Obama to Address Nation's Children in School

[Maerngau]

Screw this.

I'm 16, I don't have the right to vote, so I don't care what another politician windbag has to say to me. If I don't have the right to vote, I don't care about politics. Simple as that.

Foresight. It's what's for breakfast.

When you wake up in a pathetic world that you did nothing to help, I hope you feel satisfied.

[Maerngau]

You mean on the 8th I have to listen to that clown! WHILE I'M IN A LIBERAL TEACHERS CLASS ROOM!

Yep, take in your DS with you.

Or sit back and go to sleep.

Or listen to him critically and agree to what he says or find a sound counterargument.


Failing to actually listen to the other side is the worst form of cowardice.

[Maerngau]

Whoa whoa whoa wait.

The President of the United States, someone who is very well recognized across the nation, is going to attempt to engage students, talk to them, and get them to start thinking about things. Like, you know, responsibility. And getting involved with the government, and actually GIVING A FUCK ABOUT THIS COUNTRY.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing. At all. You stupid shits.

Thank you.

OTOH, if he were to preach about the evils of Islamofascism and announce a bombing campaign on ___ istan, he'd probably be canonized by these jerks.

[Blouman Empire]

Or listen to him critically and agree to what he says or find a sound counterargument.

Failing to actually listen to the other side is the worst form of cowardice.

You can listen to the other side and debate it but no teacher should be promoting their ideology over others.

And you are also assuming that all school students are able to do this regardless what year level they are in.

[Maerngau]

OMG. I can;t believe this.

We have a Ronald W. Reagan High School in every state in the union. Is THAT partisan or inappropriate? Or somehow ok because. .. . because it's Saint Ronny?

The level of hypocrisy is mindblowing here.

[Blouman Empire]

OMG. I can;t believe this.

We have a Ronald W. Reagan High School in every state in the union. Is THAT partisan or inappropriate? Or somehow ok because. .. . because it's Saint Ronny?

The level of hypocrisy is mindblowing here.

Only if we were talking about getting rid of schools named after JFK.

[Maerngau]

You missed something in my post. Opting out doesn't change the fact that time, instructional time, is being set aside in order to fit this in. I object to that. There are enough interuptions in the instructional schedule as it is, and getting through everything in the curriculum on time can be difficult. With some parents going out of their way to be assholes, you are going to have a lot of students not showing up at all on that day. A day of instruction lost. That would piss me off, as a teacher.

???

As a social studies teacher, stuff like this is a GODSEND.

What would you rather do as a student - fill out a worksheet, read a textbook, or watch a groundbreaking historical figure speaking directly to you?

What are kids going to remember in 10 years - the day they memorized state capitals or the day the President spoke to them?

[Maerngau]

Pathetic

What was it that George W. Bush was doing when the World Trade Centre was attacked?

READING CHILDREN A STORY FROM A CHILDERN'S BOOK.NOT DISCUSSING POLICY.

George Bush's reading level, pathetic as it is, should not be the basis of this conversation.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

You missed something in my post. Opting out doesn't change the fact that time, instructional time, is being set aside in order to fit this in. I object to that. There are enough interuptions in the instructional schedule as it is, and getting through everything in the curriculum on time can be difficult. With some parents going out of their way to be assholes, you are going to have a lot of students not showing up at all on that day. A day of instruction lost. That would piss me off, as a teacher.

???

As a social studies teacher, stuff like this is a GODSEND.

What would you rather do as a student - fill out a worksheet, read a textbook, or watch a groundbreaking historical figure speaking directly to you?

What are kids going to remember in 10 years - the day they memorized state capitals or the day the President spoke to them?

Try as I might, I still can't forget Slim Goodbody.

[Maerngau]

The fact that Obama's Department of Education wanted those minors to write letters telling how they could help Obama says otherwise.

Except for the fact that the STUDENTS WRITE TO HIM, NOT OBAMA TO THE STUDENTS in your example. So fail on your part there.

No, the fact that students are REQUIRED to write to him. Although, I'd use the opportunity to tell him to stop Cybersecurity 09.

Homework - clearly a Marxist institution.

[New Mitanni]

You mean on the 8th I have to listen to that clown! WHILE I'M IN A LIBERAL TEACHERS CLASS ROOM!

God forbid a teacher actually challenges your worldview.

Yes, God forbid it. Keep your politics to yourself.

And "educators" who talk about "challenging your worldview" almost invariably mean "challenging your conservative worldview," not "challenging your liberal worldview."

[New Mitanni]

It's just another cult of personality, like Lenin, Stalin, Mao and other dear leaders have enjoyed.

http://popmodal.com/video/366/Cult-of-P ... usic-Video

[Maerngau]

Again the Liberals take control of the General political discussion.

1) Why does someone have to be a Liberal to think the President of the United States addressing schools is a perfectly appropriate activity?

2) Are they taking control because they debate better or because they are right?

1) Not Liberal, just democratic. School is an enclosed space, its the same reason your not allowed to sell stuff without the county or state agreeing. School is a place where you have a captive audience, its not appropriate at all to do a mass broadcast when parents cannot tell their child just what is going on. Obama could be saying a host of things that could seriously affect a child, don't assume I'm saying he might teach them about sex, drugs, or joining the democrats but when you have a figure of authority addressing a child without a parent or someone the child also thinks of as a figure of authority then that child becomes vulnerable to that person.

Uh. . . *teachers* do this every single day, and are a HELL of a lot less accountable than any politician.

Go ahead and homeschool your kids to become mindless drones. That's the ticket. . . .

[New Mitanni]

Again the Liberals take control of the General political discussion.

1) Why does someone have to be a Liberal to think the President of the United States addressing schools is a perfectly appropriate activity?

2) Are they taking control because they debate better or because they are right?

1) Not Liberal, just democratic. School is an enclosed space, its the same reason your not allowed to sell stuff without the county or state agreeing. School is a place where you have a captive audience, its not appropriate at all to do a mass broadcast when parents cannot tell their child just what is going on. Obama could be saying a host of things that could seriously affect a child, don't assume I'm saying he might teach them about sex, drugs, or joining the democrats but when you have a figure of authority addressing a child without a parent or someone the child also thinks of as a figure of authority then that child becomes vulnerable to that person.

Uh. . . *teachers* do this every single day, and are a HELL of a lot less accountable than any politician.

Go ahead and homeschool your kids to become mindless drones. That's the ticket. . . .

I think you're confusing home-schooled children with public school graduates.

[Maerngau]

But a better education might lead people to questioning the power structures of the country. They might even think that the politicians are doing it wrong. They can't have that, oh no no no no.

LOL
Education purpose is to get well paid job and contribuite to the wealth of this country! don't for spread leftist propaganda

The purpose of having a good education system is to educate the masses so in the long term the output of the economy can grow and remain at a higher level.

The purpose of an education is to improve the quality of life for the children educated.


Money and production are part of that, but not all of it.

[The Cat-Tribe]

Since Obama is speaking to minors, do you honestly believe he's just going to proselytise some liberal propaganda?

The fact that Obama's Department of Education wanted those minors to write letters telling how they could help Obama says otherwise.

Don't let that this "fact" is a lie get in the way of your ranting.

[Maerngau]

Personally I feel a speech addressed to the children would be fine and proper, but in school I think it is inappropriate.

He's the President of the United States, not a clergyman or porn star. What could possibly be more appropriate?

God forbid we inspire a kid to learn something about our political system.

We need the President to teach the kids how the political system works?

EDIT: Actually the President would have the best idea, after all theiris the theory on what is supposed to happen and then thereis what really happens, those who have been through would know about what it is really all about.

Any teacher knows that showing a kid the real thing is much more effective than showing a powerpoint or reading a book. In my professional opinion, I'd say - hell yes - bring on the President.

I'd say exactly the same thing were it George Bush. I would encourage my students to fact check and research everything he said. As I plan to do for Obama's speech if I can indeed work it into my schedule. I *like* disagreement among my students. I encourage it and thrive on it. My favorite classes had a healthy mix of political opinions. Honestly it's more fun to teach that way and the students learn more, no matter what their perspective is.

Heck. I've shown Hitler speeches in class. We've read excerpts of Mein Kampf, the Communist Manifesto, and The Gospel of Wealth. You don't learn by being straitjacketed. But by being challenged.

Education is about critically evaluating a position. You can't do that if you won't listen to the position in the first place.

[Maerngau]

You mean on the 8th I have to listen to that clown! WHILE I'M IN A LIBERAL TEACHERS CLASS ROOM!

God forbid a teacher actually challenges your worldview.

Yes, God forbid it. Keep your politics to yourself.

And "educators" who talk about "challenging your worldview" almost invariably mean "challenging your conservative worldview," not "challenging your liberal worldview."

Step into my classroom. PLEASE.

Last year we finished up the ninth grade class with a unit on political systems, while the English class read "Animal Farm."
We started off by looking at socialist economies vs. capitalist economies. Once the students had a basic sense of the viewpoints, we did a survey and found that support for the various positions was fairly evenly split. [In Vermont, no less - hardly a place where one would expect lots of conservatives] At the end of the unit, we re-did the poll. Guess what? Still an even split, but probably about 1/3rd of the students changed their mind in either direction. That to me suggests a basic respect for a kid's right to form their own opinion. But it does not seem that you can relate to that, so I am sure you will dismiss this with another rant.

To give you another example, my top Econ student over six years of teaching was a hardcore catholic with aspirations of entering a monastery. She was also an excellent student. She wrote a paper defending "Rational Expectations Theory." [Basically an extension of classical economics and thus "laissez faire."] Personally, I believe the theory is silly, but that did not prevent this student from receiving the best grade on the project. She had a much better and more cogent argument than her peers, and earned the grade.

Not all teachers try to brainwash.

[Marcuslandia]

Failing to actually listen to the other side is the worst form of cowardice.

And here I thought that was just "apathy". Otherwise known as "the politicians' best friend."

[Maerngau]

Again the Liberals take control of the General political discussion.

1) Why does someone have to be a Liberal to think the President of the United States addressing schools is a perfectly appropriate activity?

2) Are they taking control because they debate better or because they are right?

1) Not Liberal, just democratic. School is an enclosed space, its the same reason your not allowed to sell stuff without the county or state agreeing. School is a place where you have a captive audience, its not appropriate at all to do a mass broadcast when parents cannot tell their child just what is going on. Obama could be saying a host of things that could seriously affect a child, don't assume I'm saying he might teach them about sex, drugs, or joining the democrats but when you have a figure of authority addressing a child without a parent or someone the child also thinks of as a figure of authority then that child becomes vulnerable to that person.

Uh. . . *teachers* do this every single day, and are a HELL of a lot less accountable than any politician.

Go ahead and homeschool your kids to become mindless drones. That's the ticket. . . .

I think you're confusing home-schooled children with public school graduates.

To be fair, homeschooling really is a good option for a lot of students. As long as solid academic skills are presented and students are taught to think for themselves, I really have no problem with it.

The students that are homeschooled typically come from families that value education. That is the single most important variable in the whole education process - how a child is raised. Unfortunately, for some folks a home schooled"education" means an intellectual return to the 19th century. Or 13th century. In short, it can be a good thing or a bad thing, or typically both.

You are also correct that a lot of HS graduates are socially promoted to make the schools look better, and not because the kid learned anything. It actually pisses me off a fair amount. If you have any solutions to this problem, please let me know.

[Marcuslandia]

OTOH, if he were to preach about the evils of Islamofascism and announce a bombing campaign on ___ istan, he'd probably be canonized by these jerks.

Not even. He wears the wrong label. Do something "Right" and it would be because he feared assassination or some other lame reason.

[Maerngau]

Or listen to him critically and agree to what he says or find a sound counterargument.

Failing to actually listen to the other side is the worst form of cowardice.

You can listen to the other side and debate it but no teacher should be promoting their ideology over others.

And you are also assuming that all school students are able to do this regardless what year level they are in.

Fair enough.

I teach high school. Less about rules, more about learning to think.

[Marcuslandia]

Or listen to him critically and agree to what he says or find a sound counterargument.

Failing to actually listen to the other side is the worst form of cowardice.

You can listen to the other side and debate it but no teacher should be promoting their ideology over others.

And you are also assuming that all school students are able to do this regardless what year level they are in.

Oh, wow. Just imagine: the students start to debate and Teacher becomes the neutral referee. And as the kids start to channel their parents (most likely), what they REALLY learn from the Teacher is how to debate Politics in a civil manner.

....Naw. Never happen. There's just something about American politics that requires the participants to be UNcivil to one another.

[Blouman Empire]

The purpose of an education is to improve the quality of life for the children educated.

Money and production are part of that, but not all of it.

That's right and in order to do that you have ti increase the economy anyway I was taking a purely economic viewpoint with my cooment, wasn't meant to be the end all and be all.

Actually the orginal purpose of making all kids go to school was to keep them out of the coal mines.

[Blouman Empire]

Any teacher knows that showing a kid the real thing is much more effective than showing a powerpoint or reading a book. In my professional opinion, I'd say - hell yes - bring on the President.

I'd say exactly the same thing were it George Bush. I would encourage my students to fact check and research everything he said. As I plan to do for Obama's speech if I can indeed work it into my schedule. I *like* disagreement among my students. I encourage it and thrive on it. My favorite classes had a healthy mix of political opinions. Honestly it's more fun to teach that way and the students learn more, no matter what their perspective is.

Heck. I've shown Hitler speeches in class. We've read excerpts of Mein Kampf, the Communist Manifesto, and The Gospel of Wealth. You don't learn by being straitjacketed. But by being challenged.

Education is about critically evaluating a position. You can't do that if you won't listen to the position in the first place.

Cool story bro

Is there a reason you included this stuff which had nothing to do with this particualr discussion?

Anyway is that what Obama is doing? A lecture on the US political system and how it operates?