Paige Guthrie doesn't have a problem with President Barack Obama speaking to her 6th grader's class - if he wants to read them a book or teach them a math lesson.
But if he wants to talk with them about "values" - such as the importance of staying in school - as a parent, Guthrie said she doesn't need the help.
"Teaching values is up to the parents," she told me this morning.
That's why Guthrie will be sending a note to her child's teacher, asking that he be excused from watching when Obama makes his back-to-school address to students on Tuesday.
Sending a note is what Manatee school district officials Thursday said parents would have to do if they didn't want their child to listen to the president's speech while in school. The policy was announced to mollify concerns that the Obama's remarks would be too political nature.
That doesn't worry Guthrie. She just objects to anything that diverts students' attention to their academic lessons. And she objects to the requirement that she has to send a note to make that point.
"The parents who want their child to watch this should send a letter," Guthrie told me this morning. "My child needs to learn about reading, writing and arithmetic."
Guthrie said she would record Obama's speech, and if she felt it was appropriate, she would then watch it with her son.
"This is not a personal thing with the president," she said. "I don't want a certain view pushed on my child."
What do you think about the president's speech, and will you let your child watch it Tuesday while they are in school? I'd like to hear from you for a possible follow-up story. You can reach me at 745-7050 or at mmasferrer@bradenton.com
Marc R. Masferrer
Friday, September 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You never know, we may be surprised on what information our President has to share with our children that might be very helpful to their futures. Maybe our President will let the kids know which industries the government does not plan to take over? Maybe the President will let the kids know which corporate industries are more likely to receive tax payer funded corporate welfare no matter how poorly management conducts business? Maybe the President will let the kids know which country we will be invading by the time they graduate so our kids can brush up on the corresponding language if they are considering to enter the armed forces? Maybe the President will go over the new power structure in Washington and help us parents also learn about the President's reasoning for the unconstitutional use of czar's and how they circumvent the accountability to the people's representatives in congress. Too bad the speech isn't able to be viewed from the beach, that's where our family is spending the whole day.
ReplyDeleteGood idea.............being on the beach and not in school!
ReplyDeleteMy 4th and 5th graders will listen. I am totally opposed to most of the initiatives of this adminstration but I learn from listening to my opponents and analyzing their positions for myself. My kids and I discuss politics and government all the time and we will discuss what Obama says and how we feel about it.
ReplyDeleteBy all means, let's teach our children that our President is not worthy of our time. Make sure our children know that listening to a speech by our President about setting goals and staying in school is so insidious that they must be protected from it to the point that they won't even be allowed to be in the same room as the TV. And for God's sake, make sure they understand that if you don't agree with our President, you most certainly don't have to respect him. God bless America.
ReplyDelete