A Word from Our President: Work Hard in School

As an educator I was often looking for positive "outside the school building" role models for our students. Some of the inside the school building models were not always the best to be quite honest. Working with students of color during this past presidential election was one of the most interesting and exciting experiences I have had over twenty years in the field.  Over and over the kids would say that if Obama could do it any one of them could.  Most children have hope, but the quality of hope with his election spilled into possibility and affirmation for my students.

So as the school year starts up kids all over the country were supposed to hear from Obama, in the pre-recorded message about doing your best, being mindful of civic responsibility and I am keeping your head in the academic game. I understand there were also lesson plans involved that were taken back to appease critics.  The far right have made an issue of Obama trying to brainwash our kids, saying he was using his speech as a tool to spread his political propaganda. OOOhhhh K.  

The idea that our president is trying to brainwash our children to do well in school, as this is the central focus of the speech, must be frightening to those who don't want our kids to well right?  God forbid students should hear from the leader of their country that they should try hard, ask when they need help, be respectful to teachers, and be good citizens.  How this is turned into a political issue is beyond me.  This symbolizes the worst kind of pettiness from the far right in my mind.  Our children, meaning all of students in the U.S., need to know they can succeed and should be reminded of the qualities they must possess to do so.  The greater the variety of sources they receive this message from the easier the job of teachers and parents becomes.