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Parents show concern over President Obama's speech

Submitted by WWAY on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 5:53pm.READ MORE: Parents show concern over President Obama's speech
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President Obama's speech is titled "My Education, My Future,” but some parents are worried it is just a political push. He plans to deliver a national address to students throughout the country. “His main goal is to talk about the importance of education,” said New Hanover County Schools spokesperson Valita Quattlebaum. “That is what the department of education has told us it will be about.” But some parents are uneasy about the speech to their kids. “Some people have said that they think it's going to be political in nature,” Quattlebaum said. Due to concerns expressed by some parents regarding the content of President Obama's speech, New Hanover County Schools will send home a letter informing parents who do not want their children to take part in the event that they can opt-out. But parents we spoke with want their children to hear what the president has to say. “I don't see a problem with it. There are a lot of things the students might learn by listening to him,” said parent Janet Clayton. Pender County will also send parents a letter allowing them to opt their children out of the class during the speech. Columbus County schools will not send a letter home, but will make the speech optional, and Brunswick County schools will air the speech later in the week to give parents time to decide whether it is appropriate for their children. “It's a great thing that children should learn early in life because if they learn about education now, it will make a better future for them,” said Columbus County school parent Alexander Shellman. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction supports the address and has created lesson plans for all grade levels to help create discussion about the importance of education. This is not the first time a president will address students. The last president to do so was George H. W. Bush in 1991. For more information on President Obama's speech you can visit the www.whitehouse.gov website.

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PRES. SPEECH

Submitted by Guest526 (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 11:14pm.
HAS ANYONE NOTICED THAT OUR KIDS ARE BECOMING LESS RACIST THAN THEIR PARENTS, REGARDLESS OF TRYING TO HOLD THEM IN YOUR "MOLD" I'M SURE THE "PROTECTED" KIDS, WILL HEAR, AND ASK THERE FRIENDS WHAT PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID, WHEN THEY ARE AKSED WHY THEY DID'NT SEE IT. RACISM IS ALIVE AND KICKING, BUT SLOWLY BEING PHASED OUT BY THE "3-G" CHILDREN. DON'T BELIEVE IT, THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE IN THE MALL OR THE GROCERY STORE, LOOK AT THE GRANDKIDS, AND GREAT-GRANDS.
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Racism

Submitted by Guest1022 (not verified) on Wed, 09/09/2009 - 12:25pm.
And you are a great example of what a racist looks like.
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HERE

Submitted by Guest7969 (not verified) on Wed, 09/09/2009 - 11:30am.
we go...RACE CARD...seems like YOU sir are the racist here...why does it have to be about race? My dislikes of Obama have nothing to do with his race..but rather his BELIEFS and what he is trying to force upon the country with this socialistic friends...nothing more...nothing less...
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DO YOUR JOB PLEASE

Submitted by Guest214 (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 9:54pm.
IF OBAMA SPENT MORE TIME DOING HIS JOB AND GETTING US OUT OF THIS MESS THAT NOT ONLY BUSH GOT US INTO BUT NOW WE ARE BROKE SINCE EVERYTIME YOU TURN AROUND WE HAVE A NEW GIMICK OR STIMULUS TO PASS BY DEMOCRATS. GET OFF TV MY GOD EVERYTIME I TURN AROUND HE IS ON TV HOW IN THE WORLD CAN HE GET THINGS DONE. AND SPEAKING TO KIDS IS NOT GOING TO KEEP HIM IN OFFICE ANY LONGER...I THINK NEXT ELECTION IF WE CAN ALL MAKE IT UNTILL THEN PEOPLE WILL REALLY LOOK FOR CHANGE AND NOT LIP SERVICE FROM OBAMA AND HIS KIND.
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You are judged by the company you keep...

Submitted by carterinnc (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 10:08am.
That is what I teach my child. If she hangs around good students with good morals (no matter the color) she will also be pushed in that same direction. I also tell her if she hangs with people with poor morals, poor students who don't care about grades or behavior..she will also be pushed in that direction. I did not vote for Obama because of the company he has kept over the last 20 or so years. I do not believe in his beliefs when it comes to religion (Jeremiah Wright), his take on abortion (partial birth abortion), his patriotism when he would not put his hand over his heart during our Nation Anthem. I do not feel he is pushing our country in the right direction (as much as I hoped he would have)and I don't feel he is a good role model for my children. As in any role model, as a parent it is my right to allow her to hear that person speak. I will be pulling my daughter out of class at 11:30 just prior to the speech...since it will be talked about in class for a long while I am sure, we will watch it together and discuss without the views of the teachers getting in the way.
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This is not racism, it is

Submitted by Guest1111 (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 10:59pm.
This is not racism, it is politics pure and simple. And why does the President really need to give a speech to school children? They don't vote. There is a very diverse audience here and if he speaks in a manner that would be understood by first graders, he is going to appear to be talking down to those in high school, and if he speaks to the higher grades, the elementary school children will not understand. As far as furthering education, kids will stay in school if they have family and local school system support, not because the President thinks it is a good idea. There are many reasons why students drop out of school. A speech from the President is not going to change that. I truly think it is much ado about nothing. Before all is said and done, I'm sure someone will be selling dvds of it and anyone who wants can buy a permanent record of it. For those of you who cannot understand some of the parents' response, ask yourself how you would react if they sent home word that Sarah Palin was giving a speech to your children.
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If Sarah Palin were

Submitted by Guest1234 (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 4:13pm.
If Sarah Palin were President of the United States I would most certainly allow my children to listen to her speak. In fact; I would insist on it. Our children are taught to listen to everyone and respect what everyone has to say even if we/they do not agree with it. Most children today do not even know who their politicians are, let alone the beliefs of these people. Just by letting our children hear what this president has to say is a way to get them involved. It's also a matter of respect for the leader of our country.
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I hope with every breath I

Submitted by Guest155 (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 11:16pm.
I hope with every breath I take that Sarah who? will never be our great land's President. Period.The postings on this subject are just so ridiculus. Yet so is this debate. How is it a matter of respect?? Did I miss something???
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This is not racisum

Submitted by dmoore (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 3:04pm.
"For those of you who cannot understand some of the parents' response, ask yourself how you would react if they sent home word that Sarah Palin was giving a speech to your children " She is not the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and if she was i would give her the respect that she would deserve by being so . .
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It's a free country and we

Submitted by Guest3558 (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 6:04pm.
It's a free country and we have the right to decide what politician, President or not, that our children listen to. Obama says in the speech that he was a goof off. His autobiography details the dope smoking of his teenage high school years. So, the message he is sending our children is you can goof off and smoke dope all the way through high school and still become the President of the United States?
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Let's all look at the outcome

Submitted by GW (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 6:58pm.
In viewing the below quote from The New York Times: ___________________ “The thing that concerned me most about it was it seemed like a direct channel from the president of the United States into the classroom, to my child,” said Brett Curtis, an engineer from Pearland, Tex., who said he would keep his three children home. “I don’t want our schools turned over to some socialist movement.” ___________________ It saddens me on the rapid increase in the division of our country. As an engineer and geophysics researcher, I stress the importance of "working together" in all matters or as I like to say "Synergism". I have included the definition of Synergism below: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synergism: Synergism, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently. The word synergy or synergism comes from two Greek words: erg meaning "to work", and syn meaning "together"; hence, synergism is a "working together." Continual disagreement only increases division. If one were to research how great civilizations of the past collapsed, surely one would note they all shared one common denominator: "division leads to demise" What is "keeping your children home from school" teaching them? Would it not be teaching them principles of disagreement and division? How will the school children in class that day view their classmates that stayed home? As someone with no children, I ask this question to the concerned parents: please tell me what positive outcome will be created for your children based on your actions and disagreement of the broadcasting of a speech from the president of our country? GW
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President Obama's Speech

Submitted by T Bowman (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 6:31pm.
My Husband just heard on the TV that President Obama is going to make a statement in his speech that if kids don't stay in school they are not only letting down themself's, but also they will letting down their country. Now someone needs to check their history. How many men and women have given their lives for their country that didn't finish school since this country was founded. I know for a fact that my Dad didn't finish the 6th grade, but when his country called, that didn't stop him from fighting for his country in WW II and the Korean War.I do feel kids should stay in school,but it should not be put to them that they are un-American if they don't.
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You are correct that through

Submitted by GuestinWilm (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 10:22am.
You are correct that through history a lot of great people have not finished school and went on to accomplish many things. However the climate in which we live in no longer affords the luxury of promotion through job ranks. You do need an education and you need more than a high school education. Children need to taught the importance of education and that they are indeed responsible for their actions. Unfortunately many children don’t hear this at home. I think that it is wonderful that the President does care about the youth of our nation and yes I am a republican.
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I think it does

Submitted by WilmingtonMAJ on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 10:21am.
Actually I think it most certainly does make them unpatriotic to not get an education. In your fathers day & age he could easily get a job without an education. In today's world you can't which equals you becoming a leach on society. So yes, it would make them un-patriotic!
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I count five spelling,

Submitted by Guest2455 (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 6:33pm.
I count five spelling, punctuation, and/or sentence structure errors in your short comment. So what was your excuse? Many people who do not stay in school and get an education join the military. Do you consider them unpatriotic?
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NAACP comments

Submitted by Malcolm CampbellGuest (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 6:19pm.
I am so sick of hearing blacks play the race card every time something doesn't agree with them! If the black leaders would pay more attention to cleaning up the crime in their neighborhoods,there would not be as much discussion.
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NAACP

Submitted by dmore (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 8:00am.
"If the black leaders would pay more attention to cleaning up the crime in their neighborhoods,there would not be as much discussion" lol... there is crime in every neighborhood ,why are you so racist .. do you read the news any
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Stop crying liberal socialists

Submitted by Nobamanoway (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 11:15am.
Freedom (not yet a bad word) is what made this country and it is the only thing that will save it from the onslaught of Marxist socialism that is currently assulting the minds of our people. People have the the freedom to say, "I do not trust this president speaking to my children (whom did not vote for him), especially since I have not heard the speech nor do I agree with his policies." Freedom means that people can say "no" even if that goes against popular opinion. The only thing that small minded people can come up with is that it must be racism. Are people treating Obama differently because he is half black or half white?? How about Obama's ties to extreme rasicts like his former preacher or his new "czar" Van Jones who recently commented that "you didn't see black kids doing Columbine." How about his ties to former terrorists (weather underground) or former Black Panthers? Liberals need to get their heads out of the sand and look around. Protect your freedom because many forces are out there trying very hard to diminish it. Parents...feel good about your freedom to say no to this political ploy or feel good about your decision to say yes. It is about freedom and you should appreciate it. Don't make it a racial issue when it is clearly not one.
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Division at it's best

Submitted by guest2009 (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 11:01am.
I find it interesting that Obama decides to do this student address on the same day that Federal Judge David O Carter is hearing the Obama Eligibility case brought on by Orly Taitz. And you all think it's an innocent speech, innocent maybe, but an obvious distraction from that case. You think he's all about unity but he's actually doing nothing but bringing division. Diverting attention from real issues to something else he KNOWS will bring about division. It's amazing how he operates.
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Paranoid ultra conservatives

Submitted by Guestline (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 11:05pm.
The extreme right-wing is sounding a little scary again. It IS unsettling to have a President who is smarter than the average voter. I can see why so many want Sarah Palin elected. And I'm tired of all this whining about States Rights. Have there really been States Rights since the Civil War? If you want to teach your kid to disrespect the highest authority in your country, then do so and quit yelling about it. No one cares. You will, though, when your kid drops out of school, breaks the law and goes to prison you taught him/her to have no respect.
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States' rights? Try reading the Constitution, Albert!

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Wed, 09/09/2009 - 12:17pm.
Amendment X: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Now, what part of that confuses you? If it's not a power given to the federal government (such as signing treaties) or prohibited to the states (such as coining money) the right is held BY THE STATES! So the proposed Obamacare, much like Bush's "No Child Left Behind" lunacy, CLEARLY violates the Tenth Amendment. Too bad we have a Supreme Court that's just as wedded to big government as the Republicans and the Socialist Dimocrats. Let's hope that the people finally get a belly-full and force some changes.
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LOL

Submitted by Guest7969 (not verified) on Wed, 09/09/2009 - 11:36am.
You don't have to teach our children disrespect of the highest authority of our country....from the President down to our local government...THEY themselves prove they cannot be looked to as role models...THEY themselves show that it is OK to disrespect authority...why you ask...because THEY DO IT EVERY DAY...how do you expect kids to act responsibly when our own ELECTED leadership can't do it...
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missing the point

Submitted by thumpp (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 10:57am.
How about we start teaching schoolkids things like reading, writing, and arithmetic? Get politics and religion out of the classroom and into the home where they belong! Our kids are getting creamed by the rest of the world in education. Teach the basics! Average middle schoolers from Japan are learning calculus while we argue over what to show our kids on TV. If the schools truly were in the business of education, this wouldn't even be an issue... they would not have time to sit around watching TV. Parents keep on arguing their silly politics while the kids get dumber and dumber.
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Paaaa-leeezzzze! Our

Submitted by Guest???? (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 9:30am.
Paaaa-leeezzzze! Our politicians don't run this country, the news media does! If people can't see that the news media shifts so many peoples opinions and thoughts to "their way" instead of this just being a casual story.....heaven help this country and all it stands for. I feel strange even writing this about an issue such as this......and so should you all. With this kind of thinking going around from misguided/over political parents about a minor ordeal such as a speech about education to school children, this country is doomed within itself all because the news media starts something they sit back and laugh about as people get all stirred up over nothing. It's the parents that need an education....along with their children! More feed bags anyone????
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Here

Submitted by Guest7969 (not verified) on Sun, 09/06/2009 - 10:28pm.
is what I am going to do...I am not afraid of opposing points of view. GOD KNOWS I oppose a lot of what is going on with this administration. I am going to let my child watch it, I MYSELF am going to watch it. Then when my child comes home we are going to talk about it and any topic I feel I need to explain or talk about with them. I will then ask what the teacher talked about. I hope they wouldn't turn it into something political...but you never know.
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Does Onslow County Support the Speech?

Submitted by Dan (not verified) on Sun, 09/06/2009 - 10:01pm.
I find it interesting that while the surrounding counties are sending letters to parents informing them of their intention to play the address, Onslow is leaving the decision to play it up to the individual schools. My interpretation of this is that the govt. of Onslow does not support the President of the United States, nor does it support the state board of education. If they did support the speech and the message that it is intended to communicate to our children, then they would also send a letter home to parents informing them of their intention to play the address. The President is a highly educated individual who has managed to overcome tremendous odds to reach his current position within our government. Regardless of our own political views, I would think that everyone would be able to see the importance of our children hearing one who has accomplished so much speak about the importance of education. I do not know whether my son's school will play the address or not. I certainly hope that they do. I look forward to discussing the content of the speech with my 5th grader. The thought that I may not have that opportunity and that my son may not have the opportunity to hear it is deeply disturbing. This is absolutely ridiculous.
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obama's speech to children

Submitted by Guest Erica Conner (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 9:54am.
I completely agree with those people who are stating that it is appropriate for our president to address our children. His message is that of staying in school and keeping on track. As a registered Republican, I didn't vote for Obama, but it is what it is now. People need to recognize that the country falters as a whole when we collectively and very publicly attack our commander in chief. The world is watching, if we can't respect our own president, how can we expect other countries' leaders to do so? I do not agree with all that has transpired since the president has taken office, however, come one people, Clinton addressed his speeches towards the younger demographic so much so that at 14 I wished I was old enough to vote! I don't remember giant public outcries about him being inappropriate. It is time to stop all the pettiness and focus on the real issues. If President Obama wants to send a positive message to the children of our country it should make us all feel happy that he cares enough about kids who are not even old enough to cast votes to encourage them to stay in school and be successful in life despite the hurdles life throws at them.
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Obama speech

Submitted by Housewife13 (not verified) on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 10:29pm.
Spare us please. Presidents have been giving addresses during day time hours since TV began. Public school children have been watching them. It does not matter the political party of the individual. I don't ever recall "permission slips" being required for any prior president, so why now? Clearly it's racism. School districts are focusing on "critical thinking" - so let's give the students a chance to exercise some. Let them watch and decide what points are valid are which are not. What's next with the critics? Book burning?
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ugh..racism

Submitted by rob (not verified) on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 1:33pm.
Racism racism racism...really. Well for one thing racism is a 2, 3 or however many different cultures and races we have in this country, they are all guilty of racism to an extent. If you don't like it here then what I would suggest to you is that you take your sorry self back to the country you proclaim as your race identifiable country and live there instead!! I highly doubt you will. This country affords more opportunity to those willing to work hard for it. Instead of waiting for reparations and handouts, or crying racism every time you don't get your way, try working hard to raise your family and your standard. This goes out to every race involved. As far as Obama and the speech, let parents decide if their children should watch and then discuss the issues with them. It does not take a village to raise a child, it takes 2 involved parents willing to sacrifice their own needs and wants to insure the prosperity of their child.
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Racism? Is that all you've

Submitted by Guester11 (not verified) on Mon, 09/07/2009 - 12:28pm.
Racism? Is that all you've got? That one is a played out phony charge, try another. What else? We are all bigoted homophobes who want to take food out of the mouths of children and take medicine away from seniors.. Get a new playbook, it just doesn't work anymore. I tell you what, just to invoke some "critical thinking", after the obama speech, we'll air a speech of Bush making the argument for weapons of mass destruction. Or better yet, since critical thinking isn't required for a "stay in school" speech, lets show them how Congress treats their constituents in town hall meetings. After all... its for the kids!
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