Long time since I blogged, but today I feel the need!

President Obama plans to give a speech on Tuesday to America's youth. He is doing it at 11am (noon eastern time), and allowing schools to have access to stream the speech into classrooms. Conservatives are in an uproar! Why? They honestly believe Obama is trying to give our kids some evil socialist message. WHAT? Since when was encouraging kids to stay in school and get an education a socialist message. They also feel their children are being forced to watch it. Schools are not required to air this speech or use the suggested curriculum to go along with it on the Department of Education website. And the curriculum is so benign. Check it out at this link: curriculum If George Bush were giving this exact same speech with the same curriculum, conservatives would be demanding their children get to watch it. What is it that is scaring them about Obama? Are they afraid he is setting a good example to children by showing that anyone in this country can achieve greatness by staying in school and getting a good education? Maybe that is it. Maybe they don't want every child to think they can grow up to be President. President Obama is a shining example that a poor child from a single parent household can achieve his dreams by staying in school and getting the best education possible. Who better to give a message like this to our children? I am not at all understanding this "don't let the children hear anything the President has to say" attitude. If George Bush had planned this exact same speech with the same curriculum to go along with it, I would demand my children be allowed to watch it, and I have never been a fan of George Bush. I think it is important for all Americans, including children, to hear what a President has to say. Why are parents so concerned that their children will hear a speech by the President? I have never failed to discuss current events, politics, issues with my children. If the President says something in his speech that you don't agree with, can you not talk to your child about that? Do you really think your children are never going to hear anything you don't want them to? And what is it about "stay in school and get a good education" that you don't like. It is our duty as parents to find out everything our children are learning in school and discuss it with them,and give our point of view and why we feel the way we do. It is not our duty to censor everything and shelter them from ideas we may not agree with. The kids and I saw protesters with signs that said "God Hates Jews" a few weeks ago on the street. My kids asked about those signs. We had a great discussion about it,and how some people have very wrong ideas and how we can do better. It was my responsibility to be sure my kids knew that was discrimination, and what that meant. If I had ignored that,and told them nothing, or not let them see that, we would have missed a very teachable moment. If this speech had an overtly partisan political message, I could understand the uproar. This speech is the President telling American children how important education is. That is something I wish all Presidents did. Children should be a part of our political system. They should learn about how government works, and watch Presidential speeches at every opportunity. I always watch the State of the Union Addresses, even in years when I don't agree with the President. It is important information to hear. I try to get my kids to watch those too, but of course, those are way to boring for a kid. This is a great way for the President to engage kids in taking responsibility for their education,and to let them learn a bit more about the President. I don't understand why parents think they must sit beside their child the whole time the speech is on. Can they not watch the speech themselves (there are many ways to see it, CSPAN, online etc.) and then discuss it that evening? Our school is not showing it in every grade, but my 4th grader's teacher said she would be showing it and invited any parent that wants to come watch along with the class to do so. I am certain most schools will allow this and would encourage it. The other thing I don't understand parents saying is that Obama is going behind their backs and forcing their children to watch the speech. He has given a week's notice, schools are not required to air it, schools that are airing it are allowing children to do alternate activities at that time. Going behind their backs would have been airing it in schools without informing parents and making it mandatory viewing. This whole right wing argument is ridiculous. I can't imagine ever being upset that my child is getting a great learning opportunity by being able to watch the President of the United States give a speech about education geared for them. I would have been a huge supporter of this had George Bush done it,even though I am not a supporter of his. Conservatives need to settle down, listen to the speech, and then feel really, really ashamed that they created such furor over a benign speech about education. I don't know how they will be able to tell their children that anything Obama says on Tuesday is not right, when he is going to be telling them to stay in school and get an education. They will be feeling pretty stupid on Tuesday evening when they realize the message is exactly what they would want any adult to tell their child. President Obama has been married to the same woman for 17 years, is a wonderful father, got an advanced degree and has been hard working his entire adult life. He came from single parent household with a very poor beginning. This is exactly the type of role model I want for my children. I don't agree with every position Obama has. I think the bailouts have all been a very bad idea. I am sure other things will come up over the years, I don't agree with him about. But I can't find fault with a message to stay in school and get an education, and I can't find fault with him as a wonderful moral role model for my children. I want my children to learn to listen to political speeches with a critical ear, and discuss it with me or others. I don't want my children to automatically agree with my position on topics. I hope they learn to form their own opinions based on values I helped instill in them. I don't think they have to hear political speeches in the same room as me. I think we can easily discuss them later,and hope to do so on Tuesday night.