[GMAN]

Originally Posted by Scoe

My understanding is that the White House already changed the preplanned lesson material afterwards due to strong opposition from the center/right who sniffed this out.

Then I see Mark Gibbs, the sneering, arrogant press secretary, calling it "silly season" that parents were a little miffed about what was going to be presented after the speech.


Hey Mark, if it's silly season then why did you guys have to change the after lesson guide?


On a side note, is it just me or does anyone else out there notice how most things emanating from the Obama white house seem to be peppered with a heavy dose of arrogance and belittlement. Politics aside, I am not comfortable with a president who always needs to be telling me that either he knows better than me, is better than me or knows that other countries do things better than my country.

The fact is that Obama has an extremely high level of education and I'm sure he does know a lot but nobody can be an expert on all things. Furthermore, not everything we are or have been doing is wrong and needs to be changed, overhauled and ran by the government.

After a while it just becomes all about him and his need to placate his ego by being in the center of everything. Bush figured out after 9-11 that his focus would be on foreign policy and that's what he did, rightly or wrongly. Yes, I can easily admit that a lot of his policies were not very good especially the Iraq war with Rumsfield in charge.

They are arrogant because they think they can push their agenda no matter what the people want. I think that they are finding that this may not be quite as easy as they originally thought. It seems that the people are waking up to the change Obama was talking about. He wants to socialize this country. So far he has made a good start. Like Hitler and others before him, he is going after the youth. He knows that he will have opposition from adults who know better. The way to gain complete control is to indoctrinate the children from an early age. Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others did the same thing. If Obama knew his history he would know that none of this has worked. Each of them thought that they had the answer to government control of the people. With their arrogance and his Messiah complex he probably thinks that his socialism will work where others have failed.

Freedom and the free market has worked in this country for more than 200 years. Our people built an empire out of the wilderness to become the greatest military and economic power in the world. Obama seems hell bent on destroying everything we and our forefathers built over the last 200 years. This country was based on Christian principles, yet he tells the world that we are not a Christian nation. He would like to change our history to reflect his godless values, if he has any. He has stated publicly that he is a Muslim when he was in the Middle East. Who knows what he really believes. One thing is for sure, he does plan on changing this nation if the people will only get out of the way. After all, Obama knows what is best for us. I think that similar statements were made by Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mao and others. They all wanted to become benevolent leaders to the children. By getting to the children they can persuade them to do what they want. No dictatorship lasts forever. That is where Obama is heading.

[1catfish]

Originally Posted by Dejanh

You could have replied it all at once you know.....

but thats the joy of having unlimited cyber space, you know we're not using paper don't you?:cry:

[1catfish]

Originally Posted by GMAN

They are arrogant because they think they can push their agenda no matter what the people want. I think that they are finding that this may not be quite as easy as they originally thought. It seems that the people are waking up to the change Obama was talking about. He wants to socialize this country. So far he has made a good start. Like Hitler and others before him, he is going after the youth. He knows that he will have opposition from adults who know better. The way to gain complete control is to indoctrinate the children from an early age. Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others did the same thing. If Obama knew his history he would know that none of this has worked. Each of them thought that they had the answer to government control of the people. With their arrogance and his Messiah complex he probably thinks that his socialism will work where others have failed.

Freedom and the free market has worked in this country for more than 200 years. Our people built an empire out of the wilderness to become the greatest military and economic power in the world. Obama seems hell bent on destroying everything we and our forefathers built over the last 200 years. This country was based on Christian principles, yet he tells the world that we are not a Christian nation. He would like to change our history to reflect his godless values, if he has any. He has stated publicly that he is a Muslim when he was in the Middle East. Who knows what he really believes. One thing is for sure, he does plan on changing this nation if the people will only get out of the way. After all, Obama knows what is best for us. I think that similar statements were made by Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mao and others. They all wanted to become benevolent leaders to the children. By getting to the children they can persuade them to do what they want. No dictatorship lasts forever. That is where Obama is heading.

gman, that was the greastest entry i have ever read on this website! thats was exactly what i was thinking, i just couldn't write it the way you did it! thanks for laying out like that.:thumbsup:

[TimberWolf]

Bottom Line,

As long as all political parties act like little children nothing will get solved or corrected. Why can't that be realized?????
It is a frickin joke and at best a poorly produced sit-com...
Any president is free to speak with my children at any time, regardless of his political affiliation, when my child comes home and talks to me about wha she heard / learned I will inform her that as an American she has the right to choose and believe as she feels, in conjunction as she grow older her views may or may not change, but to always follow her heart.
Are people afraid he will turn the kids into zombies with his Ronco Zombie Ray Gun designed specificaly for televison.
The political differences in our country is a sad state of affairs that has no end in sight...
My side is better then your side nany nany nany....... Get a fricking life no one side is better then the other it just is....

If my heart could do my thinking and my head begin to feel I would look upon the world anew and know what is truly real ( Van Morrison)

Timberwolf

[1catfish]

Originally Posted by TimberWolf

Bottom Line,

As long as all political parties act like little children nothing will get solved or corrected. Why can't that be realized?????
It is a frickin joke and at best a poorly produced sit-com...
Any president is free to speak with my children at any time, regardless of his political affiliation, when my child comes home and talks to me about wha she heard / learned I will inform her that as an American she has the right to choose and believe as she feels, in conjunction as she grow older her views may or may not change, but to always follow her heart.
Are people afraid he will turn the kids into zombies with his Ronco Zombie Ray Gun designed specificaly for televison.
The political differences in our country is a sad state of affairs that has no end in sight...
My side is better then your side nany nany nany....... Get a fricking life no one side is better then the other it just is....

If my heart could do my thinking and my head begin to feel I would look upon the world anew and know what is truly real ( Van Morrison)

Timberwolf

well you got the joke and the sad part right,same joke different day.

[Scoe]

Originally Posted by TimberWolf

Bottom Line,

As long as all political parties act like little children nothing will get solved or corrected. Why can't that be realized?????
It is a frickin joke and at best a poorly produced sit-com...
Any president is free to speak with my children at any time, regardless of his political affiliation, when my child comes home and talks to me about wha she heard / learned I will inform her that as an American she has the right to choose and believe as she feels, in conjunction as she grow older her views may or may not change, but to always follow her heart.
Are people afraid he will turn the kids into zombies with his Ronco Zombie Ray Gun designed specificaly for televison.
The political differences in our country is a sad state of affairs that has no end in sight...
My side is better then your side nany nany nany....... Get a fricking life no one side is better then the other it just is....

If my heart could do my thinking and my head begin to feel I would look upon the world anew and know what is truly real ( Van Morrison)

Timberwolf

Speak to the children, yes. No problem with that, send a suggested study guide for after the speech that asks the students to write a letter to the themselves stating what they can do to help the president, no way!! I am glad that they are going to release the transcripts of the speech tomorrow before the speech, that is good policy.

I don't like the idea of the suggested study guide at all, but it would be more tolerable if the requested letter asked what students can do to help the country, ala JFK style.

[golfhobo]

I don't like the idea of the suggested study guide at all, but it would be more tolerable if the requested letter asked what students can do to help the country, ala JFK style.

JFK was talking to the adults. Obama is talking to the kids. Kids don't really "relate" to the country as a whole.... or even their own future. They relate to "figures" like the President or the Preacher or the Teacher or their MOM.

Many kids all over have made statements about how they want to be president someday, like Obama. It is only natural that he would relate on a more personal level.

Is the President NOT the leader of the country? Then, asking children to "help the President" is in line with asking them to help him lead the country.

Y'all are reading WAY TOO MUCH into this! :roll:

BTW.... Obama has answered kids many times already by telling them that they can HELP HIM by listening to their parents, committing themselves to doing WELL in school, and staying out of trouble (obeying the laws.)

What FRIGGIN MORE do you want from the guy?

One of his stated objectives is to improve the quality of our education. Not just the "system".... but the study habits of our youth! So, for ONCE in our lives, a President takes the time to talk DIRECTLY to our young people.... to show them that we adults BELIEVE in them, and CARE about what they do and how they turn out. To CHALLENGE them to rise above the poverty and mundane existence that so many parents have put them in and expect them to be happy with.

And what do Y'all do?? You listen to and believe the bullchit lies you hear on FOX and imagine the WORST about "hitler youth" or something! Jeez!

[Rev.Vassago]

Originally Posted by golfhobo

What FRIGGIN MORE do you want from the guy?

I want him to turn water into wine like I was led to believe he could.:lol:

I agree, it is much ado about nothing, but shows how much distrust there is for the current government.

[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by 1catfish

has anybody else thought it to be kind of odd that the so called president would want to talk to all the children nationwide at the same time? can you say subliminal messages to all the children?:hellno:

Can YOU say "pay attention" to recent history? Check out the following that someone sent me.... and then your apology will be accepted:

Obama is NOT the first President to do this. Arne Duncan really blew it on that one. And if I recall correctly, the DEMS jumped all over Bush for his address.

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum :: Public Papers - 1991 - October

Remarks to Students and Faculty at Alice Deal Junior High School

1991-10-01

Thank you, Ms. Mostoller, and thanks for allowing me to visit your classroom to talk to you and all these students, and millions more in classrooms all across the country.
You know, long before I became President I was a parent. I remember the times that my kids came up with a really tough question or a difficult decision. I tried my best never to shut them down with a quick ``no.'' I would simply say those three magic words that made that problem disappear: ``Ask your Mother.'' [Laughter]
Let me tell you why I've made the trip up from the White House to Alice Deal Junior High. I'm not here to teach a lesson. You already have a very good teacher. I'm not here to tell you what to do or what to think. Maybe you're accustomed to adults talking about you and at you; well, today, I'm here to talk to you and challenge you. Education matters, and what you do today, and what you don't do can change your future.
Every day, we hear more bad news about our schools. Maybe you saw today's headline, I don't know if you had a chance to look at it, about the release of the new National Goals Report. Get the camera to come in and take a look at this for a moment. In math, for instance, this national report card shows that, nationwide, five of six eighth graders don't know the math they need to move up to the ninth grade.
In spite of troubling statistics like this one, I don't see this report, however, as just bad news, and I'll tell you why. This report tells us a lot about what you know and what you don't know. It gives us something to build on. It shows us our strengths and the weaknesses that we've go to correct. It sets forth a challenge to all of us: Work harder, learn more, revolutionize American education.
I know you've heard about stanines and percentiles, surveys and statistics, but here's what all that fancy talk really means: Education means the difference between a good future and a lousy one. Reports don't give us the right to make excuses. Our scores will tell us where we are and where we need to go.
I mentioned earlier the bad news we hear about schools today. But what we don't hear enough about are the success stories. You know, all over America, thousands of schools do succeed, even against tough odds, even against all odds. Kids from all over the District of Columbia petition to get into Alice Deal School here because parents know this school works. It works because of teachers like the one standing over here, Ms. Mostoller, who decided at the age of 25 -- maybe you all know this, but a lot of people around the country don't -- she decided at the age of 25 that she wanted to teach. She was standing in a supermarket checkout line when she saw a magazine ad about college. She went back to school, worked her way through in 7 years, waiting tables to pay tuition. She made it, and so can you.
This school here works because of students like the ones with me today, students like Rachel Rusch -- where's Rachel? Right there, okay -- a member of Alice Deal's award-winning ``Math Counts'' team. Rachel, you tell me if I'm wrong, but you and six other students in this class alone have taken part in the Johns Hopkins Talent Search. They took the college entrance exams on an experimental basis last year as seventh graders. Even in junior high, some of them scored well enough to get into college right now. So, let's just put it on the line. You've got the brains. Now, put them to work -- certainly, not for me, but for you.
Progress starts when we ask more of ourselves, our schools and, yes, you, our students. We made a start nationally now by setting six National Education Goals to meet the challenges of the 21st century. By the year 2000, at least 9 in every 10 students should graduate from high school. We should be first in the world in math and science. We need to regularly test student's abilities. Every American child should start school ready to learn; every American adult should be literate; and every American school should be safe and drug-free. Reaching those goals is the aim of a strategy that we call America 2000, a crusade for excellence in American education, school by school, community by community.
But what does all this mean, you might say, what is he doing, what does this all mean for the students right here in this room? Fast-forward -- 5 years from now. Unless things change, between now and 1996 as many as one in four of today's eighth graders will not graduate with their class. In some cities, the dropout rate is twice that high or higher. Imagine: Out of a total of nearly 3 million of your fellow classmates nationwide, an army of more than half a million dropouts.
I ask every student watching today: Look around you. Count four students. Start with yourself. No one dreams of becoming a dropout, but far too many do. Which one of you won't make it through school?
The fact is, every one of you can. Let's make a pact then right here. Let's work to see that 5 years from now, you and your friends will be more than sad statistics. Give yourself a decent shot at your dreams. Stay in school. Get that diploma.
Let's go back to the future. In the fall of 1996, 5 years from now, nearly half of today's eighth graders who get their diplomas will enter the working world. More than half the graduates will stay in school and become the college class of the year 2000.
The question each student watching today should ask is: Where will I be, where will I be 5 years from now? Will I be holding down a good job and maybe working toward a better one, or will I be out of school and out of work? Will I be on a college campus, or out running the streets?
Think about that tonight when you're at a kitchen table doing some homework; while your parents are meeting your teachers like so many millions do this year at back-to-school nights all across our great country.
I'm asking you to put two and two together: Make the connection between the homework you do tonight, the test you take tomorrow, and where you'll be 5, 15, even 50 years from now. You see, the real world doesn't begin somewhere else, some time way down there in the distant future. The real world starts right here. What you do here will have consequences for your whole lives.
Let me tell you something, many of you may find very hard to believe this. You're in control. You're thinking: How can the President say that about kids like us when we don't even have our driver's license? But think about it, and you'll see what I mean.
Think about drugs. You see films. You hear police experts and tough speakers from the outside. You get stern lectures from everyone: movie stars, athletes, teachers, parents, friends. But you know and I know that all the drug prevention programs, all the pledges, all the preaching in the world won't pull you through that critical moment when someone offers drugs. At that moment, everything comes down to you. Yes or no, you've got to choose, and the answer will change your life. Your parents won't make the decision. Your teachers won't make the decision. Your friends won't make the decision. It's up to you. It takes guts to take control.
A sound body and a sound mind, they go together, as my friend, and he is a friend, Arnold Schwarzenegger says. He's crossing the Nation talking with students about the importance of fitness. And real fitness means no drugs.
Studies show a decline in drug use, and that's good, that's encouraging, I think. And every student who draws the line against drugs really deserves credit for that. But drugs and violence continue to threaten every school, every small town and suburb in America. And as students, you have a right to be physically safe at school. You should never have to worry that a quarrel in the hallway will lead to gunfire in the playground. Fear should never follow you into the classroom.
If you have to take the long way home after school so you don't cross paths with the gang hanging on the corner, if outsiders roam the halls of your school hassling kids, hassling students, you must take control. Go to your teacher, or go to your principal, or go to your parents, as difficult as it may be, go to the school board if you have to. Demand discipline. If good people chicken out, bad people take control. Together, we can -- I really believe this -- we can drive the drugs and guns and senseless violence out of our schools.
When it comes to your own education, what I'm saying is take control. Don't say school is boring and blame it on your teachers. Make your teachers work hard. Tell them you want a first-class education. Tell them that you're here to learn.
Block out the kids who think it's not cool to be smart. I can't understand for the life of me what's so great about being stupid. If someone goofs off today, are they cool? Are they still cool years from now when they're stuck in a dead-end job? Don't let peer pressure stand between you and your dreams.
Take control -- challenge yourself. Only you know how hard you work. Maybe you can fake, maybe, just maybe you can fake your way into a job, but you won't keep it for long if you don't have the know-how to get the job done. Maybe you can cram the week before that marking period ends, and turn that C into a B. But you can't con your way past the SAT and into college. If you don't work hard, who gets hurt? If you cheat, who pays the price? If you cut corners, if you hunt for the easy A, who comes up short? Easy answer to that one: You do.
You're in control, but you are not alone. People want you to succeed. They want to help you succeed. Here at Deal, teachers like your outstanding teacher standing here with us today, Ms. Mostoller, from your principal, Mr. Moss, to your custodian, Mr. Francis. Right now in classrooms across this country, in the communities you call home, when things get tough, when answers are hard to come by, there's a teacher, a parent, a friend or family member ready to help you. They want to see you make it.
If you take school seriously, you won't have to settle for a job, just any job. You'll have a career. If you make it your business to learn, one day you'll be a better parent. You may not think about it now, but one day your children will want to look up at you and say, ``I've got the smartest Mom and Dad in the world.'' Don't disappoint them.
Let me leave you with a simple message: Every time you walk through that classroom door, make it your mission to get a good education. Don't do it just because your parents, or even the President, tells you. Do it for yourselves. Do it for your future. And while you're at it, help a little brother or sister to learn, or maybe even Mom or Dad. Let me know how you're doing. Write me a letter -- and I'm serious about this one -- write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals. I think you know the address.
Now we're going to walk over to the school auditorium to say hello to the rest of the student body. To all the students across the country who watched us here in this great classroom today, may I simply say thank you and good luck to you this school year.
And now, Ms. Mostoller, if you'll kindly lead the way. Thank you all very much. Nice to be with you.
Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in a classroom at the school. His remarks were broadcast live by the Cable News Network, the Public Broadcasting System, the Mutual Broadcasting System, and the NBC radio network. In his remarks, he referred to Cynthia Mostoller, an eighth grade humanities teacher; Rachel Rusch, a student; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness; principal Reginald R. Moss; and custodian George Francis. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.



http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf

http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/7-12.pdf


These are the handouts that everyone seems to be freaking out about. Try reading them for yourselves. I found them quite easily by going the whitehouse.gov and while I no longer have children in school, I don't see anything in these that warrants the current hysteria. Education is a crucial issue in this country, and as the elected LEADER of this country it's his responsibility to address the issue. Obviously just throwing money at the issue hasn't worked, maybe, just maybe, trying to motivate students AND educators is a start.

IMHO Education should NOT be a partisan issue. What a great opportunity for parents to talk to their children about the importance of their education, and their own responsibility in achieving it.

[TimberWolf]

Originally Posted by golfhobo

Can YOU say "pay attention" to recent history? Check out the following that someone sent me.... and then your apology will be accepted:

Obama is NOT the first President to do this. Arne Duncan really blew it on that one. And if I recall correctly, the DEMS jumped all over Bush for his address.

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum :: Public Papers - 1991 - October

Remarks to Students and Faculty at Alice Deal Junior High School

1991-10-01

Thank you, Ms. Mostoller, and thanks for allowing me to visit your classroom to talk to you and all these students, and millions more in classrooms all across the country.
You know, long before I became President I was a parent. I remember the times that my kids came up with a really tough question or a difficult decision. I tried my best never to shut them down with a quick ``no.'' I would simply say those three magic words that made that problem disappear: ``Ask your Mother.'' [Laughter]
Let me tell you why I've made the trip up from the White House to Alice Deal Junior High. I'm not here to teach a lesson. You already have a very good teacher. I'm not here to tell you what to do or what to think. Maybe you're accustomed to adults talking about you and at you; well, today, I'm here to talk to you and challenge you. Education matters, and what you do today, and what you don't do can change your future.
Every day, we hear more bad news about our schools. Maybe you saw today's headline, I don't know if you had a chance to look at it, about the release of the new National Goals Report. Get the camera to come in and take a look at this for a moment. In math, for instance, this national report card shows that, nationwide, five of six eighth graders don't know the math they need to move up to the ninth grade.
In spite of troubling statistics like this one, I don't see this report, however, as just bad news, and I'll tell you why. This report tells us a lot about what you know and what you don't know. It gives us something to build on. It shows us our strengths and the weaknesses that we've go to correct. It sets forth a challenge to all of us: Work harder, learn more, revolutionize American education.
I know you've heard about stanines and percentiles, surveys and statistics, but here's what all that fancy talk really means: Education means the difference between a good future and a lousy one. Reports don't give us the right to make excuses. Our scores will tell us where we are and where we need to go.
I mentioned earlier the bad news we hear about schools today. But what we don't hear enough about are the success stories. You know, all over America, thousands of schools do succeed, even against tough odds, even against all odds. Kids from all over the District of Columbia petition to get into Alice Deal School here because parents know this school works. It works because of teachers like the one standing over here, Ms. Mostoller, who decided at the age of 25 -- maybe you all know this, but a lot of people around the country don't -- she decided at the age of 25 that she wanted to teach. She was standing in a supermarket checkout line when she saw a magazine ad about college. She went back to school, worked her way through in 7 years, waiting tables to pay tuition. She made it, and so can you.
This school here works because of students like the ones with me today, students like Rachel Rusch -- where's Rachel? Right there, okay -- a member of Alice Deal's award-winning ``Math Counts'' team. Rachel, you tell me if I'm wrong, but you and six other students in this class alone have taken part in the Johns Hopkins Talent Search. They took the college entrance exams on an experimental basis last year as seventh graders. Even in junior high, some of them scored well enough to get into college right now. So, let's just put it on the line. You've got the brains. Now, put them to work -- certainly, not for me, but for you.
Progress starts when we ask more of ourselves, our schools and, yes, you, our students. We made a start nationally now by setting six National Education Goals to meet the challenges of the 21st century. By the year 2000, at least 9 in every 10 students should graduate from high school. We should be first in the world in math and science. We need to regularly test student's abilities. Every American child should start school ready to learn; every American adult should be literate; and every American school should be safe and drug-free. Reaching those goals is the aim of a strategy that we call America 2000, a crusade for excellence in American education, school by school, community by community.
But what does all this mean, you might say, what is he doing, what does this all mean for the students right here in this room? Fast-forward -- 5 years from now. Unless things change, between now and 1996 as many as one in four of today's eighth graders will not graduate with their class. In some cities, the dropout rate is twice that high or higher. Imagine: Out of a total of nearly 3 million of your fellow classmates nationwide, an army of more than half a million dropouts.
I ask every student watching today: Look around you. Count four students. Start with yourself. No one dreams of becoming a dropout, but far too many do. Which one of you won't make it through school?
The fact is, every one of you can. Let's make a pact then right here. Let's work to see that 5 years from now, you and your friends will be more than sad statistics. Give yourself a decent shot at your dreams. Stay in school. Get that diploma.
Let's go back to the future. In the fall of 1996, 5 years from now, nearly half of today's eighth graders who get their diplomas will enter the working world. More than half the graduates will stay in school and become the college class of the year 2000.
The question each student watching today should ask is: Where will I be, where will I be 5 years from now? Will I be holding down a good job and maybe working toward a better one, or will I be out of school and out of work? Will I be on a college campus, or out running the streets?
Think about that tonight when you're at a kitchen table doing some homework; while your parents are meeting your teachers like so many millions do this year at back-to-school nights all across our great country.
I'm asking you to put two and two together: Make the connection between the homework you do tonight, the test you take tomorrow, and where you'll be 5, 15, even 50 years from now. You see, the real world doesn't begin somewhere else, some time way down there in the distant future. The real world starts right here. What you do here will have consequences for your whole lives.
Let me tell you something, many of you may find very hard to believe this. You're in control. You're thinking: How can the President say that about kids like us when we don't even have our driver's license? But think about it, and you'll see what I mean.
Think about drugs. You see films. You hear police experts and tough speakers from the outside. You get stern lectures from everyone: movie stars, athletes, teachers, parents, friends. But you know and I know that all the drug prevention programs, all the pledges, all the preaching in the world won't pull you through that critical moment when someone offers drugs. At that moment, everything comes down to you. Yes or no, you've got to choose, and the answer will change your life. Your parents won't make the decision. Your teachers won't make the decision. Your friends won't make the decision. It's up to you. It takes guts to take control.
A sound body and a sound mind, they go together, as my friend, and he is a friend, Arnold Schwarzenegger says. He's crossing the Nation talking with students about the importance of fitness. And real fitness means no drugs.
Studies show a decline in drug use, and that's good, that's encouraging, I think. And every student who draws the line against drugs really deserves credit for that. But drugs and violence continue to threaten every school, every small town and suburb in America. And as students, you have a right to be physically safe at school. You should never have to worry that a quarrel in the hallway will lead to gunfire in the playground. Fear should never follow you into the classroom.
If you have to take the long way home after school so you don't cross paths with the gang hanging on the corner, if outsiders roam the halls of your school hassling kids, hassling students, you must take control. Go to your teacher, or go to your principal, or go to your parents, as difficult as it may be, go to the school board if you have to. Demand discipline. If good people chicken out, bad people take control. Together, we can -- I really believe this -- we can drive the drugs and guns and senseless violence out of our schools.
When it comes to your own education, what I'm saying is take control. Don't say school is boring and blame it on your teachers. Make your teachers work hard. Tell them you want a first-class education. Tell them that you're here to learn.
Block out the kids who think it's not cool to be smart. I can't understand for the life of me what's so great about being stupid. If someone goofs off today, are they cool? Are they still cool years from now when they're stuck in a dead-end job? Don't let peer pressure stand between you and your dreams.
Take control -- challenge yourself. Only you know how hard you work. Maybe you can fake, maybe, just maybe you can fake your way into a job, but you won't keep it for long if you don't have the know-how to get the job done. Maybe you can cram the week before that marking period ends, and turn that C into a B. But you can't con your way past the SAT and into college. If you don't work hard, who gets hurt? If you cheat, who pays the price? If you cut corners, if you hunt for the easy A, who comes up short? Easy answer to that one: You do.
You're in control, but you are not alone. People want you to succeed. They want to help you succeed. Here at Deal, teachers like your outstanding teacher standing here with us today, Ms. Mostoller, from your principal, Mr. Moss, to your custodian, Mr. Francis. Right now in classrooms across this country, in the communities you call home, when things get tough, when answers are hard to come by, there's a teacher, a parent, a friend or family member ready to help you. They want to see you make it.
If you take school seriously, you won't have to settle for a job, just any job. You'll have a career. If you make it your business to learn, one day you'll be a better parent. You may not think about it now, but one day your children will want to look up at you and say, ``I've got the smartest Mom and Dad in the world.'' Don't disappoint them.
Let me leave you with a simple message: Every time you walk through that classroom door, make it your mission to get a good education. Don't do it just because your parents, or even the President, tells you. Do it for yourselves. Do it for your future. And while you're at it, help a little brother or sister to learn, or maybe even Mom or Dad. Let me know how you're doing. Write me a letter -- and I'm serious about this one -- write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals. I think you know the address.
Now we're going to walk over to the school auditorium to say hello to the rest of the student body. To all the students across the country who watched us here in this great classroom today, may I simply say thank you and good luck to you this school year.
And now, Ms. Mostoller, if you'll kindly lead the way. Thank you all very much. Nice to be with you.
Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in a classroom at the school. His remarks were broadcast live by the Cable News Network, the Public Broadcasting System, the Mutual Broadcasting System, and the NBC radio network. In his remarks, he referred to Cynthia Mostoller, an eighth grade humanities teacher; Rachel Rusch, a student; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness; principal Reginald R. Moss; and custodian George Francis. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.



http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf

http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/7-12.pdf


These are the handouts that everyone seems to be freaking out about. Try reading them for yourselves. I found them quite easily by going the whitehouse.gov and while I no longer have children in school, I don't see anything in these that warrants the current hysteria. Education is a crucial issue in this country, and as the elected LEADER of this country it's his responsibility to address the issue. Obviously just throwing money at the issue hasn't worked, maybe, just maybe, trying to motivate students AND educators is a start.

IMHO Education should NOT be a partisan issue. What a great opportunity for parents to talk to their children about the importance of their education, and their own responsibility in achieving it.

Bravo.....
Highly informative information, Got to love the internet and just how quickly you can receive information.

Hobo you are by far the best......

Timberwolf