Obama Plans 'Inspirational' Speech Sept 8 to Students

[Hawks]

http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html

 

 

 

On September 8, 2009, history will be made. Will you be a part of it?

 

 

 

At 12:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), President Barack Obama will deliver a national address to the students of America. (Please note that this is a change from the originally scheduled time.) During this special address, the president will speak directly to the nations 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.

 

 

 

The U.S. Department of Education encourages students of all ages, teachers, and administrators to participate in this historic moment by watching the president deliver the address, which will be broadcast live on the White House Web site (http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/) and on C-SPAN at 12:00 p.m., ET. We also encourage educators to use this moment to help students get focused and inspired to begin the new academic year. The Department of Education offers educators a menu of classroom activitiescreated by its teachers-in-residence, the Teaching Ambassador Fellowsto help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions about the importance of education.

 

 

 

To further encourage student engagement, the U.S. Department of Education is launching the "I Am What I Learn" video contest. On September 8, we will ask students to respond to the presidents challenge by creating videos, up to two minutes in length, describing the steps they will take to improve their education and the role education will play in fulfilling their dreams.

 

 

 

Please encourage all students age 13 and older to create and upload their videos to YouTube by October 8. Submissions can be in the form of video blogs, public service announcements (PSAs), music videos, or documentaries. Students are encouraged to have fun and be creative with this project! The general public will then vote on their favorites to determine the top 20 finalists. These 20 videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The panel will choose three winners, each of whom will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

 

 

 

Starting this Friday, you can visit http://www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn to find out more.

 

 

 

There's a FAQ on the website as well. What do you think about this? Will you be watching it, if your teacher chooses to use the lesson plans, will you be participating in it?

 

 

 

Lesson Plans/Suggestions:

 

Pre-K-6th (pdf)

 

7th-12th (pdf)

 

There are also Word versions on the website.

[stevepole]

I think it's great that the president is trying to connect with everyone in our country and making everyone feel involved on some level. Hopefully his speech inspires and encourages students to be successful with their education.

[Nadril]

I think it's great that the president is trying to connect with everyone in our country and making everyone feel involved on some level. Hopefully his speech inspires and encourages students to be successful with their education.

 

 

 

Yeah we can only hope. At least I feel like some kids seem to look up to the current president more so than some of our past ones, so if he can get them to listen then it's for the better.

[PhatEddie]

I'm not an overly political person but I'll probably watch it while I get ready for class. Everyone will be talking about it. I don't want to be left out of the conversation.

[stevepole]

You don't have to be political to watch a presidential address. I think that is a huge misconception we as a society have that you need to be 'political' to care. IMO people should pay attention to the news and current events so they're aware of whats happening around them. If we disconnect ourselves from politics we're only hurting ourselves in the long run.

[indy500fan]

I've been disappointed with Obama on a lot of things (most recently not standing up for health care), school reform is something I could stand behind though. Schools in America are just glorified day care centers.

[aquariusman]

I have no clue what the state of schools is in America, but the "Lesson Plan" that was linked for grade 7-12 classrooms is just plain stupid. It seems like one of those gimmicky activities that won't hold a class's attention, and won't really even help them with anything. It's also just pretty much "What great things did President Obama say?". I really do get the feeling that Obama is just going to tell students to work hard, get involved, and respect their teachers; the same old crap that has been repeated again and again. I'm sorry to sound pessimistic, but I hate it when people try to "inspire" students when what needs to be done is help students find something that they are interested in. This is one of the reasons that I dislike mandatory courses. That time could be much better spent on something the student is interested in. (In high school) I think that for one or two years, there should be mandatory courses that cover as broad a spectrum as possible, then the last two years give as much choice as possible. Basically, education should be there to get a student interested enough that they will pursue that interest outside of school.

[magekillr]

Good idea, and as usual, the wing nuts are freaking out over "liberal brainwashing."

 

 

 

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/03/op ... s-on-that/

 

 

 

Parents are threatening to pull their children out for the day, for Christ's sake ( http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13249171 ). Some tongue and cheek, but if they pull their kids out of school over 15 minutes of a Presidential address, can we teach evolution all day?

 

 

 

I'm not sure what he plans to say, but it's an encouraging development, to say the least.

 

 

 

I'm not so sure our educational systems are as bad as everyone thinks, it's just certain areas of the country. For example, Massachusetts' schools are just as good as Japan and South Korea's in math and science and stuff, whereas schools in Mississippi are performing piss poor. Of course, I don't think Americans would ever stand for the education reform that I think needs to happen (as it'd be labeled some communist thing where the government says who can go to college and who can't), but reforms in this broken system can happen at least. In case anyone's wondering what that would be, it would just have testing to see if you're qualified to continue down the path towards college. The half that does bad would go the route for vocational trade school type things. Of course you could go to college later if you wanted...but you'd still have to test and such.

[SuperS]

Can't imagine ol' Gordon to do a similar thing over here, expect it would get a totally negative effect if he did anyway. :D

 

 

 

We have the least charimatic politicians in the world.

[Danqazmlp]

I don't quite see whats so special about this at all. No offence to Obama, but it's just an overhyped regular speech. Politicians give speeches aimed at childeren everyday.

[bloodyhatchetbear]

Good idea, and as usual, the wing nuts are freaking out over "liberal brainwashing."

 

 

 

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/03/op ... s-on-that/

 

 

 

Parents are threatening to pull their children out for the day, for Christ's sake ( http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13249171 ). Some tongue and cheek, but if they pull their kids out of school over 15 minutes of a Presidential address, can we teach evolution all day?

 

 

 

I'm not sure what he plans to say, but it's an encouraging development, to say the least.

 

 

 

I'm not so sure our educational systems are as bad as everyone thinks, it's just certain areas of the country. For example, Massachusetts' schools are just as good as Japan and South Korea's in math and science and stuff, whereas schools in Mississippi are performing piss poor. Of course, I don't think Americans would ever stand for the education reform that I think needs to happen (as it'd be labeled some communist thing where the government says who can go to college and who can't), but reforms in this broken system can happen at least. In case anyone's wondering what that would be, it would just have testing to see if you're qualified to continue down the path towards college. The half that does bad would go the route for vocational trade school type things. Of course you could go to college later if you wanted...but you'd still have to test and such.

 

 

 

I actually laughed at that. Massachusetts school systems (they are not linked by any stretch of the imagination) really are not as good as you think. I know, I'm a product of Mass schools. They don't even teach the kids properly anymore.

 

 

 

Honestly, if I have kids, they are getting home-schooled, or we're going to another country.

 

 

 

Now, as for the actual address, it could be a good thing, but it's not likely that all students will be paying attention to it. Some kids these days don't care about things like this.

 

 

 

I may not like alot of Obama's policies, but at least he's making an effort with getting kids involved.

[Lenticular_J]

I don't think anyone at my school will care. I certainly don't. I'm gonna regret the rest of my post, though.

 

 

 

Good idea, and as usual, the wing nuts are freaking out over "liberal brainwashing."

 

 

 

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/03/op ... s-on-that/

 

 

 

Parents are threatening to pull their children out for the day, for Christ's sake ( http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13249171 ). Some tongue and cheek, but if they pull their kids out of school over 15 minutes of a Presidential address, can we teach evolution all day?

 

 

 

I'm not sure what he plans to say, but it's an encouraging development, to say the least.

 

 

 

I'm not so sure our educational systems are as bad as everyone thinks, it's just certain areas of the country. For example, Massachusetts' schools are just as good as Japan and South Korea's in math and science and stuff, whereas schools in Mississippi are performing piss poor. Of course, I don't think Americans would ever stand for the education reform that I think needs to happen (as it'd be labeled some communist thing where the government says who can go to college and who can't), but reforms in this broken system can happen at least. In case anyone's wondering what that would be, it would just have testing to see if you're qualified to continue down the path towards college. The half that does bad would go the route for vocational trade school type things. Of course you could go to college later if you wanted...but you'd still have to test and such.

 

You know, they might be freaking out about it, but it says just as much about you that you have to point out that they're freaking out. There are idiots all over the world, every color, every ideal. This speech is as good an idea as any other speech. I doubt 30% of students will willingly watch it, and even if more do, how many will care and change their ways? I don't see how it's any kind of development, it's just a speech.

 

 

 

Our educational systems aren't terrible, but the exact thing you'd like to do is what's wrong with it. We're stuffed full of facts and figures that never add up anyway, and never even get to ask a "Why?" It's simply "Because it is." Even in history in English, we're just being fed what other people think. The thoughts of so many are judged by the thoughts of a few selected by the Board of Education. Tests don't help this. Sure, I can pick A B C or D, but can I decipher the culture of the Achaeans of Iliad fame? Tests that choose whether someone has to be a menial labor person or a brilliant mind would create jagged divide between two social classes, and it might as well be a caste system. If someone's parents failed the tests, and both worked as miners or construction workers, do you think the child has much of a chance to go to college? Not quite as bad of a chance as someone in Europe in the 1400s, say, but still very bad. Not saying it's really any better now, but today's world can show you you don't need reform, you need to burn down the current system and rebuild it with beads instead of brick. Or try building it underwater this time. Or upside down. Complete overhaul, not minute changes.

 

 

 

By the way, a lot of the US schools are similar, and the South does just fine on test scores. The only real difference between a Mississippi school and a Massachusetts one? The average Massachusetts family pulls in around $50,000 a year, whereas the average family in Mississippi will pull in something like a "piss-poor" $29,000.

 

 

 

Japanese and Korean schools were clearly built and populated by alien life forms, so that is redundant.

[issy2]

Sorry if this is OT but IMHO the thing that really needs to be done about education is the quality of teaching. A child's attitude to education is of utmost importance - and, in personal experience, it's the lessons for which we have the best teachers that we enjoy most and have the best attitude towards. I could cite numerous examples of lengthy homework assignments given by different teachers, some lengthily, eagerly and - would you believe it! - voluntarily, discussed by us, the pupils, outside lessons, others dismissed with disdain because we've been led to believe the subject is a waste of time by a teacher who doesn't seem to care for it. By no means am I saying the teachers are the only driving force behind any successes or failures the pupils have, but that the better the teacher, and the more enthusiasm he or she can inject into their students, the better for everyone.

 

 

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 754703.ece

 

 

 

-.- Sorry. I still don't know how to do that link thingy, help anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

We have the least charismatic politicians in the world.

 

Tony Blair wasn't so bad! :

[magekillr]

 

You know, they might be freaking out about it, but it says just as much about you that you have to point out that they're freaking out. There are idiots all over the world, every color, every ideal.

 

 

 

The difference is that this isn't just "idiots," these are people who get taken very seriously in political debate (Michelle Malkin). That's what's so scary. I didn't go find some random blogger on RedState.

 

 

 

Speaking of crazy, I can't wait to hear what Michelle Bachman (represenative from Minnesota) will have to say about this. She's talked about slitting wrists and becoming like blood brothers with her constitutents against health care reform. Scary.

 

 

 

Our educational systems aren't terrible, but the exact thing you'd like to do is what's wrong with it. We're stuffed full of facts and figures that never add up anyway, and never even get to ask a "Why?"

 

 

 

I'm not sure how you reached the conclusion that my want to put more people on a trade route rather than a college route is something that has anything to do with "stuffing [kids] full of facts and figures."

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, a lot of the US schools are similar, and the South does just fine on test scores. The only real difference between a Mississippi school and a Massachusetts one? The average Massachusetts family pulls in around $50,000 a year, whereas the average family in Mississippi will pull in something like a "piss-poor" $29,000.

 

 

 

I'm not going to ignore the fact that Massachussetts has the ability to pump more money into their system than Mississippi does, or that parents at home are able to care for their kids as much, etc. However, it's not the whole picture. Kansas scores fairly high, too, with a comparable per capita income to Mississippi.

 

 

 

Turns out that a few of our states are on par with the worlds highest performing countries when it comes to educational achievement. Massachusetts in particular stands out, and four other statesMinnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Kansasreceived grades of B, up there with the likes of Japan. On the flip side, there were a bunch of Cs and one D+ in, of course, Washington, DC, where fourth graders learn math at the same level as Ukraine.

 

 

 

http://www.quickanded.com/2009/06/usa-vs-world.html

 

 

 

study itself: http://www.air.org/news/documents/AIRIn ... ks2009.pdf

 

 

 

Massachusetts school systems (they are not linked by any stretch of the imagination) really are not as good as you think. I know, I'm a product of Mass schools. They don't even teach the kids properly anymore.

 

 

 

What's your definition of teach properly, as that's overly broad (I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you on this); where are you currently residing/have you had experience with say...Finland's educational systems; where at in Massachusetts?

[ThurinEthir]

 

I actually laughed at that. Massachusetts school systems (they are not linked by any stretch of the imagination) really are not as good as you think. I know, I'm a product of Mass schools. They don't even teach the kids properly anymore.

 

 

I laughed too.

 

Apparently the school I go to is one of the top 10 public ones in the state. And it's not horrible, but it really isn't that great...(I believe the schools were judged on performance on the SATs and APs)

 

If we're talking about private/magnet/whatever schools, okay, sure, I suppose Massachusetts has some pretty nice ones.

 

And unfortunately I never really got to experience the Taiwanese school system, so I can't accurately compare Massachusett's education system to anywhere else's, but I fail to see how my school is notably "good" educationally.

 

 

 

As for the actual topic, I start school on Sep 8, and 10-12th grades arrive at 11:20, so I have no clue if we're going to get in on this at all. Even though we're ridiculously liberal, probably not.

[PoorLepRecon]

I want to hear what he has to say. I hope my school makes all the teachers watch his speech at 11:00 (Central Time).

[EGmaestro]

i dont give a crap about obama making a speach about education aimed at kids. its a speech. woopdy freaking doo.

 

he's just gonna talk about what he wants to do with education, or what he wants kids to do/succeed in. then after, its either gonna be completly ignored after a few days of hype, or theres gonna be a few days of hype, then he completly screws it over after a year or so.

[Riku3220]

We may or may not watch it. We watched his inauguration in class last year so it's a maybe. Is this speech aimed at high school, middle school, or elementary school kids?

[GibberEsh]

My school doesn't start till the 9th anyways lol, the activity seems like something we'd do in middle school really. I'll listen to it at home for a bit though.

[magekillr]

i dont give a crap about obama making a speach about education aimed at kids. its a speech. woopdy freaking doo.

 

he's just gonna talk about what he wants to do with education, or what he wants kids to do/succeed in. then after, its either gonna be completly ignored after a few days of hype, or theres gonna be a few days of hype, then he completly screws it over after a year or so.

 

 

 

You'd be surprised, but a speech in this venue can go a long way. I can't find the article right away, but his election was a big ray of sunshiney hopey changey for the inner cities. Yeah, that effect might die in a few years (or less) and then everything goes back to normal, but when that effect is more wide spread with more role models, it can make for lasting changes.

 

 

 

I'll look for it, hope I can find it.

[fastortoise]

I think politicians forget again and again that kids tune out whenever a dude in a suit addresses them. I don't blame them - people in suits are excruciatingly dull.

[Th3_Crusader]

Watch him brainwash everyone.

[Nowayout59]

I've already got permission from my parents to just skip school that day. I've got my friends skipping with me. It's a waste of a school day. I can learn more with friends messing around on the computer then listening to him tell me what I am already doing in school. It's not right that he can dictate a lesson plan for it and almost require schools to play it. Instead of my class mates and I talking about how wonderful Obama is (It will come up because someone will start it, guaranteed,) I can be studying Alg. 2, or German. Talking about how great he is has 0 educational value, reading about Early African Life in history has at least some value.

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure it is required, if you attend school that day, to watch his address and do the lesson plan. We're protesting by not going. I know many other people who think the same at my school are following along. I wonder what the school will do when they realize 100+ students are absent that day.

[wild_goat_14]

Tennessee's schools test pathetic, it is sad how little people know. I can name every student with a 30+ on the ACT in that school. Why? There is one. Why is that a big deal? School of 1900.

[Lenticular_J]

We only have like one tv for every 5 rooms, so I doubt we'll be watching it. God, I hope not. At least I don't have history that day, so it isn't like in Chemistry we'll be discussing why Obama is so good at basketball or whatever.

 

 

 

Tennessee's schools test pathetic, it is sad how little people know. I can name every student with a 30+ on the ACT in that school. Why? There is one. Why is that a big deal? School of 1900.

 

A 30+ is very good.