Next Tuesday, President Obama will become the latest American President to make a speech that is aimed directly at the students of the United States.
The President’s speech is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8 and will be broadcast over the White House website – www.whitehouse.gov.
The President is expected to speak for about 15 minutes on the themes of personal responsibility and goal setting.
NEA is one of several organizations supporting this event. The US Department of Education’s website is providing a link to all the websites of the supporting organizations – http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.doc .
For materials NEA is providing to support this activity, go to www.nea.org/backtoschool.
This is not an NEA event, so neither NEA nor IEA have any information about what the President is going to say.
As has been the case with other seemingly benign activities President Obama has engaged in since taking office, a small group of shrill voices on the political far-right claim that there is something untoward about this speech.
It’s an interesting claim, as both President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush gave back-to-school speeches aimed at students.
Elements of the far-right claim this speech, by this President, is somehow different from those addresses. Aside from the use of the Internet, there seems to me to be no difference at all.
Perhaps those who suggest there is something improper about the event should be asked to explain why different rules should apply to Barack Obama than to Ronald Reagan or to the first President Bush.
Be sure to let me know what they say.
This President has shown time and again that education matters to him and that it should matter to all Americans. The speech also sends a message about the importance of citizenship. Sadly, some who could use that lesson will keep their children home from school next Tuesday.
This is another teachable moment for America. Let’s support the President’s effort to inspire students to be personally responsible and to challenge themselves to reach their full potential as students and as citizens.
Illinois Education Association is an association of more than 130,000 members composed of Illinois elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty and staff, educational support professionals, retired educators and college students preparing to become teachers.
Perhaps those parents that object should spend that 15 minutes themselves speaking to their children about personal responsibility and goal setting. A pep talk from our President certainly couldn’t hurt. Really, come on.
Districts have received some calls so they have canceled the speech saying they do not stop lessons for motivation or anything political. They do however take entire hours to hold expensive assemblies which motivate kids to learn and to read as the President will certainly do for free. So, because superintendents dont want to lose a single attendance DOLLAR, they are telling teachers, you will not be watching the President with your students. So, the NEA guide, etc. is of no use to those of us who have had our teaching day censored because of a few parents. If parents knew ahead of time that it was canceled in a district, maybe they would have had time to call to complain that it was canceled. Do atheists keep their kids out of school because the word God is in the pledge? The President might want to reschedule for late night. A few bad apples spoil the bunch, how appropriate!!!!!!!!!!