noon

I'm laying out of school today in hopes of warding off sickness. But I did go online to read Obama's speech to the students. It is excellent. It is something that desperately needs to be said, and the first evidence that our cultural mindset is shifting back towards traditional, fundamental values of hard work, being responsible for yourself, and you determine your destiny.

I also read most of NPR's articles about the speech and it's criticisms. Surprisingly, none of them have brought up race. But I guarantee that for a lot of parents opting out in my county, it's because Obama is black. That idea is too politically incorrect, though, to be on our news.

So what is on the news? Obama's speech is political. The line that's quoted is: "I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn." One line, last paragraph, that's the only thing that's remotely political. People, read the speech before you talk about it! It's followed by, "But you’ve got to do your part too." The idea that he's trying to convey is that it's a give and take, that "at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world [and yes, a government that is trying to reform all that]– and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities."

Obama's speech is self-serving. I'm glad Obama's telling his personal story because it gives what he has to say credibility. Let's face it, most presidents have not grown up in the same family and socioeconomic conditions as most of the students in this country. Their families have been wealthy with connections. They've gone to private schools and had all the opportunities to learn this or play that or participate in those. Most of my current Biology class has never been to a museum. If a president's going to be telling students that success is hard work, there's more buy-in if the students realize that their president had to work hard to climb out of whatever condition he grew up in, too.

Obama's speech reeks of big government. Yes, in an ideal world, government intervention would be minimal, people would be pretty self-sufficient, and parents would do their job of teaching their children ethics and values and life skills. We are far from that, though, and parents are not getting this message of WORK HARD across. It's better for our children that someone try than noone. Besides, part of Obama's speech was about duty to country, and isn't civics one area where schools and government have a part?

The Obama administration bypassed local school boards. You want a governing body that's political: look no further that your local school board. They also censor, pander to the most vocal parents, and take too long to get things done. I guess this point isn't that important to me when there's a good message to get out.