I have to admit, I cheated.
I read Obama’s speech last night before watching it live this morning, so I had plenty of time to let my feelings marinate. I wanted to make sure I delivered a well thought post this morning, and hopefully not just some heated ramblings that don’t make sense.
For those of you who do not feel that:
A) Education is important
B) The children of today will play a major factor in all of our future’s
C) We need to do anything to promote the importance of education and school retention…
PLEASE, STOP READING MY BLOG, LOG OFF, AND GO WATCH TELEVISION.
Fact: Obama wanted to address the youth of today in regards to the importance of their education
Issue: American parents are in an uproar for multiple reasons, all having to do with Obama overstepping his boundaries, and forcing his “socialistic ideology” on the nation’s school children.
Here is the deal. First off, as I proud supporter of our country and the Commander in Chief (regardless of who it may be at the time,) I say, if the President wants to speak to our school kids, let the man speak. Are you honestly going to tell me that it’s ok for your kids to watch South Park, Family Guy or The Simpsons but you don’t want them to listen to the President based on your political views? Are you trying to mold your kids into a miniature version of yourself, or are you simply trying to ensure that only your viewpoints, ideas and impressions are forced upon your kids? If that is the case, then you may as well lock them up in a room and segregate them from the outside world forever. If you honestly believe that only your feelings, views, political preferences, religious choices etc. will impact your children, then I have some very sad news for you. In my opinion, as a parent, what you try and force on your kids (or try and shelter them from, conversely) will be more likely backfire on you as a result of childhood rebellion and the increasingly powerful role of: media, peer pressure, social pressures etc.
Ok, enough about parenting, I’m not even a parent so “What do I know” right?
Are you a fan of math or numbers? How about these numbers:
Our country has a 30% high school dropout rate! What does that mean exactly? It means that in this country, 1.2 million high school freshmen will not be high school seniors. 1.2 Million? Now it’s time for some critical thinking. Of those 1.2 million students who will not graduate, how many do you think will make it “big” via either: sports, entertainment, family inheritance, or just sheer luck? My guess is not that many. Let’s use a nice round number and say 5%, although I don’t think it would be that high. 5% of 1.2 mil = 60,000. That means that 1,140,000 students, for whatever reason, will not graduate, will not get a proper education, will more than likely not get above average (if that) jobs, and will not contribute to our society and economy in an above average (if that) way. The above statistic is an actual statistic, a real number. To me this means that we (as parents, educators, family, friends, citizens, etc.) have not done the greatest job at promoting the importance of education to the youth of today. Guess what people, Obama sees it too. If we don’t continue to educate our students and urge our kids to pursue their full potential, sooner than later we will have nothing to argue about.
Why was there such an uprising over this speech? Obama’s message of personal responsibility and accountability tied into a stern message and real life stories of the importance of education was nothing more than a higher level attempt at what all parents and educators should be doing on a day to day basis. Do you not agree with what he is saying? Do you think that your kids should not be responsible to themselves and their community/country? Do you not think your children should be accountable for their actions and their future? What’s most interesting to me is that people complained before the speech was given and before the speech was even posted to the public! That is a key indicator that people are only complaining because they don’t like Obama! Give me a break!
Obama says “Every single one of has something to offer…” Do you have any idea the impact that can have on a struggling student, a disadvantaged kid or a troubled teen? Can you believe that some parents actually kept their kids home from school so they wouldn’t have to hear that? Do you know how cool it must be to be a young student and to have the President of the United States address you and your friends? What happened to the kids who stayed home? Do you know the last time a President addressed the students directly? 1991, 18 years ago! It has been 18 years since a President thought it would be a good idea to engage the people who matter the most for our future! “No one is born good at all things, you become good at things through hard work.” Tell me; is that a “socialistic” message that you do not want your kids to hear? Does it make more sense to have them miss a school day to stay at home to listen to you rant and rave about the things that are wrong with this country?”
Obama urges students “Don’t give up on yourself, don’t give up on your country” as he explains the importance of education as it pertains to family, community and country. Do you mean to tell me that promoting self-actualization (Google it) is a bad thing? Unfortunately, self-actualization comes far too late…if ever these days!
If you pulled your kid out of school today, chances are you did so because:
A) You can’t get over the fact we have a black President
B) You think socialism is a political party and you don’t like it
C) Nobody is going to tell your kids what to do, except you of course
Either way, you made a huge mistake. If you are egocentric enough to believe that your children can reach their full potential with only your help, then you should run for President because you are obviously the all encompassing genius with all the right answers.
In closing, change does not happen overnight people. You voted for him, you got him. Give the guy a break. Can you lose weight overnight? Can you save a million dollars overnight? Can you impression your kids with your wacked out political views overnight? No, you can’t. Effective, sustainable change takes time, energy, resources and support. If you really want to effect change that will make YOU happy, quit complaining about the President, write your local congressman and start making positive changes within your own community.
By the way, I didn’t even vote for Obama.
Well put.
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