Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

No, because they will probably be asleep at that time. It sounds like it will be deadly boring. Another say in school speech.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I agree with your opinion about the speech, Liz. One of my kids is only two, I don't think she'd sit through it. It's a matter on inconvenance more than anything else for me.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

We were going to opt out before our district decided not to participate. My problem with it was not the speech, I'm sure it was going to be innocuous. My problem was with the teachers' lesson plans that were distributed with statements like "what can you do to help President Obama?" and "What inspires you about President Obama?" Give me a freaking break. I should be making those decisions and answering those types of questions for my children, NOT the school.

But I live in Texas and the district fixed it for me. And let me tell you if GW Bush had done this with those lesson plans, the Left would be going bat sh$t. Am I wrong?

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Nope, I sent a note to school stating that I did not want Emily to watch BEFORE the permission slip was sent home.
Basically, it's for all the same reasons that Brenda and Dana listed.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Yeah Liz, but those are the UPDATED lesson plans that the White House had changed AFTER the uproar. When I had decided to opt out, they were the original "inspired by Obama" crap. They did that after the big stink and by then my district had chosen to just post the video on the district website. I know he isn't going to be dumb about what he says, it's the whole discussion about the speech that I am against.

And while it is "suggested", when I was a teacher there were many teachers around me that simply always used those plans because it was easy and done for them. I'm not just going to hope that my kids' teachers will make the right decision, kwim?

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Um, Lizzie dear, I don't know where you got confused on my opinions, but I am as red as they come... Unless you're referring to the teachers possibly being blue. If that's the case, we do the best we can, but sometimes a lib slips in. We do still have Austin.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I'll let my kids watch. I'm not a fan of Obama and I don't like a lot of his plans for our country. I do however, respect him as the president of our country and want to teach my children the same. Also, I trust my children's teachers to make the right decisions surrounding the discussion and activities that will follow the speech.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

No, because of all the reason here and frankly, I don't think they're old enough to care about anything he has to say.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

That, too, Becca. Emily actually thinks President Obama is great because he had some blurb on Nick after he was elected--sorry I can't remember what it was--a commercial or something--and I don't try to tell her what to think, but I have told her that her dad, Nana, aunts, uncles, and I did NOT vote for Obama. That's as far as I am going to go into detail about the discussions Emily and I have had about him. She's asked a lot of questions about him, and I have answered honestly. I think she would watch it because it's the President who was on Nick, but do I think she'd rather watch that than go to music (which she would miss out on if she watched the speech)? No!

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I will let my older one watch. But only if I can get my hands on it on you tube or somewhere, so I can talk about it with him.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Gotcha!

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I guess the schools here aren't showing it, I haven't seen any kind of permission slip so I will need to ask the girls when they get home. I want them to watch it, so if they don't watch it at school I will watch it with them on the computer at home....

Why do I want them to watch it? Because he is the President, and watching it will start yet another conversation. Do I agree with everything the man says.... No, but I also don't think he's the devil incarnate. (Sorry... I spent the weekend around my MIL's business partner who is 100% convinced that Obama is the antichrist, and everything wrong in the world is his fault... to include inaccurate weather reports).
I think that Samantha won't really care, and that Tessa will want to see it. I think that she is intelligent enough to understand a real discussion about whatever the man says. And as far as the problems with kids being asked what they can do to help Pres Obama... I remember writing papers like that about every president in office when I was in elementary school guys. I have also read some that were written about people like President Kennedy as school assignments.
Bottom line for me... He is the President and from what I understand it's about education being important. That's not a problem for me. Discussion in schools about the government also doesn't bother me because my girls are intelligent and we talk about what they talk about in school again at home. I like to think that I have more influence over them on a daily basis than the President will have in one address given over TV.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I read the Missouri schools are not showing it because they lack the proper equipment. I remember watching several presidents on tv at school as a kid. I survived and was not brainwashed. Here's a copy of the actual speech: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090908/...ol_speech_text

I can't find a bit of brainwashing in it other than the importance of staying in school and taking responsibility for your own learning.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I'm in Missouri and they are showing it at the girls schools.

They were sent home the opt-out slips and I chose to let them watch it. Maci will not pay attention. I asked Hailey if she wanted to and she said yes so I allowed her as well. Cori wanted to see it. I felt like if he said something that I totally disagreed with, I could tell the girls and that would be that. I realy do not see it as a big deal. There are things on TV all the time that I personally disagree with and as their parent, I tell them and believe that my opinion has a lot more influence on them at this age than some man on the tv (regardless to WHO he is....although they would probably pay more attention if it were the Jonas Brothers or someone speaking ).

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

lol Jen... Yes, the girls probably would pay very close attention to them.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I agree with Heather and Jen and that is exactly why I am letting my children watch it as well. I am certainly not worried about them being 'brain washed" or anything of the sort. Personally, I think that there is a lot of uproar over absolutely nothing.
Zachary came home and said that they didn't get to watch it because there was something wrong with the tv or something. Maybe it has something to do with what you mentioned Lenora? Dunno but he said that they will get to see it later this week some time.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Yep... neither one of the girls watched it. It wasn't shown at their schools.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

It wasn't shown at our school either - but had it been I'd let them watch it.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I saw on the news or read somewhere that (I thought all) some schools in Missouri would not be showing it because they did not have the proper equipment. I am sure they didn't show it here. The grade schools in my area are still running on Windows 95. I'm not even sure Windows 95 will play video. Knowing Obama, he broadcast in the latest version of Flash. He is very hip on technology, so I don't know if they thought to broadcast for compatability with all equipment no mattter how old. Of course, expecting them to plan for Windows 95 is a bit much.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

The girls watched it. I asked what it was about and Maci told me she colored and Hailey said she had no idea because she was bored and did not pay attention.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

Yeah, I am sure my girls wouldn't have paid much attention either. I don't think that they showed it at the elementary school cuz neither child mentioned it at all.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

They're home schooled so they didn't see it.

Re: Will you let YOUR kids watch Obama's speech?

I don't know.