PHOENIX, AZ -- Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, the top education official in Arizona, believes the back-to-school speech President Barack Obama plans to broadcast and the U.S. Department of Education materials sent to schools to facilitate discussion afterward are really a Machievellian attempt to promote worship-like reverence of Obama.
Next Tuesday, in a speech that will be broadcast to many schools across America, Obama will address school children as they return to school. According to the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who is encouraging schools to tune in, the speech is intended to be inspirational rather than political, and the stated goal is to reduce the dropout rate.
According to Duncan, "The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their own learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens."
The U.S. Department of Education has sent lesson plans and discussion worksheets to teachers across the country to help facilitate discussion after the speech, but Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is not satisfied with these materials, "There is nothing in these White House materials about approaching the speech critically, or engaging in any critical thinking whatsoever, but only adopting a reverent approach to everything they are being told."
Horne is particularly unhappy with two components of the discussion materials sent by the U.S. Department of Education to the schools. Specifically, he says, the questions, "What inspired you the most?" and "How can you help the President?" are "not balanced" and "do not foster critical thinking."
"An important part of educating students is to teach them to read and listen critically. The White House materials call for a worshipful, rather than critical approach to this speech," says Horne, "We like to encourage critical thinking of our students, seeing both sides of an issue, being able to argue both sides of an issue, being able to analyze. And instead what we have are materials that have phrases like how will he inspire us, what are the most inspiring things he said, write them in big letters on the black board, how can we help him, that kind of thing."
The planned speech is controversial across the home state of Obama's former political rival. Queen Creek schools are considering not broadcasting the speech. Schools in Mesa, Tempe, and Scottsdale will have alternate lessons prepared for children whose parents do not want them to watch the speech or participate in post-speech discussion sessions. Deer Valley Schools will only show the speech to high school students enrolled in American Government or American History.
In response to complaints from parents and school officials, the U.S. Department of Education removed the question, "How can you help the President?" from the materials.
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See:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/obamas-dangerous-message-to-our-children/
Let see, so far, early this year they were tax tea baggers, then they were birthers, followed by deathers, now anti-health care reformers.
Next week ,rightwingers will TEACH their own kids HOW to skip classes and dishonor the Office of the President. Does anyone have any idea what these wingnuts will do next?
"Republican Gov. Gary Herbert supports President Barack Obama's plan to deliver a televised back-to-school speech to the nation's students on Tuesday, saying he sees "nothing but good coming out of this."
Herbert said he favors letting students listen to the speech, and he thinks it will foster a dialogue between parents and their children.
"I think it's great. To hear from the president of the United States is an important thing," he said Saturday. "I'd like to hear what he has to say.
"I hope parents will take the opportunity to discuss the issues with their children, hear what the presidents views are and what his vision is for the future of America. If they agree, then explain that. If they disagree, explain to their children why. I see nothing but good coming out of this," he said.
The governor, who has grandchildren in the Utah school system, said he can't imagine that they wouldn't watch the speech.
Conservative critics have charged that the speech is an underhanded attempted at political indoctrination.
White House officials say the 15- to 20-minute speech is about getting students to work hard and stay in school."
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13278256
Go Austin!
Way to stick it to Perry, Hutchison and all the other... umm...I don't have a polite word for right-wingers at the moment.
Keep calling your superintendent and let them know that the religious right will NOT prevail.
http://www.ade.state.az.us/aboutade/iwanttotellyou.asp
"a girl on whom you can depend"
What if I discovered that I can apparate...in butterfly form...in body form...
what if I'm not the only one who discovered this?
What if I do it to show we can do it...and then disappear...because I am with GOD..
but other people apparate and stay around...
set up homes and ID and whatnot...
Should we not look more at our spiritual capabilities...
you know how the left hand doesn't always know what the right hand is doing...
what if our 2009 doesn't know what our 1987 is doing...or what someone else or itself did with it when it apparated...?
on youtube...
waterboarding...
time travel...
John Taylor...
Rod Stewart...
or are they people today...back on top of people yesterday?
the people want to show they are the close minded people by refusing the lessons...
or are they showing political affiliation...
or both...
or is it FEAR...
waterboarding...its not the only point of entry.
can't say God,
,
can't say democrat...
or HELP...
soon you won't be able to use any words or letters at all...
soon they will have to replace the alphanumeric system with the numeric system...
we will just sit and look at each other quietly?
or NOT AT ALL?
So in 2082, when there's another Republican President, the groundwork has been laid for the people that didn't vote for him to urge their governors to secede from the union, to sue him for his long form birth certificate, to pull their kids out of school whenever he speaks.
This country needs a loyal opposition to the Democratic party, not foolish, short-term thinking tacticians completely bereft of any vision for the country other than tax cuts, permanent war and throwing dangerous tantrums whenever the country doesn't elect them.
What on earth are you talking about? Why would ANY politician need to address a bunch of children? They aren't registered voters and they have much better things to do than listen to some pol blather on about how kids can "help" or that they should be doing their homework. There is far too MUCH extraneous nonsense taught in public schools and not nearly enough math, english, history, and science. Students shouldn't be treated like foot-soldiers in your little revolution.
How dare the president actually try to encourage our youth. Maybe he should just read us all a goat story and tell us all to shop.