Question of the Week Archives

Question:

Replies:

deep - pune, Maharashtra
President Obama's recent decision to address U.S. school students raised controversy in some schools and among some members of the publicsent jorj School.

NC
Each teacher decided if they should allow the students to watch the speech. During a state of emergency.

Il.
The school handled the speech by giving student options to view it.There was 100% participation. Students were excited about receiving a message from President Barack Obama. The students were engaged and motivated to write a response letter or summary.In addition, they compared the previous president messages and were not able to remember a time he spoke to the Us school students. President Barack Obama should have access to address classrooms across the U.S. under circumstances he deems quantifying. He speaks to the heart and intellect of citizens and he reaches the heart. The students were motivated for success.

South Carolina
I felt that this speech should have been done in the evening when parents and their children could have watched and discussed it together. The message was excellent, and I agree with the points-stay in school, work hard, etc, but this message needs to get out to the parents as well to enforce what we do each day.

CT
My secondary school did not show the speech, more because it didn't fit with out curriculum than anything else. It sounded like just one more thing to interrupt classes for (and there are already too many of these).

I think the messages in the speech were good, but was a bit offended that somebody was going to tell me how to handle discussion of it. That seemed over the top. The speech itself was fine.

We showed our students the inauguration speech last year, and they were thrilled to be part of the historic occasion. I heard no interest from kids in a "stay in school and work hard" speech - our kids, in a parochial school, already get that. For a different population, it would have been important to show the speech.

Terri Messing - Bremerton, WA
If we wanted students to hear President Obama's speech, our district stated that we had to have written parent/guardian permission and the speech had to be tied to our state standards. As President of the United States, I believe the President should be able to address our students anytime he/she feels a need. We, as a country, regardless of our political views, need to assume positive intent in regards to a President wanting to bolster our students' self-confidence by giving an encouraging speech to help motivate them to stay in school and not assume that there is some sinister "agenda" behind the speech.

KB - Astoria, NY
"At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents and the best schools in the world," Obama says. "And none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities."

When I read this clip from President Obama's recent address to U.S. school students I start to think about the saying there is no I in team. When teachers, parents, administrators and students work together there are only good outcomes to have. Right now our country is facing a time that most of the population has never experiences. I am impressed with the words of advice that was given. We all must work together.

Maine
I believe that as President of the United States, he should have access to address children, adults, anyone who resides in the US. If we cannot trust the President to speak to our children, how can we allow sports figures, actors and actresses, rock stars, or anyone to speak to them? What kind of mentality believes he would try to subvert them? Commercials do this all the time. Obama's message was the kind of message children should be hearing and observing from parents. If parents believed this, then Obama would not have to speak to them. Until people value education, no legislation nor rule will help the children to learn.

WV
I thought it was wonderful! Students need all the encourage they can get.

NM
Inappropriate, an intrustion. A Photograph of President and Family, with Dog, with a simple Paragraph Statement, below, appropriate. Mr. Obama mistakes the role of the President in this matter. His Secretary of Education could be gthe Cheerleader ~ just as France has a Minister of Culture. : : More honesty would be better. Since the President now has told Moms what to do [go back to school], Kids "how to School," and the Cambridge, MA Police Department how to perform, perhaps this SchoolMaster in Office could honestly and straightforwardly point at the American Public and tell them to stop taking the illegal drugs that fuel tragedy "South of the Border," and in the USA. He knows about this subject. He took illegal drugs. He would be believable, as "recovered."

NM
Inappropriate, an intrusion. A Photograph of President and Family, with Dog, with a simple Paragraph Statement, below, appropriate. Mr. Obama mistakes the role of the President in this matter. His Secretary of Education could be \the Cheerleader ~ just as France has a Minister of Culture. : : More honesty would be better. Since the President now has told Moms what to do [go back to school], Kids "how to School," and the Cambridge, MA Police Department how to perform, perhaps this SchoolMaster in Office could honestly and straightforwardly point his finger at the American Public and tell them to stop taking the illegal drugs that fuel tragedy "South of the Border," and in the USA. He knows about this subject. He took illegal drugs. He would be believable, as "recovered."

John Kuszynski - Chicago, IL
OUr school is K-6th grade and when the President's address was on the 5th and 6th grade teachers had the option to bring their class down to the auditorium and watch it live. I think the whole thing was spun out of control by the media.

Angie Tomayko - Fredericksburg, VA
I was disappointed that the president's speech was received with cynicism by so many Americans. It was disheartening to hear so many people accuse our country's elected president of alterior motives in his address to our nation's students. Regardless of my political affiliation and religious beliefs, I believe President Obama has a genuine concern about the education of our country's students. I think this president, and any other president, is the perfect candidate to speak to our future business leaders, community leaders and parents in an effort to encourage and motivate them to make the most of their education, so they can make the most of their futures and the future of our world. Children are impressionable, and need as many positive messages as possible. I think President Obama's speech was not only appropriate, but necessary in so many ways. Regardless of his other opinions and decisions, I am glad he made an effort in this area.

KY
Our school system decided to show the speech through social studies classes if the teacher chose to do so and all of ours did at the middle and highs schools. One teacher had students write down particularly memorable or inspiring phrases and sentences they heard. Afterward students compared what they had written and discussed why they wrote what they did. They were also given time to write and reflect on the president's speech.

Alexius Gandyloyd - St. Louis, MO
“ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. ”

All US Presidents and Vice-Presidents personify our constitutional preambles' intent. Therefore, President Obama and Vice-President Biden were given the appropriately handled in every school in the St. Louis Public Schools District. On a plebian-level, the message seems to be more icing than cake... The President sets the mold of such addresses with descretionary decision-making skills; by that, I mean that High School students and young adults [my student sample] look to him and their legislative representatives to exhibit the kind of Union we have. Talk is talk and has had fixed value since the beginning of language. However, cheap talk is... The President of the United States should have unfettered access to EVERY [public school] classroom in the United States.

WI
There was never a question as to whether we would watch the president in my eighth grade class. It has been my experience and belief, as a student myself growing up in the 1960's, that there wouldn't have been a question whether or not to listen to the president. The answer wouls have been "Yes". He is the president of the United States and for better or worse we have to stand behind him and believe that he has the best interest of our country and students in mind when he speaks to them.