A Few Thoughts about the Text of President Obama's Back-to-School Speech
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Posted By: J. A. Faulkerson on September 07, 2009 I just finished reading the text of President Barack Obama's Back-to-School Speech, and I must say it is excellent. It is all about students taking responsibility for their education, so I don't understand what all of the commotion is about. Truth be told, the media is sensationalizing this issue because white Americans opposing the first black American president is deemed more newsworthy than the truthfulness of his message to students. It also saddens me that the black principal at Claremont Elementary School in North Carolina would not televise this speech for his students. As principal, it is his responsibility to make the kind of decisions that inspire students to strive for excellence in all that they do. President Obama's story is inspiring the nation, not only because he is the first black American president, but also because he overcame great obstacles to become the leader of the free world. His story is the American story, one that even encourages the adult me to raise my game to a whole new level. If you missed Gary Tuchman's CNN report (Monday, September 7th), Claremont Elementary School's principal also indicated that he would be open to President Obama delivering the same speech to his students at his school. What kind of sense does that make? Tuchman then told him that he would still be faced with the same level of parental opposition, and would have to go into his office to pray before making a decision. But the look on the principal's face let me know that he is more concerned about being liked by the powers that be than doing the right thing for the students in his school. The right thing in this case is allowing his students to listen to the most respected man in America. The game of politics can become brutal at times, but President Obama speaking to students about personal responsibility should not be politicized. It should be applauded and supported because he is complementing what we parents are already doing on the grassroots level. President Barack Obama won the U.S. presidency by a landslide last year over Arizona Senator John McCain. He is employing a long-term strategy for righting our sinking ship. If we're going to beam with pride when he represents us well in foreign lands, why can't we do the same when he uses his skill sets to inject a desire for excellence in our students. I will be watching President Obama's Back-To-School Speech with my wife and five-year-old son. I pray Americans of all hues will do the same. From THE PURPOSEFUL WRITER by Jeffery A. Faulkerson http://www.purposefulwriter.blogspot.com If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
Comments
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Check out this post from "Mama Needs Wine, a member of the Baby Center Group from another board... mama needs winePosted 9/8/09 This is fantastic -- the St. Pete Times interviewed local high school students to get their reaction to Obama's speech. You MUST read. Love these kids, and love that they see through all the Republican bull****. Some gems: Yes conservatives, you can come out of your bunkers in Wyoming and send little Jimmy back to school because there are no socialist agenda fist-pounding moments and no brain-sucking Marxist remarks. There is just one man — the President — giving a speech about staying in school. Education is a matter that affects every single person in this country regardless of age, skin color, wealth, or political views, so why should this message be heard less clearly by people with opposing political views from Obama? It shouldn't. To say that his speech forced socialist ideas into students' minds is ludicrous. Obama made my education feel more important, that I mattered. What I found truly important was that it wasn't a typical "stay in school" speech, but one that put responsibility on the students. It is up to us to decide how far we want to go in life and success in anything takes hard work, regardless of whether your goal is to be a TV star or a police officer; education is key. Does brainwashing include telling students that, "every single one of you has something you're good at?" If it does, then every child in this world has been brainwashed by their parents and will continue to be for the rest of their lives. These kids rock. ~Melissa Don't patronize me with your Celtic slang, Liz Lemon -- we have a black President now. Friday, September 11th 2009 at 12:31PM |
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This reminds me of what the president means when he says we must help him by doing our part. As the school is a public school then to discriminate in any form is illegal. Which means if only White Presidents can talk to school children when a Black president can not then what is this... My children are grown, but if I teach my child to show the president all of the respect he deserves then no one in any school is going to go over my head and make my child disobey me...end of story, Jeffery. Why are we as Black people going out of our way to undo all of the past work and lost lives to get rid of these Jim Crow laws!!!!!! Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM |
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Jeffery after reading tis bblog I wrote a bolg called, I am pre 60s please go read it...and if the law called Brown vs Board of Education is not enforced by the parents of the students at this school then not only is this disrespecting our Black president, it is an illegal act in this lesson being taught to those children as being alright...
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM |
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