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| Failure: Sometimes its hard to admit. |
So President Obama takes interest in our students, and parents don't want their children to listen??? What! According to the Greenville News, the President's intention is to "challenge students to work hard, set educatinal goals and take responsiblity for their learning." So someone explain to me how that becomes a method of indoctrinating children in his poltical agenda?
Colomnist Cal Thomas wrote a column about Senator Kennedy recently, which received some harsh criticism. In response, in today's paper he writes:
Tearing down policy is fine, but diminishing the value of a fellow human simply because you don't like his politics (or his personal behavior) is not a good strategy for persuading him to change either... Public exposure of private sins reminds us of our own cover-ups.
I think his words can taken to heart in South Carolina. Worse, we are allowing our judgemental attitudes adversely affect our children.
Indeed, it seems South Carolina is determined to cut off its nose to spite its face. Refusing to listen to OUR president's speech sends the wrong message. I work in a clinic of addicts. Most don't have a high school education. When denouncing the president becomes a moralist judgement, the message becomes "education is not important" because the child is excused by parents and teachers who send their children to participate in alternative activities. It's fine if South Carolina parents don't like the president's platform. It's not fine to devalue the office of a president.
Worse, South Carolina looses 155 students per day. The graduation rate here is only 55.6%. We should be thanking our president for valueing education and looking to our children's futures.
For those who haven't already found it, the text of the speech may be found here. It's terribly political:
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.South Carolina could sit up and take notice; maybe make a change. But our children aren't in the room.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
Between this post and the one posted by Cameron, I am ashamed to admit I live in SC right now. TG, I can say I was actually born in NC...Uhm but before I tell anyone, is there anything going on in NC I should know about first?
ReplyDeleteHeh, ditto what Lee said.
ReplyDeleteEven though neither my eldest brother nor I is still in the public educational system, our two younger siblings are and will be for another 6 years (barring removal to penal/remedial schools). I want them to get as many "Don't give up" messages as they can, especially given their individual takes on school and reactions to criticism. Why block encouragement?
This is from son, who teaches high school English:
ReplyDelete"[Our school] wasn't allowed to show the speech unless we had the principal send a note home to our student's parents. I didn't even know when the speech was going to be, and missed it completely. I may be able to show it later, but I'm not sure."
A follow up:
ReplyDeleteThis quote from one of my favorite websites:
Dowd supports her apprehensive view of the present political climate with pertinent insight from from; Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), who asserted,"A lot of these outbursts have to do with delegitimizing him as a president," and Professor Don Fowler from the University of South Carolina, who told Dowd, "A good many people in South Carolina really reject the notion that we’re part of the union."
http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/satire-therapy-for-Joe-Wilson-supporters/