"President Obama will be speaking on Tuesday, September 8 to schoolchildren. His remarks will be carried live from noon to 12:30 on IPS Television Channel 11. It is up to teachers to decide if they would like to participate in this event." (Copy and paste from today's 1:22 PM email message from Mary Louise Bewley)
Who is planning to watch this broadcast with their classes? Who is not planning to watch this broadcast? What are your thoughts about this upcoming broadcast?
Has anyone seen the lesson plans that supposedly accompany this video broadcast from President Obama?
Friday, September 4, 2009
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I will be watching the Presidential broadcast with my students. I think it is a great idea for the students to listen and hear President Obama's stance on the importance of education and doing well in school. I heard that you can go on line and download the lesson plans that go with the President's broadcast. I would rather watch the President's broadcast then be subjected to having to go to a meaningless and demeaning convocation over at Tech to listen to Dr. White crack jokes and ridicule teachers on the first day of school!
ReplyDeleteI will watch it unfortunately my students will be at lunch and miss it. I think it will be refreshing to hear a message to our students to work hard, do well and improve their lives. It will also be great not to be told how worthless, uncaring, lazy and imcompetent we are by a man wearing ruby red slippers.
ReplyDeleteCIRT is going to rebroadcast the speech several more times during the week.
ReplyDeleteBut if he clicks them three times, perhaps he'll go home!
ReplyDeleteI posted these links to lesson plans on the other thread. They are from the U.S. Department of Education--
ReplyDeleteK-6
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf
7-12
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/7-12.pdf
Personnally, I would love to use it with my AP classes. Unfortunetly they are else where when the broadcast is going to occur. The media center specialist said they would not tape such an address.
ReplyDeleteSo, I guess, that will not workout. I have sent an e-mail to other teachers who have the students. Have gotten responses that they will not allow students to watch. One said, "We have more important things to do in my classroom to listen to that clueless man."
So, going to see if I can get someone at home to tape it and use it later in the week.
I think some teachers political agenda's are getting in the way of students learning from out president.
A few typo's and errors. Sorry, posting during slow times at my weekend job (BTW: when will our raises show up in our checks. Anyone know?)
ReplyDeleteThat media specialist needs to be reported to Dorothy Crenshaw.......
ReplyDeleteI won't show it in my classes. I don't think the benefit would likely be worth the objection from some of the parents. I think most of those objections are irrational, but I don't think there will be anything so valuable in the broadcast that would justify going against the wishes of so many parents.
ReplyDeleteThen you are cheating your students...they need and deserve to hear their president urge them to stay in school and work hard.
ReplyDeleteI'll just bet his emphasis won't be on getting an education so you can get showy stuff, cars, jewelry, clothes, houses.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I don't understand why this is even an issue. This is the PRESIDENT of our country we're talking about. Would all of this debate be going on if we were talking about George Bush?
ReplyDeleteI agree..and would all of the debate and refusal to listen be going on if Barack Obama were white.. I hate to go there but I think that much of opposition is because he is African American.
ReplyDeleteAs an outsider, do the teachers find the lesson provided by the Dept of Ed. questionable?
ReplyDeleteNo they are pretty standard, rich in educational terms. They don't really hit any specific educational standard, however they are general social studies, language arts type
ReplyDeleteplans, hitting the same skills taught in those courses. They are pretty open ended and as for students to draw their own conclusions.
Monday the White House will publish the text of the speech, I'm sure it will be mom, apple pie and stay in school and do your best, not we need nationalized health care so kids get on the band wagon and try and strong arm your parents to support this plan. I really believe that the right wing talk radio has stirred this whole thing up. One of my friends had a ex-husband who was an avid listener and one of his favorite sayings when he wanted to express approval was "that is white of you", when will this sickness end?
You know, you could also watch it off the internet with your classes later if no one is going to be taping it.
ReplyDeleteThe federal government has no business interfering in local lesson plans. The uproar about this is caused by the contents of the initial lesson plans that the Dept. of Ed released. The President is a public servant, and should be asking how HE can help the USA and the people in it, NOT asking students to help him personally, and certainly not asking for adoration from the students by having them post his quotes in the classroom and write letters to him as a person.
ReplyDeleteH.W. Bush did this, and it was considered an abuse of power and abuse of free advertising before his election. There was an uproar then, and there should be an uproar now. It is WRONG and smacks of the Lenin-adoration that took place the former USSR.
I'm a parent as well as a teacher. I would be livid if a teacher knowingly showed my child something I found objectionable. And I won't intentionally contradict the parents of my students unless the law or school policy forces me to. I'll keep to my previous lesson plans, and let their parents worry about recording it if they want students to see it. I'll watch it with my own kids. This just isn't that big of a deal.
ReplyDeleteHow are they interferring, there is no "requirement" that anyone watch it, and the lessons are not mandatory. Kids are capable of making their own decisons about what he says, and I have news for you many have already as young as third grade have already "dropped out/disengaged" from school.
ReplyDeleteIf there is even a hairwidth chance that a message from the president might change their mind I'm willing to give him a shot.
should be asking how HE can help the USA and the people in it, NOT asking students to help him personally,
ReplyDeleteOMG what a fool, think of one of the most inspired statements made in this century. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." JFK and this is an especially important message for our kids who often get the "take" message at home. This week a girl asked about my handbag, I told her I'd worked in retail over the summer and bought the bag, and she said "my mama buys her bags a Von Maur, I asked if she worked there and the girl replied "my mama never worked, she be a welfare mama" How does a welfare mama afford a $400 handbag?
Sounds like we have a few educated RACIST teaching our children at IPS!!!!! Yes, I am playing the race card because I can!!!! You may have an opinion to voice and I have every right to voice mine! Professional people like you may take your white, pointed sheets off at work during the day but we have to watch for you at night time!!!! Cowards!!
ReplyDeleteYou have just shown how you have COMPLETELY MISUNDERSTOOD Kennedy's famous statement. Yes, that's right, ask not what your COUNTRY can do for YOU, ask what YOU can do for your COUNTRY. The President, as a person, is NOT the COUNTRY. The people are the country. Your fellow human beings are the country. The Dept. of Ed original lesson plan has teachers asking students to decide what they personally can do to help OBAMA. NOT what they can do to help their country. You're the one being fooled if you can't see the insidious difference in those requests.
ReplyDeleteKennedy's statements are worth quoting because they have stood the test of time. The students can watch a re-run of Kennedy's famous speech. At least parents already know the contents, and the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT would not be expanding its power by dictating to local governments what the contents of their lesson plans.
Only losers play the race card. Yawn.
ReplyDeleteGuess you would know because you are one!!!!
ReplyDeleteUm, so you know because you are one? Name calling is certainly showing how intelligent you are. That's much better than actually adressing the issue. Keep enjoying your membership in the Klan with a Tan.
ReplyDeleteLearn how to spell addressing...........guess I was wrong when I said educated RACIST!
ReplyDeleteAgain, name calling instead of actually addressing the issue. Keep it up, you're making my argument for me.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as you used the phrase "Lenin Adoration" you showed how bigoted and ignorant you are......As a parent, I would be furious if my son's teacher manipulated it so that he could not see the leader of our country give a speech that might inspire him to work even harder in school.
ReplyDeleteSo now I'm racist against Russians? Again, not addressing the argument.
ReplyDeleteEither you can't understand the argument, or you are pretending not to. Either way, it's sad.
ReplyDeleteKlan with a Tan.............how ignorant is that statement. You can't verbally express yourself intelligently........and you are teaching children? Your vocabulary is very limited.............I feel sorry for your students!
ReplyDeleteOh I am so foolish I don't understand the Kennedy quote. Please it is the same thing that Obama will say, help the country by becoming an educated contributing citizen, and if you have any ideas send them to me. I love the idea that he is encouraging civic participation by students.
ReplyDeleteit scares me that my son might ever be taught by Mr. "Klan with a Tan" Bigot
ReplyDeleteThose of you who are unwilling to show the President Obama speech to your students: Did you find it objectionable or did you show it to your students when Geoge Bush Sr. addressed students? What about when Pres. Reagan did it?
ReplyDeleteIf you are so scared, really afraid that he is pushing his agenda, why can't you tape it and then preview it and show it the next day? Children aren't tainted like a lot of you old foggies. The President is the head of their country and they look up to him and write him letters. If you won't at least give him a chance by looking at it first with an open-mind, then perhaps you need to take a deeper look at yourself..........maybe it IS something else.
Once again, an issue pits teacher against teacher, with radical statements and prejudices abounding. I just KNOW that the Ed Center is LOVING the divisiveness that this blog has shown to all that view its contents!
ReplyDeleteWow, some people here are really full of themselves and their own opinions (both for and against showing the broadcast).
ReplyDeleteThere are good and bad reasons for showing it and good and bad reasons for not showing it. For me, it's just part of my teaching philosophy not to pit myself against parents' wishes unless it is completely unavoidable. This is avoidable. I'm not afraid of parents. I respect them. There's a difference. (Not to mention that showing the broadcast would unnecessarily throw off my lesson plans.)
I agree about the Ed Center and Eugene White wanting to divide teachers. However, when I see some of the ignorant and racist comments made by people who claim to be teachers about viewing the president's speech, I dont want to be in the same category as those hate spewers.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know that you are not pitting yourself against parents who WANT their children to hear OUR president. I am an IPS teacher and IPS parent and I guarantee that if my son does not get to see it that there will be a conferernce with the teacher, principal and me. If necessary, I will go downtown.
ReplyDeleteIn the comment above, I respect that some parents view this broadcast as an endorsement of the president and his politics by the school or teacher. I do not respect racists, but I do not think that is the objection with my particular students' parents.
ReplyDeleteWhat do your parents object to in a presidential talk on the importance of education and hard work? Have any parents really objected or are you projecting your own personal feelings on the parents of your students.....
ReplyDeleteSometimes we just have to ignore the wishes of parents, long ago a second grade teacher sent home some math problems for homework, the problems were three digit addition, and since the children did not yet know how to carry the number of answers was limited, one answer was
ReplyDelete"666". One child came back with this answer circled and instructions from the parent that the child was not to recieve any further math instruction.
Sometimes we have to ignore parent wishes. But very, very rarely. I've been teaching around 10 years, and I can count on one hand the number of parents who felt I defied them.
ReplyDeleteNo parent has objected to the broadcast to me. But considering the local hoopla in the media, it just doesn't seem worth the hassle and the disruption. Maybe I'll record it so I can pass it out to parents who want it. It just seems to me this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. From both sides.
Maybe people's objections to Obama have nothing to do with his race but his MORALS!
ReplyDeleteMorals????? Is that the new code word you racists are you using now??? You can't cite one example of Obama having a moral problem. I think YOU have a moral problem and that is your overt racism.....you may be new to your students but as they year goes on, they will detect your racism and then complain to your principal and their parents and you will have to answer to someone...I think the sooner the better.
ReplyDeleteSomeone who actively promotes abortion and is involved in controversial organizations more than likely has moral issues.
ReplyDeleteHe actively promotes abortion. Have you lost your f-in mind. Sure the president is out there suggesting pregnant women run down to the local clinic and end their pregnancies. What have you been listening to?
ReplyDeleteWhat he has said and everyone in the pro-choice movement believes it this is a matter of personal choice. It would not be a choice I might make, but I certainly wouldn't tell anyone else to do. The point at which life begins is a religious concept and I would never impose my religious belief on someone else, nor will I allow someone elses view to be imposed on me. Greeks still celebrate the third day after a childs birth when the father decides the child will live, in ancient times an unwanted child was simply left in the wilderness to die, so life begins the third day after birth.
I really believe that there is a secret agenda of the anti-choice movement, they somehow believe if they end abortion there will suddenly be wards of blond blue-eyed perfect children waiting for adoption, just come in and shop like you do at the humane society.
Well her is some news for these people, there are plenty of lovely, darling bright children waiting for homes, they have brown eyes and black hair.
I just read all the comments and the one about abortion takes the cake. I am a woman of faith and a supporter of a woman's right to chose. And my church supports a woman's right to chose, so don't tell me I'm immoral.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that so many teachers have an inability to check their religous and political views at the door--this is the U.S. President we are talking about and the disrepsect being shown, by teachers no less, is about as immoral as you can get.
Some of you on this blog need to retire because you are totally out of touch with the students and parents you teach! IPS is over 80% African-American and I would defy you to find ONE parent who would not want their child to hear the President. I have friends and relatives in other districts who want the speech shown. I am so disappointed in a lot of you who have allowed your personal politics to usurp your good sense.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pitiful excuse someone made about throwing your lesson plans off. Evidently you are a new teacher and don't know how to modify lesson plans to move ahead. He is just encouraging students to do their best, which our ( I am one too) African-American children desparately need to hear. Some of you who purport to work in IPS know of the circumstances our kids come out of, and if you do, you should know they need encouragememt.
And as for you Puritans who say he has moral issues...name one person in the history of the world outside of Jesus himself who DID NOT have moral failings? NAME ONE!!! Look at all the evangelists and politicians who have fallen. We all" fall short of the glory."
I am very sad today. Collegaues that I have, perhaps, worked side by side with have finally revealed themselves.
Just because you, and your church support something doesn't make it moral. A woman has a right to chose many things before becoming pregnant, but not after. Abortion is the worst form of killing innocents.
ReplyDeleteHow can any idiot somehow bring abortion into a presidential speech about working hard in school and graduating......if this is really a teacher, his/her evaluator needs to begin the process for dismissal or refer this teacher to the Employee Assistance Program for intensive therapy......I believe our non African American children need to hear Obama's speech as he is a terrific role model and an example of what education and hard work can do......I must have been naive but I have been unaware of the extent of bigotry in our system's staff.
ReplyDeleteThere you go with that retirement thing again. There is no minimum age for bigotry and stupidity. Were some of you scared by an older person when you were kids? There are quality teachers over thirty and there are lousy teachers in their twenties. Get over this stuff. I am very distressed by the narrow minded self serving posts on this thread, but I don't claim to know the age, gender or race of the persons who are posting.
ReplyDeleteWhy is anyone who disagrees with you a bigot? Doesn't everyone in America have freedom of speech? I'll reserve my right to watch or not to watch until after I read the speech.
ReplyDeleteI know some of my parents have strong opinions about Obama because their children repeat things their parents have said. If you have 100% support for the speech in your classroom, then you should absolutely show it in your class. It's not that I am not capable of changing my lesson plans. It's that I don't think this broadcast is as important or meaningful as you do, so I don't feel the negatives (upset parents, reworking lessons) is worth it. I went to school during most of the Reagan administration and all of the Bush I administration and was never shown a presidential broadcast. I've also taught through the G.W. administration, and I guarantee if he had addressed students in this kind of broadcast, many would have been very upset by that as well. Politics are very personal. Political dissent is as American as political support. And if you think this broadcast is really going to have any impact whatsoever on how hard kids work or whether they stay in school, then YOU are the one who needs to retire.
ReplyDeleteBigot:a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.
ReplyDeleteHas nothing to do with agreeing with me. Look at some of the posts. If they don't scream bigotry to you then you may be a hopeless case. And yes, even bigots have freedom of speech, and I have the right to call them bigots.
You mean like someone who is intolerant of people who live their religion 24/7 rather than just at home? Or someone who is intolerant of political conservatives. Or someone who is intolerant of any viewpoint that questions the appropriateness of presidential broadcasts to children that bypass the parents by showing them in schools? That kind of intolerance? Or are people only bigots if they disagree with your creeds, beliefs or opinions?
ReplyDeleteNo one has the right to spread bigotry. This speech is not about abortion, the war in Iraq, the economy, healthcare reform, global warming or any other political position. It is about working hard in school and being a success. You attempt to bring in unrelated controversial topics is nothing more that attempting to spread you own personal dislike for Obama. It is a lie about not wanting to "upset the parents" as I guarantee that if you deny the opportunity to hear this message from the president you will be upsetting parents. That is the very thing you claim that you wish to avoid.......you cannot even be up front about imposing your own political agenda on your students.
ReplyDeleteReading the above comments highlights the fact that there are blacks who are racists as well as whites. What does it matter what color one is? Black and white has nothing to do with this issue.
ReplyDeleteThe information is very limited as to what Obama is going to say to our children. I have been looking to find some guidelines since I learned of this and have not found anything that gives me enough.
Teaching is an awesome responsibility as our students are impressionable. As with every political issue that has come up in my years of teaching, I plan on waiting until I know more about what I will be exposing my students to if I watch this in the classroom with them. I honestly believe that this should be ideally watched at home with parents. I do not want to influence my students one way or the other.
Some parents will be upset if we do watch this and some parents will be upset if we don't. No matter what, I know that some parents are going to be upset. I resent being put into this situation.
Boo hoo.....you have to take a position...those mean people....."I do not want to influence my students one way or the other" This speech is about staying in school and working hard. If you don't want to influence your students to do that then you need to give up teaching.....boo hoo....this is so hard I am afaid that I will make a parent upset....Get over it.....and do your job!!
ReplyDelete"The information is very limited as to what Obama is going to say to our children. I have been looking to find some guidelines since I learned of this and have not found anything that gives me enough."
ReplyDeleteWell you need to become more computer literate then, because there are (on this thread) links to the lesson plans developed by TEACHERS, that relate to the speech, and it was on all the Sunday Morning news programs, as well as all over the net that the text of the entire speech will be released for preview on Monday.
The site for the White House is
www.whitehouse.gov
and the site specific to the speech is
http://www.whitehouse.gov/mediaresources/
IUPUI offers some fine courses on computer literacy, since you seemed to miss the ones offered by IPS.
I think recording it and reviewing it is the smart way to do it if you're going to show it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there will be a variety of ways to show children who didn't get to see it at school, if parents want their kids to see it. There isn't a way have kids "un-see" it if their parents don't want them to see it.
I spend so much time urging parents to be involved and telling them teachers can't educate students alone. It seems like a betrayal to suddenly change my tune and declare parents irrelevent.
I show things all the time to enhance my curriculum and never preview it for parents, if I decide to show this why would I treat it any differently.
ReplyDeleteIf you have no reason to think parents will object, then you shouldn't treat it any differently. If you do have reason to think parents will object, then that's what makes this different. But I'm not saying you shouldn't show it. Maybe you have a different dynamic with your parents and students than I do. Maybe your particular classroom or subject area makes this a much more valuable lesson than it does for my classroom. That's why they're leaving it up to individual teachers. Because the decision that is best for your classroom may very well not be the same decision that is best for mine.
ReplyDeletewhat?
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to tell from the comments people make who is really a teacher and who isn't. True teachers always weigh what is OK and what may not potentially be OK to show to students. I went to the sites listed above and am still not sure myself what I will do. Hopefully the copy of the speech will help me decide whether or not this is OK to show to my students. I do agree with whoever said that this should be viewed by students with their families.
ReplyDeleteWhat in the world do you think Obama will say that will harm our children? Have you so little faith in our president that you are willing to throw common sense out the window. Deny my child the right to see and you will have a complaint filed with the Education Center.
ReplyDeleteWould you feel the same if it was Mitch Daniels, Tony Bennett, or Arne Duncan that was supposed to give a pep talk to students about studying hard and staying in school? Would you not only show the broadcast without regard to parental objections but also criticize anyone who even considered not showing the video?
ReplyDelete"Maybe people's objections to Obama have nothing to do with his race but his MORALS!"
ReplyDelete...coupled with...
Someone who actively promotes abortion and is involved in controversial organizations more than likely has moral issues."
I have yet to see a billboard with Obama on it encouraging women to have abortions instead of having children. Are you serious? Oh no, you're just an idiot.
So, idiot, just shut up. You are a moron. Do us all a favor: read a book, listen to a child, change the channel, open your mind, but above all, shut your freaking mouth.
To the "I have yet to see a billboard" anonymous person above me, I teach debate outside of Indianapolis. I teach that the number one rule of debate is sticking to the topic, and the number two rule is sticking to the facts. I often glean silly examples of poor arguments from online discussion forums where off-topic rants, name calling, red herrings, illogical reasoning, and emotional reactions are so common. I am going to quote you from, "Are you serious?" on. My kids will really get a kick out of it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you remember to quote to your students the lunacy of teachers saying I am not going to let my students listen to the President encourage them to work hard in school and get grades because.....[and then fill in the blank]
ReplyDelete1. It is a secret plot to promote abortion.
2. It might upset a parent.
3. I have my lesson plans prepared and dont want to alter them.
4. Obama has bad morals.
5. I haven't taken the time to read what he is going to say and he might make some horrible subversive comment to destroy our country.
Of course, these are only statments made by teachers who have their own political agenda or prefences and prefer to impose them on their students.
I'd be interested in your answer to the question someone asked above about the other political figures and if you would be just as adamant about everyone showing a broadcast of those political figures to your class. If not, then I think it's you with the political agenda.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm not a debate teacher, but I don't think there is ever a position for which "So, idiot, just shut up. You are a moron." is an appropriate rebuttal.
"Deny my child the right to see and you will have a complaint filed with the Education Center."
ReplyDeleteI think someone is confused about the concept of "rights" and what it means to infringe upon them. Your child does not have the "right" to see the president's speech, no matter how much you want him to see it. A "right" is something guaranteed by the U.S Constitution, and I'm pretty sure there is nothing about this in there, no matter how loosely you interpret it.
If you want your child to see it so badly, keep him at home, or record the speech and show it to him later, when you can talk to him about it. We live in a very media rich world, and it's not like this event is a one-shot chance.
To me, this is about choice, a concept I think the Left would support. Let the individual teachers decide if this speech fits into the plan. If not, so be it. If so, have at it. I fail to see the reason for all the uproar.
I hear that if you take every third letter of the text of the speech, then use your secret Rush Limbaugh decoder ring you will find the subliminal message, the complete text of Lenin's "April Theses of 1717" and if you use your Glen Beck cryptography cipher, then turn it upside down the text is identical to Mao's "Little Red Book".
ReplyDeleteAnd I hear that every student who hears the speech will instantly love education, and will study so hard that they will be eligible for college admittance within the week.
ReplyDeleteI actually talk to my kids about people like Ben Carson who through the cunning of his mother and his own hard work changed his life.
ReplyDeleteAn old adage of car sales is "when one person says something it is an opinion, when two people say it, it is a fact". So a follow up activity might be a discussion of Carson, or the new book by LaBron James. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”Make it a fact for your students that EDUCATION CAN AND DOES CHANGE PEOPLES LIVES, nothing about their future is written in stone, they have the power to change almost everything about their future.
If you poo-poo the president's message you will be cutting your own throat, and that of your students. Go ahead and cut your own but leave the kids out of it.
One problem is that many of the students mirror Ms. Carson's poor voting attendance record.
ReplyDeleteBen Carson had nothing what-so-ever to do with Julia Carson. Do a little internet research before you post.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carson
The political arguments here just go to show that the issue is much more political than it is educational or racial. I voted for Obama, but I think this school broadcast is inappropriate. I'll answer the above question. No, I would not want either Bush, or Reagan or Mitch Daniels or Arne Duncan or Tony Bennett giving a similar school broadcast either. It doesn't matter who the political figure is or how harmless his message seems to be. It's still inappropriate unless it is in a setting where different opinions can actually be discussed and debated.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you talking about? what different opinions do you have on the value of hard work and education? Have you lost your mind?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure if you ask your children they will tell you their opinion, they can make more money then you do selling drugs.
We have this discussion all the time, and actually make a t-graph of the pro's and con's of being a drug dealer. Anything to defuse the insane things kids believe.
But it is all right to take students on a bus trip to hear the Pacers and Colts? Is that because our professional athletes are better role models?
ReplyDeleteThis speech is merely a thinly-veiled campaign endeavor. It doesn't matter that it's Obama, or whether it's McCain, Palin, Biden, you name them. It's a campaign effort, and it's never ever too early to begin thinking about the next election. A politician is a politician; it doesn' matter if he's a Democrat or a Republican; he's still a politician, first and foremost. Actually, his PR people are pretty shrewd to get his name and face before high school students who'll be eligible to vote in the next election.
ReplyDeleteIf some of the biased and ignorant statements above have been posted by teachers then IPS has a major job in professional development ahead of them. Some people cannot even tell the difference between a pep talk and a political speech. I think Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Bech must be teaching in IPS. These comments are so sad. How dare Obama care about our children and their education. He is only the president of the United States. Who does he think he is..our elected leader or something????
ReplyDeleteParanoia? That politician is also the leader of the free world and the Commander in Chief of the Unites States military. Get over it.
ReplyDeleteSurely you aren't really a teacher? You're just a troll, right? Because if you really have so little concept about the responsibility of educating other people's children, you have no business in public schools.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I talking about? I mean if we aren't going to discuss things like whether a politician would broadcast directly to children for political gain or because he thinks it has educational merit, whether or not showing a broadcast from a politician is an endorsement of that politician and what the implications of endorsing a politician might be, or the different philosophical viewpoints that make politics so divisive, then we really have no business showing the broadcast.
ReplyDeleteWhat Obama says to the schoolchildren won't matter one whit.
ReplyDeleteWhat will matter is that our darlings, our very future will gather around as though that Democrat were Mao or the Lord himself. They'll be excited. Awed maybe. Laughing and happy. Obama, that calm, kind, fatherly Mr. Rogers of the White House, might even be sneaky enough to don a sweater for the occasion. He might convince those kids to study more and everyone will praise him for helping the country, which only shows how tricky the enemy can be. Something far more insidious is afoot.
Obama will aim to make those kids feel that the president himself is speaking right to each and every one of them. He'll make them feel that he's their friend and their leader, someone to follow and to trust. He could seem like the biggest, best daddy of them all. A true father to his people.
Oh no. That presidential talk, seemingly so innocent, must not be allowed to happen within the schoolhouses of America.
Because as any preacher will tell you, they'll forget what you say before they get out the door.
What they'll never forget is how you make them feel.
(Just a bit of 'tongue in cheek' ponderings...)
To the person who said we shouldn't broadcast it unless we discuss all of those issues, I actually think THAT might be a valuable enough lesson to provoke me to show the broadcast and build a lesson around it. Parents would likely be more comfortable with that aspect as well. Definitely something to consider.
ReplyDeletePrepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
ReplyDeleteBack to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But 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 in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
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. Unless you show 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.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
ReplyDeleteBut I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
ReplyDeleteThat’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
ReplyDeleteAnd even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Thank You for posting what the President's broadcast will focus on...maybe now people can focus on educating the future generations of American Citizens and put their petty disagreements aside and work together!
ReplyDeletejust show the president,crybaby's
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the planned remarks. But I don't think anyone was ever worried about the content of the message. The objections people have are that by showing the broadcast, we are endorsing the political figure giving the remarks (in this case, President Obama). If you have trouble comprehending how this could be an issue with people, and if the other political examples given don't help you make the comparison, imagine if Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck or someone else with which you completely and utterly disagreed was president of the United States. Imagine he gave the EXACT same broadcast as Obama is giving. Would you want to show your class? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteIf Glen Beck or Rush gave the same remarks it would not have the impact of the President of the United States making the remarks. Even if you don't agree with Obama he is the President.
ReplyDeleteBeck and Limbaugh are not, they are purely partisan, they do not merit the position the President holds. Had George W. Bush, Herbert Hoover, or Richard Nixon made the same remarks I most certainly would have shown it to my students.
The President is the President and although he is elected he must rise above partisan politics. We don't have two Presidents, the republican president and the democratic president, he belongs to all of us.
I have read some of the comments on this blog and watched them on televison. People have been afraid that Obama was going to use his speech to do something horrible with our children or to promote abortion or gay rights or campaign for reelection....As sas as it is, we have teachers with their own political agendas manipulating the situation to keep their students from watching the president of the United States. This is sad. Obama is an inspirational speaker with good values and appreciates hard work and education. Yet we have teachers who are going to deny their students the opportunity to listen......As a classroom teacher, I find it embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us who grew up in the 1950's and 1960's....out teachers would have been proud to "expose" us to the thoughts of the President of the United States of America! Wow! Have times sadly changed!!!
ReplyDeleteNow that the text of the speech has been released do you think those who said that "It's still inappropriate unless it is in a setting where different opinions can actually be discussed and debated." is feeling pretty stupid.
ReplyDeleteNope, I still feel exactly the same way. Read those statements again. They had nothing to do with the message but the politics and motivation behind the message. You say you would show the broadcast regardless of the politics of the president. I'm on the other end of the same continuum. I would not show the broadcast regardless of the politics of the president. These are both equally fair and unbiased. It's pushing politics if we allow one viewpoint but not the opposing viewpoints. I would only allow Obama to be presented as a kind role model who values education and children if the opposing viewpoint could be presented that he is an underhanded politician trying to market himself to children. I'd rather not do that, so I'll not show the broadcast.
ReplyDeleteSo you would like someone to broadcast urging students not to work in school and to not get an education...wouldn't that be the opposing viewpoint.......it seems to me that you have a PERSONAL political agenda that you are attempting to impose on your students.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about the fucking words he is saying you idiot bitch. Why can't you get that through your fucking skull. People keep trying to spell it out for you like you're some retarded kid and you keep acting like you don't get it. Get the fuck out of education because you are stupider than any of the students. They can't possibly be learning anything good from you. Dumb ass.
ReplyDeleteI hope that there is only one person making these self congratulatory rationalized comments. It is troubling enough to know that there is even one teacher in IPS who can make such statements. Many years ago Nancy Reagan came to Harshman, during the campaign. I don’t recall anyone causing a disturbance about that. Of course she was just the president’s wife and spouses don’t campaign, right? Or was is ok because she was a white Republican?
ReplyDeleteWell I certainly don't agree with the way that was worded. Not only is the language coarse, but the grammar is poor, and the sentiment is hostile. I suspect you are between the ages of 12 and 16.
ReplyDeleteBut I admit there is a small part of me that thinks if a coarse, hostile, partially-educated teenager can understand the difference between objecting to Obama's spoken message and objecting to the politics behind it, public educators could realistically be expected to as well.
You can tell who is the same and who is different from the IP addresses in the code for the blog. It's the other way around. There are several posters who are either against or undecided or will show it but don't think everyone should feel obligated, and only two IP addresses (all but two from one IP address) that think everyone should show it.
ReplyDeleteNice try. I hope the owner of the blog will refute the above claim.
ReplyDeleteI am scared of some of the teachers in IPS. The majority of you are great people and teachers however, I have discovered the depth of racism among some teachers and it is frightening since the majority of the children you teach are minority children. Why are you in IPS ? My guess would be you couldn't get a job in Carmel or Decatur?
ReplyDeleteOh, there is definitely racism among teachers in IPS. Fortunately, I think the overt ones seen here (Klan with a Tan, the "teacher" who had a student say, "my mama be a welfare mama") aren't really teachers. But the more subtle racism ("These kids..." "These parents..." )and the different expectations and the hostile way they are treated is one of biggest embarassments in this district. And why racist teachers would choose to work in IPS is anybody's guess, but I don't think anyone can deny that they do.
ReplyDeleteAmid concerns among some people that a planned back-to-school speech by President Obama would "indoctrinate" students, the Education Department has changed suggested teaching materials.
ReplyDeleteThe goal was to clarify the lesson plans, which outline questions and activities that teachers can use around the Sept. 8 speech.
The original language was this:
"Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
And it has been changed to this:
"Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals."
I am glad the Education Department changed its scripted lesson plans. I have absolutely no problem with students viewing a Presidential address; however, I did have a problem with the federal government telling me what lesson plan to use following his address.
I think you need to get your dictionary and look at the meaning of the word "suggest". As you will see suggested lesson plans does not mean the federal government is "telling you what to do" SUGGESTED you even used the word yourself.......SUGGESTED
ReplyDeleteKUDOS!!!!............to all the Bloggers who have called out the blatant racist remarks from some IPS teachers on this particular topic! Racist teachers have no business teaching in a predominately black school district(such as IPS)I hope that Dr. White knows what kind of teachers he has hired to work in this district.........my guess is they were rejected from teaching in CARMEL or GREENWOOD school districts! Too bad our minority students have to suffer with being subjected to teachers who don't respect them or our President of the United States because of the color of their skin! It's a shame that such absurd and foul language("Klan with a Tan" and "My Mama be a Welfare Mama") are still being used in the year 2009! America still has a long way to go!
ReplyDeleteNow be careful there. I certainly agree that any racism from teachers is absolutely tragic. But not showing the broadcast, or even blatantly insulting Obama doesn't necessarily indicate racism. I apologize if that's not what you meant, but racism is too serious and too common to be tossed around lightly and loosely.
ReplyDeleteI am showing the speech to my class. I honestly do not expect much reaction from my parents either way, and I do think it has some value. However, I do not think this is a major deal either way. I certainly do not think teachers who do not show it are secret racists or, even worse, secret Republicans (gasp!) (OMG!).
ReplyDeleteand remember, there is no way of knowing who is posting on this blog--some might be IPS teachers, some might be teachers in Carmel, and some might be troublemaking trolls.
ReplyDeleteThe African-American principal of our IPS high school did NOT broadcast the Presidential address today. He announced to the students this morning they'd be shown 'clips' from the address later this week.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with Larry????
ReplyDeleteWrong. Not Larry.
ReplyDeleteIt is what I meant "RACISM".............I am not going to sugar coat the fact that RACISM is AlIVE and thriving throughout some of the teachers in the IPS district. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck then it must be a DUCK!!!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't Larry the only African American male high school principal? Did you mean a community school perhaps??
ReplyDeleteI have read these comments and am appalled by what I am reading. Whether you are teachers, parents or students some of these statements are an example of what is wrong with the educational system today. So much for role models!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in case some of you who are protesting the President's speech have forgotten, President Obama is a former professor of Law and is an experienced teacher. To say he should not get involved in education is a mistake on your behalf. Read the facts!!!
They are called "Community High Schools" by the way...
ReplyDelete