Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Is Obama Your Kids' Daddy?

He's acting like it and will talk to your kids on September 8 as though he is.. This is what the Education Department is sending out to all schools:

President Barack Obama to Make Historic Speech to America’s Students

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 nation’s 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 activities—created by its teachers-in-residence, the Teaching Ambassador Fellows—to help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions about the importance of education.

To learn more, please see the following:

Frequently Asked Questions
Classroom Activities (Pre-K – 6) PDF (115K) MS Word (119K)
Classroom Activities (7 – 12) PDF (170K) MS Word (184K)

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 president’s 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.blogger.com/www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn to find out more.


So what exactly is on the Education Department's web site "menu of classroom activities"? Under the guidance for adminiatrators section, Character Education, it's all about service to the state and ACORN type organizations:

Research has found that children's participation in community service programs,especially when combined with reflection about the importance of serving others,can make important contributions to their character development.
It advises parents:

Find information about community service organizations and share it with your child. You can begin by going to the Web site for the newly created Freedom Corps— www.usafreedomcorps.gov/—and looking for possibilities for volunteering and community service.
The http://www.usafreedoms.gov/ web address is a lie. It actually redirects to serve.gov. At serve.gov, 9-11 is distrorted into, I kid you not, the launching of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act:

This year we commemorate the first September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 inspired Americans to come together in a remarkable spirit of unity and compassion. It was a stark reminder that our fate as individuals is inherently tied to the fate of our nation. Eight years later, September 11 continues to evoke strong emotion and is an homage to sacrifice and a call to action.

In April, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which, for the first time, officially recognizes September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. This year, on September 11, the President, the Corporation for National and Community Service, MyGoodDeed and the 9/11 families will ask all Americans to remember that Tuesday eight years ago and recommit to service in their communities throughout the year. We encourage you to continue to promote service by commemorating this milestone through the United We Serve initiative.

7 comments:

  1. Can you say exactly what webpage had this paragraph?

    ======
    Find information about community service organizations and share it with your child. You can begin by going to the Web site for the newly created Freedom Corps— www.usafreedomcorps.gov/—and looking for possibilities for volunteering and community service.
    ======

    I love how it redirects you, but I can't find the above paragraph in the original. I don't think it's at the URL you give in the post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's right on the front page of service.gov. The left column.

    ReplyDelete
  3. No, I'm not talking about the 9/11 stuff. I'm saying, you were at some other page first, then clicked the link that supposedly was "www.usafreedomcorps.gov" but instead it takes you to "service.gov". So I'm asking, where were you first, before you tried to go to "usafreedomcorps"?

    The reason I ask is I want it to be a surprise and send someone that link, and say "Click on 'usafreedom' and see what Obama really gives you."

    But I can't do the joke if I can't find the paragraph you quoted.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Home-schooling looks more appealing by the day

    ReplyDelete
  5. I realize that conservatives think that unity, compassion and helping others are an introduction to socialism. That's what makes you jerks such an unmitigated pile of unbelieveable crap. Our only hope is that human nature is that people will see what incredible douchebags you are and watch you gently dissappear without so much as a whimper. Then america and the world will indeed be a better place. I wish there were a quicker way of getting rid of you, but such is the world.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @ Craig:

    "I wish there were a quicker way of getting rid of you, but such is the world."

    Are you quoting Ezekiel Emanuel or did you make that up yourself?

    Are the ideals of unity, compassion, and service to others still valuable when they are forced upon someone?

    Do you truly believe the governament can make you a better person?

    Great if you do, I just don't undersatnd why you have to shove it down my throat by federal mandate.

    I'll pass.

    ReplyDelete