September 2, 2009 – Moonhowlings

What a great idea! President Obama will be addressing the nation’s kids at noon on September 8, which is when most schools start back up for the 2009-2010 school year. He will be telling them to study hard, set goals, and all those other inspirational things that we adults say to kids to try to get them motivated for the next 180 plus school days.

The radical right and its best pot stirrer, Fox News, are all wrought up now over President Obama’s plans. This will be the first time a sitting president has addressed the nation’s school children, so apparently change is a very difficult thing for many folks. What seems to be adding fuel to this new fire is some accompanying optional lesson plans prepared by the DOE. There is an elementary set and a secondary set. They look like any standard set of DOE lesson plans to me. No new news here.

There are even people on a particular (choke-ahem) news show suggesting that parents might want to keep their kids home so they don’t become indoctrinated. WHAT? There is some serious paranoia floating around out there. Was President Bush endoctrinating kids on 9-11 when he was reading the goat book to a classroom of school children? How would that excuse read: Der Scule, My little johnny did not go to this here scule becuz the prezident wanted to git in his brain?

Snide remarks like Superintendent in Chief are being hurled about also. Well yea, What a great mission–give every kid a good talking to about how to succeed in school. Radical thought there. Hopefully, President Obama will be a good role model as an instructional leader. Hopefully he will set the stage for a successful school year. Maybe some kids who would otherwise be tuned out and turned off might, just might listen, and be inspired. And if 1 kid changes who might otherwise be a drop out, mission accomplished.

This newest Radical Right drum beating is enraging because it hurts the kids of America.

Damon Weaver’s interview with President Obama