A Little Irritation

As a teacher, I think it is very important to expose my students to different and new ways of thinking that they might not be familiar with. I ask their opinions on how things are going in class or with how I'm teaching, we talk about culture, racism, the morals of lying (white lie, big lie, lie?), and everything else on the planet.

I endeavor to show my kiddos every day that we are all different and that is fine! Some kids get knocked for a loop when they realize they struggle a great deal in reading or math. "I must be stupid, I'm getting extra help from the teacher!!" they think. I want them to know that is perfectly fine and normal not to be good at everything. It is wonderful when they accept who they are and learn on a level appropriate for them. We all have talented areas and areas where we have great difficulty. We all need to accept that in ourselves and in others.

All this "Accept One Another!" talk sounds like mumbo jumbo, I know! But it works in my classroom. We generally live a peaceful, bully free existence.

AND THEN COMES THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH. And parents make it clear to their kids this man should not be accepted.

I've read the speech. I admire it. A bit weighty for 4th graders but beneficial nonetheless. The entire speech is about staying in school and studying hard in order to achieve great things and make something of yourself. A speech that any speaker at a convocation at my school would give and we would applaud.

But I've got a few kids who will be leaving when we play the recorded speech on Friday morning. They'll be going to the library to read because their parents deem it WRONG for their kid to watch THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES tell their kid to stay in school.

I don't know why I am SO ridiculously pissed about this. Must be PMS. I've tried hard to think around my opinions and this is what I've come to:

1. If President Bush gave this speech, I'd say KUDOS! I may not have entirely liked the guy but heck, I'm not forbidding my child to listen to him.
   
2. Talk radio and news shows have really hyped this up. Maybe parents don't really know the speech's content, just what the media says about it. But if I continue down this avenue, I get disgusted with people for not forming their own opinions and simply absorbing what other people say.
3. If Hitler gave this speech, I don't know if I'd want my kid to listen to him. I'm assuming some people must hate Obama as much as others hated Hitler? Best I can do.
   

I must say, I'm a bit saddened by this. ACCEPTANCE PEOPLE, ACCEPTANCE. Change what you can, don't hate others for differing views. Hey, but aren't I not accepting them? Yes, that's true. I AM A HYPOCRITE. I see this now:(

I just confused why the speaker is unacceptable though the message is sound.