Does the president’s message to schoolchildren have sinister undertones?

September 8th, 2009

President Obama’s message to schoolchildren will happen today, but it is already causing a major controversy. Some say it is an inappropriate use of school time. Or why not air this in prime time when the children are at home with their parents? It must be sinister propaganda and he is just using the schools to indoctrinate our children.

The simple truth is a majority of parents will probably not tune in tonight or have their children sit and watch quietly. So, in order to reach his target audience, he chose a time when more children are likely to watch. No different than the networks showing mindless drivel targeted to our children at times when children are likely to be watching.

So, I decided to see for myself what is so sinister about it. I found the speech online and read it. You can, too at whitehouse.gov. I can see how some parents are outraged about this speech. It touches on the teacher’s responsibility, the school’s responsibility, and even the government’s responsibility. But it also speaks of the parent’s responsibility and goes into detail about the student’s responsibility – responsibility for their own education. Oh, my God! Someone saying that people need to take responsibility for their own lives? How UN-American!

My wife is a teacher, so I get to hear horror stories about the non-involvement of parents and students who don’t care because there is no real consequence for failure. She calls the parents and their response is usually that their child’s education is not their responsibility, but the school’s and the teacher’s. What I read in President Obama’s speech is exactly what our children and their parents need to hear. The responsibility for education does not only lie with the teachers, schools and government. Most of the responsibility lies with the parents and students.

The parents need to know it is their responsibility to to be a parent – not a freind, to enforce the rules and boundaries so many children are lacking. To keep on top of their child’s education, make sure they do their homework and study instead of playing video games. It’s their responsibility to interact with the child’s teachers and to head off any potential problems.

The president will tell students they need to take an active role in their education as it is their future as well as the future of our country. They need to hear that children who do not have all the advantages as others can control their destiny by applying themselves to their education. Study hard, stay in school is a wonderful message.

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.

Students need to hear this message. Parents, if you don’t want your child watching this at school, then please, by all means, down load this speech and read it to them yourselves. Education is the key to success in this world.

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.

I may not agree with everything our president says or does, but I do agree with him on this speech.

Please read the entire speech at whitehouse.gov.