Worthy Education

All last week I followed the ongoing news story about protest over Obama's speech to American schools, but it didn't hit home that this was a story playing out in my school just as much as schools across the country. As I was leaving Friday afternoon I was talking to our school receptionist who commented that the phone had rung off the hook with irate parents demanding that the video not be aired.

Wow... I wonder if these same people can quote drop out stats for our state/nation or knows that under No Child Left Behind that kids that are classified as Special Education students must meet the SAME standards that non-identified kids must meet for the school to be deemed "successful."

I wonder if they even read the text of the speech before jumping to the conclusion that a message about staying in school and being responsible MUST have a political agenda.

For 8 years I didn't allow students to disparage the sitting President in my classroom. It was often hard to teach both sides of the aisle and even harder to sit through an assignment I created on defending the constitutionality of GITMO. What I got out my students was what I wanted, to push them out of their comfort zone, practicing research skills, and most of all speaking up with an educated opinion.

It makes me sad to know of all the hoops required of me to show this video if I HAD the time given the 900 (not a typo) terms and 78 objectives I have to teach/shove into 90 days. Simply put it's easier to NOT show it than to warrant irate attention.

Given this a time period where I didn't receive even a COLA raise this year, was not paid for my above state average test scores, and just spent at least a hundred bucks on new supplies given we have no supply budget this year, I would much rather play it safe than get battled down in fight I have no time for.

I know that I am teaching my kids all the tenants of Obama's message whether they see the video or not. Don't tell anyone that I might encourage your child to stay in school and make something of themselves!

Just in case you are missing "the way thing used to be" to quote the great historian Rush Limbaugh,

From my "Pardon My President" desk calendar, an apology on behalf of the English Language for such Bush Jr. classics as uninalienable rights, nuke-u-ler, misunderestimated, and who could forget "is our children learning?" What's a schoolchild supposed to thinking with the holder of our nation's highest office has such poor speaking skills? For crying out loud, wasn't his wife a librarian?

God I miss Dan Quayle!