed into the money machine, a chamber with air blowing money around. Keep what you catch.
QSP hires the bubbliest, most cheerful motivators in order to get the kids pumped up about selling! Presented in a tone of voice with ever-more exclamation points!!!
As a teacher witnessing this spectacle, I'm not quite as enthusiastic as either the presenter or students, but I find some entertainment value in the show.
The administrators are wearing jester hats, complete with bells. One reward for students will be to duct tape the dean to a school wall. Another is for the students themselves to come up with a suitable fate for another administrator.
Thankfully, somebody must have thought better of what was done in the past, creating a "human ice cream sundae" out of this administrator, with, yes, real ice cream and toppings, the administrator sporting goggles – in a school where many students receive free meals because their parents struggle to feed them.
Time Inc. can breach the school walls to talk to kids, but the president of the United States cannot.
If it's about money, what gives?
The fundraiser brings in thousands per year for the school, yes, so you can't blame cash-strapped schools for going along with it. But the US government also provides thousands per year to schools like this, without exploiting the labor of children to do so.
Yet in my school a message was sent to teachers that, though not forbidding the showing of the president's speech, did suggest to any teacher reading between the lines that playing this speech was discouraged, and anyone wishing to do so would have to jump through hoops.
The implication?
If you do this, it could be a big pain in the neck for us. It seems that private business trumps the government, no matter how much money the government dishes out.
Private employee to captive students: "Who's ready for more prizes?!"
President of the United States to students, many of whom are not allowed to listen:
"I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you...."
Private employee: "How many of you would like to get out of school for a show?" (The motivator describes a BMX show that will come to the school for certain sales numbers.) "The top 25 sellers of the school will sit in a special VIP section and get autographs."
President: "But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities."
Private employee: "Who wants to get out of school ... and ride in a limo?! YAY!" The kids scream madly. (Top-selling kids get a lunchtime limo ride to a pizza place.)
President: "[S]how up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents, and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed."
What was the biggest fuss about the presidential speech?
Not the speech itself, but a lesson plan that suggested (not demanded) that teachers could ask the students to write about how they could help the president out. This was blasted as propaganda, force-feeding ideology to children.
Compare that to, "We are asking you to have your mom or your dad, your grandma or grandpa help us out by taking this [catalog of sales items] to work" or, "You can order online and get an Internet ID number."
And I, too, want to scream, loudly.
Betty Buehler has taught sixth-grade writing in Las Vegas since 2001.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1030/p09s01-coop.html
Interesting story as I had the older children in public school and have opted for private school for the younger one.
Public schools have fund raisers and other fees that are "off the books" and it's damn hard to find where the money went.
Had to have the right lock for your locker and buy it from the school $10. School ID $5. If either is lost you buy a new one at full price. Parking lot sticker - drove the kids to school 98% of the time but for the other 2% - $20. $15 up front at the start of the year x 400 students = $6,000. Add in the 40 or so cars with stickers and you're up to around $6,800.
Add in the straight fund raisers by the students and we're into big bucks.
Where did it all go? Good luck finding out.
Oh, got a school trip for your kids - pay that fee or hold a special fund raiser.
Ret10Echo
11-01-2009, 18:06
Interesting story as I had the older children in public school and have opted for private school for the younger one.
Public schools have fund raisers and other fees that are "off the books" and it's damn hard to find where the money went.
Had to have the right lock for your locker and buy it from the school $10. School ID $5. If either is lost you buy a new one at full price. Parking lot sticker - drove the kids to school 98% of the time but for the other 2% - $20. $15 up front at the start of the year x 400 students = $6,000. Add in the 40 or so cars with stickers and you're up to around $6,800.
Add in the straight fund raisers by the students and we're into big bucks.
Where did it all go? Good luck finding out.
Oh, got a school trip for your kids - pay that fee or hold a special fund raiser.
Agree Pete...nickle-and-dimed through the year (actually fin-and-sawbucked)..
$5 - ID
$5 - Planner
$10 - Parking pass
$100(+) - Calculator
And then try being on a sports team...my child is on two..which equates to multiple fund raisers and stints working the concession stand through the year. The kids seem to buy new uniforms every year.....
What a difference a year makes in the never-ending news cycle. The Fox News article is - I think - a pretty fair summary of the overall issue today.
Some districts leave the decision up to the individual schools.
Some districts show the speech.
All the districts offer families the ability to opt out if parents don't want their kids to watch the speech.
Richard :munchin
Some Colorado Schools Will Not Air President Obama's Speech
FOXNews, 13 Sep 2010
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-obama-school-speech-txt,0,719925.story
The President's Back to School Speech: "We Not Only Reach For Our Own Dreams, We Help Others Do the Same"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/14/presidents-back-school-speech-we-not-only-reach-our-own-dreams-we-help-others-do-sam
Remarks by the President in Back to School Speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
14 Sep 2010
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/14/remarks-president-back-school-speech-philadelphia-pennsylvania
ZonieDiver
09-16-2010, 09:21
What a difference a year makes in the never-ending news cycle. The Fox News article is - I think - a pretty fair summary of the overall issue today.
Some districts leave the decision up to the individual schools.
Some districts show the speech.
All the districts offer families the ability to opt out if parents don't want their kids to watch the speech.
Richard :munchin
Some Colorado Schools Will Not Air President Obama's Speech
FOXNews, 13 Sep 2010
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-obama-school-speech-txt,0,719925.story
The President's Back to School Speech: "We Not Only Reach For Our Own Dreams, We Help Others Do the Same"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/14/presidents-back-school-speech-we-not-only-reach-our-own-dreams-we-help-others-do-sam
Remarks by the President in Back to School Speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
14 Sep 2010
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/14/remarks-president-back-school-speech-philadelphia-pennsylvania
As far as I know, nothing of substance was done at my school, or district, with the President's speech. Heck, even my evening school colleague didn't show it, and she is as liberal - and dumb - as they come.
Of course, we have been back at work for a month and a half, and it is a little bit late for a "back to school" speech. :D
Parking lot sticker - drove the kids to school 98% of the time but for the other 2% - $20. $15 up front at the start of the year x 400 students = $6,000. Add in the 40 or so cars with stickers and you're up to around $6,800.
Agree Pete...nickle-and-dimed through the year (actually fin-and-sawbucked)..
$10 - Parking passThose rates are unreasonably low. I'd ask for an audit to find out: (a) how those rates were determined, (b) the processes and procedures for collecting and tracking the fees, and (c) exactly where the fees go.
My $0.02.
Maybe I have just forgot, but I don't ever remember a yearly back to school speech from the POTUS while I was in school, nor when my older daughter was in school.
It is a mute point (though I don't like the idea of him peddling his goods to my kids), neither of my daughters cares for Obama, the youngest thinks he is evil and my day dreamer son is more interested in modeling knife sharpeners from Lego's and building a bow & arrow from limbs in the yard.
I am sure in the near future it will be grounds for re-education....
Ret10Echo
09-16-2010, 11:11
This time around, the school simply robo-called the house "reminding" parents of the awesome opportunity... Otherwise it was a major non-event. Probably a direct reflection of the poll numbers.
Sigaba, I have thought about asking the "where does it go" question, but I look at it as more of a method of CYA oversight for the school. Parents are required to sign the form for the student to receive a parking pass. Students have to pay so there is a mild disincentive for some. Otherwise I assume it goes into the slush-fund somewhere.