Obama Takes Personal Responsibility For Brainwashing America's Children

Have you heard that Barack Obama is going to attempt a personal brainwashing of America's public school children?  And, by the way, you (the parent) are not allowed to be present for it.

I kid you not:

It's back-to-school for American families, and the Obama administration is marking the occasion with an unprecedented venture. In a move that steps far beyond the role of the federal government in education policy and shows a disregard for the guidance of parents in their children's political formation, the Department of Education has released lesson plans for teachers in grades pre-K-12 to accompany an upcoming speech on education by President Obama on September 8th.

The lesson plans – one plan for pre-K-6 students and another plan for students in grades 7-12 – provided specific activities and assignments for children to do before, during, and after the president's speech. The pre-k-6 plan instructs teachers to ask children "Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials…" It further directs teachers to have children consider the following while listening to Obama's speech:

• "What is the President trying to tell me?"
• "What is the President asking me to do?"
• "What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?"

The plan continues, "Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do…Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?"

There has been, not surprisingly, a significant amount of push back on this speech from concerned parents.  As such, the White House has already re-written their speech curriculum a bit:

The original lesson plan asked children to "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president." It has since been changed to say "Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals."

For older students, the indoctrination is a bit less blatant, but still present:

The lesson plan for students in grades 7-12 is equally disquieting. The Department of Education directs teachers to "…focus students on quotations that… propose a specific challenge to them." The plan asks students, "What resonated with you from President Obama's speech? What lines/phrases do you remember? Is he challenging you to do anything?"

I'll have much, much more on this in the next day or two, but for now, here's a great bit of political analysis of the specific hypocrisy at work here:

In the wake of the public furor over President Barack Obama's pending speech to school children next Tuesday, defensive Democratic surrogates and administration officials have maintained the President's address will be a valuable education tool and aims to challenge students to "work hard in school" and "meet short-term goals like behaving in class."

But the original prepatory material for Obama's school house stump speech raised a few parents' eyebrows and left others convinced the principle aim was nothing short of indoctrination.

The Department of Education told teachers they might "extend learning" and stimulate discussion by instructing students to "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president." And to ensure the students hold themselves accountable, the teacher should collect the letters and redistribute them at a later time – presumably when the President's approval rating has dropped another 10 points.

In a letter to school administrators announcing Obama's back-to-school speech, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Obama's special address will seek to inspire students by impressing upon them the necessity to complete school.

"During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation's children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning."

White House officials say Obama's telecast will be the first speech by a sitting president to stress academic achievement since 1991, when President George H. W. Bush spoke to students from Deal Junior High School in Washington, D.C.

Democrats, of course, sang a far different tune when a Republican was preparing to address the nation's school children.

Then-House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Missouri) said, "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the President."

To be clear, the Department of Education is only a tool of indoctrination when the Secretary of Education answers to a Republican President. When students are instructed to "help the president" and no doubt support his anemic legislative agenda, it's a teaching experience – namely the lesson of political double standards.

Oh, and there's the fact that Obama's own kids are exempt from such brainwashing, as are all kids in private school.  Hypocrisy really doesn't adequately cover this!  Also, does he feel that only publicly educated kids should 'work hard' and 'behave in class'?  I agree with Heritage's conclusion:

It is one thing to teach about the historical relevance and accomplishments of past administrations. It is another thing entirely to encourage children to implement a sitting president's political agenda.

Amen to that!  If this whole thing doesn't sit well with you, call your school.  Ask them if they're planning to participate in this speech.  If they are not, thank them.  If they are, ask them why, then calmly ask them how to have your child opt out of watching the speech and the accompanying activities.  You can keep your kid home, but to me that seems a little excessive, especially if you say this speech is wasting your child's valuable learning time.  But, if the school isn't offering an opt-out, well...do what you feel you have to.

As parents, you are primarily responsible for your child's education, and teaching them things like 'working hard' and 'behaving' in school.  Not the President, not the NEA, not the government in any form whatsoever.  This is reaching way, way, WAY over the line, especially by conducting such a brainwashing session during the school day when parents can't be present with their children.  This is a grossly inappropriate move to inject government authority in place of parental authority, and it should not be allowed.

On a completely <strike>un</strike>related note, the general counsel for the NEA recently made this statement (emphasis mine):

Despite what some among us would like to believe it is not because of our creative ideas; it is not because of the merit of our positions; it is not because we care about children; and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child.

The NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power. And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of million of dollars in dues each year because they believe that we are the unions that can most effectively represent them; the union that can protect their rights and advance their interests as education employees.

This is not to say that the concern of NEA and its affiliates with closing achievement gaps, reducing drop rate rates, improving teacher quality, and the like are unimportant or inappropriate. To the contrary these are the goals that guide the work we do. But they need not and must not be achieved at the expense of due process, employee rights, or collective bargaining.

That is simply too high a price to pay.

Yes, you read that right - the teachers union's primary purpose, according to this guy (who would know), is to collect money and bludgeon schools into submission.  And, you know, if they can teach a few math problems along the way, great, but that's really not the focus.  Oh, and disregard the fact that NEA dues are compulsory rather than voluntary, too.  Not important.

The Department of Education was never mentioned in the Constitution, and we can now see why.  The Founders realized that to implement a state-run educational system would ultimately end up with poor education, misplaced priorities, and the consolidation of power in the hands of a greedy few.  It's a national tragedy that our children have to suffer the greatest hurt because of liberalism.

Like I said, much more on this subject will be forthcoming - I just wanted to let you know right away so you had a few days to contact your schools. 

There's my two cents.