Obama's Planned Speech To Students Has Some Parents Concerned

by Yuliya Talmazan | September 3, 2009 at 01:40 pm

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With the new academic year just around the corner, President Obama announced he will deliver a 15-minute speech to school children all over the United States on September 8. Amidst all the "back-to-school" chaos, the announcement of the upcoming speech has added to the concerns of the already stressed out parents across the nation.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan says Obama will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning.

School administrators all over the US received the announcement about the speech along with a set of recommended activities for students to engage in after the President finishes his speech. Among suggested classroom activities are discussions on how inspirational the President was and exercises to except the most notable quotes from his speech.

Some parents have expressed concerns that the conext of Obama's speech is too partisan, and that their children should not be exposed to what President has to say. Some even think of keeping their kids at home on September 8.

"We're hearing from parents and grandparents that are not very happy. They really feel like it is political indoctrination," said Stephanie Klick, Tarrant County Republican Party chairwoman. "People don't like this. I have heard from some families that are planning to keep their kids home."

Some educators say the suggested exercises do not teach students how to listen and analyze information critically. Certain schools will pre-view the speech and show it to students only if deemed appropriate.

The issue, which became a hot-button topic on some radio talk shows this week, left school administrators scrambling to decide whether to allow students to watch the live broadcast, scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the White House has announced it will also dispatch Cabinet members to schools across the United States to watch the speech and discuss it with the students.