President Obama's Speech to Students

Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) President Obama is going to be giving a speech to the school children of our country. He is taking time from his packed schedule to address an issue he obviously holds in high priority - the future of our children and their education.

Being a teacher, I admire him and his approach toward the "root" of many problems in our country - our school system. And I love that he is speaking straight to the children to motivate and inspire them to make a difference.

But apparently I'm a radical, left-wing crazy person. Several schools (actually MOST schools) in our area are refusing to show this speech or giving parents the option to not allow their children to watch. I could understand this stance if it were regarding a sex-education video or a controversial campaign by PETA or some other "special-interest group". But this man is the PRESIDENT of our COUNTRY. Not a radical. Our President. I don't care who you voted for or what your political views are. He is OUR President and as such deserves our respect.

What message does that give our students, OUR CHILDREN, the future leaders of our country if our schools are refusing to show a speech by our President? How do we expect to teach children to make a difference or work hard for something we believe in if we refuse to show them someone who is doing so? Just because someone or something is different, does not mean it is bad.

Further, what do the directors of these schools think President Obama is going to say? Is he going to rally the children of our country to rebel against all morality and values of their "forefathers"? Will he spread some bizarre culture that could in some way hinder the progress of our nation? Hardly. He wants to help children broaden their horizons and work harder to make a positive change in their lives, a change that obviously needs to happen since their leaders are too closed-minded to embrace it.

If you have school-aged children, or know some, and they didn't get to see the speech, click here to find it. Or if you're interested in becoming inspired yourself, feel free to do so. I don't remember a President addressing ME as a school child, so I think these kids are pretty lucky that he cares so much to speak to them directly. Here's an excerpt of the transcript that I found amusing and inspiring all at once:

...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.

Good advice for us ALL. (For a full transcript, click here.)