Thanks for the Extra Work

Obama has created a real mess for school districts across the country, which now have to figure out what to do about his speech to school children. And make no mistake, this is a quagmire created by Obama. Most of what he intends to say is great...work hard, pay attention, strive for success, yada yada. No problem there.

But Obama hasn't released the context of his speech, and the teaser suggests there is an element of political agenda. This liberal writer encapsulates the problem, much of the pre- and post-speech activities are about Obama. And, Obama's press people have given little to no detail about the part of the speech where Obama is going to talk about his plans for education, what kids can do to help.

As the above linked writer notes, it's creepy.

Certainly if a conservative president planned to address school children about an educational agenda that included vouchers and getting rid of teachers' unions there would be outrage, and justifiably so. The classroom is no place for politicking. Public schools are for all children, and Obama has no right to go around parents and push his agenda and values on children.

Granted, we don't know that Obama will do that, and I would like to believe he's smarter than that. But no one knows because, while they must plan for the event now, no one has had a chance to preview what it is will be shown. The event is being billed as curricular, but curriculum is something that is reviewed before it is bought into by educators. No school in its right mind would put untested curriculum in front of kids, but that is exactly what they are being asked to do.

Naturally, conservatives are concerned that Obama is about to break the American golden rule by going around parents to instill his values in their children. And why not? The left is notorious for disregarding the rules when it comes to their own politics. A school is already apologizing for showing a left-wing video at an assembly that shows famous people pledging to support stem cell research, buy a hybrid, and support Obama. His administration has no problem calling Republicans "assholes" in public. I certainly don't trust him, his agenda, or many of his immature administration with my children.

Obama could clear this all up by releasing the transcript of his speech, and let parents and educators review it for content and educational value. I would expect nothing less of anybody who wanted to "teach" my children. And let's hope he does it soon because as it looks right now, districts across the country look to be spending the rest of this week in the middle of this mess when they should be preparing to start classes. In other words, all he has accomplished thus far is to throw school district into an unwinnable public relations tailspin before it has gotten off the ground.

Somehow I don't think that was his intent.

So fix it. And hurry please.