"The White House found itself on the defensive Friday over what would ordinarily be considered the most uncontroversial of events: a back-to-school speech to the nation's children." -CNN
During times like this one cannot enforce the importance of education enough especially as the nation’s dropout rate increases day by day. Education is and will continue to be the backbone of the economy; only with it can we produce a competent workforce. Though, unfortunately the US currently finds itself in a distressing economic episode which can only improve through the success of education.
Currently President Obama's plan to deliver a speech to public school students from Virginia remain, where he will highlight the importance and significant impact education has on both the individual and the country. Yet, such plans have lit great controversy amongst critics, conservative parents to be precise, whom allege that the Democratic president is trying to 'indoctrinate' their children with socialist ideas. The uproar over the speech, in which Obama intends to urge students to work hard and stay in school, has escalated to the point where parents have asked school officials to excuse the children from listening. Several other school districts, under pressure from parents, have arranged plans to let children choose not to lend an ear to the president of sweet democratic America. Other parents however, simply have decided to keep their kids home on Tuesday, for they don't want their children to witness as the school is plagued by some "socialist movement".
Obama's plans to deliver a speech was announced weeks ago, but recently Republicans have claimed he is stepping out of his presidential boundaries and his speech designated at the nation's children is all paid political advertising. They further regard Obama's plan only to be an attempt to endorse the spread of his socialist ideology paid by the dollars of taxpayers.
"At a minimum it's disruptive. Number two, it's uninvited. And number three, if people would like to hear his message they can, on a voluntary basis, go to YouTube or some other source and get it. I don't think he needs to force it upon the nation's school children," said Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Defendants of the speech have declared that the message is solely educational, a designed plan to encourage students to remain in school and focus on their academic studies. The choice to watch it is completely voluntarily, nobody will be obligated to watch it if they decide not to. In fact the school administration has been left to decide whether the speech will be shown during school hours to students. Some school districts (predominantly in Republican dominated states: Texas for example) have already decided that they will not show the speech. In other areas, teachers have been required to notify parents if they intend to show the speech, and if a parent objects then an alternative class will be provided. Nonetheless if students wish not to listen/watch the speech they will be given the opportunity to avoid it on any cause.
The most alarming concern in this spirited debate would have to be the extremes conservative parents went through in order to avoid the president's inspirational words to reach the minds of their children. They blame it all on the belief that the president will "brainwash" the vulnerable developing notion's of students, but I believe they are acting upon an irrational fear. I personally come from a family who has very very different stands on various issues of today, nonetheless my parents have taught me how to think, not what to think. So I suggest to the conservative parents to allow their children to cultivate their own philosophy of life.
Even if parents disagree with Obama's policies, telling the youth of America not to hear out the words of the chief justice of the country, implies the idea that one should not listen to someone with whom one disagrees with. A reasoning that still remains difficult for me to understand how it works.
During times like this one cannot enforce the importance of education enough especially as the nation’s dropout rate increases day by day. Education is and will continue to be the backbone of the economy; only with it can we produce a competent workforce. Though, unfortunately the US currently finds itself in a distressing economic episode which can only improve through the success of education.
Currently President Obama's plan to deliver a speech to public school students from Virginia remain, where he will highlight the importance and significant impact education has on both the individual and the country. Yet, such plans have lit great controversy amongst critics, conservative parents to be precise, whom allege that the Democratic president is trying to 'indoctrinate' their children with socialist ideas. The uproar over the speech, in which Obama intends to urge students to work hard and stay in school, has escalated to the point where parents have asked school officials to excuse the children from listening. Several other school districts, under pressure from parents, have arranged plans to let children choose not to lend an ear to the president of sweet democratic America. Other parents however, simply have decided to keep their kids home on Tuesday, for they don't want their children to witness as the school is plagued by some "socialist movement".
Obama's plans to deliver a speech was announced weeks ago, but recently Republicans have claimed he is stepping out of his presidential boundaries and his speech designated at the nation's children is all paid political advertising. They further regard Obama's plan only to be an attempt to endorse the spread of his socialist ideology paid by the dollars of taxpayers.
"At a minimum it's disruptive. Number two, it's uninvited. And number three, if people would like to hear his message they can, on a voluntary basis, go to YouTube or some other source and get it. I don't think he needs to force it upon the nation's school children," said Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Defendants of the speech have declared that the message is solely educational, a designed plan to encourage students to remain in school and focus on their academic studies. The choice to watch it is completely voluntarily, nobody will be obligated to watch it if they decide not to. In fact the school administration has been left to decide whether the speech will be shown during school hours to students. Some school districts (predominantly in Republican dominated states: Texas for example) have already decided that they will not show the speech. In other areas, teachers have been required to notify parents if they intend to show the speech, and if a parent objects then an alternative class will be provided. Nonetheless if students wish not to listen/watch the speech they will be given the opportunity to avoid it on any cause.
The most alarming concern in this spirited debate would have to be the extremes conservative parents went through in order to avoid the president's inspirational words to reach the minds of their children. They blame it all on the belief that the president will "brainwash" the vulnerable developing notion's of students, but I believe they are acting upon an irrational fear. I personally come from a family who has very very different stands on various issues of today, nonetheless my parents have taught me how to think, not what to think. So I suggest to the conservative parents to allow their children to cultivate their own philosophy of life.
Even if parents disagree with Obama's policies, telling the youth of America not to hear out the words of the chief justice of the country, implies the idea that one should not listen to someone with whom one disagrees with. A reasoning that still remains difficult for me to understand how it works.
2 comments:
I don't see why parent's are going to such extents to stop their children from watching the speech. All Obama was doing is say, "go to school." he didn't say join the Democratic Party. I bet if it was a republican president making that speech, those parents would be making sure their kids watched that speech. Those kids have rights too. They have the right to decide whether or not to watch it. If they don’t want to watch it, all they have to do is say I don't want to watch it, press the "off" button on the TV, or close a window on the computer. no one is forcing them to watch it, so why should people force them not to watch it?
Many parents did over react, especially the conservative parents. I was able to see the speech and it was nothing different than what parents usually tell us while we are in school. Obama basically told us that in order to become successful we need to stay in school and work hard. I believe think that many of those who opposed to Obama's speech are racist and don't want to give Obama a chance and decide to oppose to every idea he has.
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