I'm giving my kid's teacher until 8:15 AM to reply to my email inquiry about Obama's speech.

[Fridays Child]

If I don't hear from him by then or, if he decides not to turn on the TV for his students, I'm picking her up and bringing her home to watch the speech with me. And I'm taking the day off to make sure she sees it.

That is all.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. Take a bow!

[naaman fletcher]

18. I emailed my kids teacher..

To give support to showing the speech. I have no idea what the reply will be. So, I till DVR it, and my daughter can watch it when she gets home if she did no see it at school. No point in keeping her out for a whole day when she can watch it later.

[Fridays Child]

24. My daughter will attend first period and probably all other periods after the second half of third.

She won't be out the whole day, by any means. I believe, however, that there's value not only in watching the speech in real time but also in taking a political stand that calls the district out on its kneejerk foolishness.

[naaman fletcher]

36. yeah..

I'm not being critical or anything of those taking your kids out, I just personally don't feel it is necessary. I agree the realtime viewing has value and I hope my daughter gets to watch it in class. (although this being in Oklahoma, I doubt it).

[Fridays Child]

39. Oklahoma? Ouch!

I'm from there. Not exactly a hotbed of progressivism but then neither is Arizona.

[naaman fletcher]

41. actually..

It is not as bad as the impression you would get. Sure the politics are terrible, and you read about all these jerks like Sally Kern (google if you don't know the name). BUT, in terms of dealing with people on a one on one basis I have never had any problem. I've never had a problem in business, and one of my neighbors is a total fundie but on the personal interaction level they are perfectly nice and good neighbors. There are also plenty of bars/restaurants and a progressive night life where nobody bothers you.

[Fridays Child]

43. I was born and raised there.

Lots of nice folks.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

26. Also excellent!

I have no school-age kids, which makes it easy for me to watch this, but I would insist that my kid saw the speech, one way or the other, and I'd make life difficult for those who tried to censor the President of the United States.

This whole thing is unbelievable, really.....................

[RoyGBiv]

2. Excellent ...

I believe this is precisely what you should do, if that means anything.

[Fridays Child]

6. Agreed.

I also think we should all drop our private health insurance and just start showing up at doctors' offices and ERs across the country for every single health problem. I'd love to see the insurance companies go belly up and the government scramble to fix the mess they've created by enacting policies, these many years, that benefit corporations at our expense.

Not realistic, I know. But I dream....

[vadawg]

3. yup it should be your decision if you want your child to watch it, then you have the right to take

your kid home to watch, many here disagree with me but i think the parents should be the final decision on this either way..

[abluelady]

9. So That Means Parents Should Bud In on Every Speaker

and every curriculum? If one feels that way, then home schooling is the way to go. How could a teacher run a classroom where ten parents wanted to "opt out" of a part of the class? I think this is called censorship, which we should all be against. Better our children have the opportunity to be exposed to various subjects and opinions and learn to think, with the support of their parents.

[vadawg]

10. this is why a lot of people homeschool, for this exact reason

but as i have said numerous times it should be the parents decision if they want their child to see the speech, no matter what the reason is. If it wasnt for the big kerfuffle on TV and radio, families would have just withdrawn their kids for the day or lesson as they always have and no one would have said anything, but as it is now these families who censor as you call it all political stuff are being labeled as racists and bigots etc etc etc..

[Fridays Child]

15. You're comparing apples to oranges.

This is not an academic or curriculum issue. It's a political one. And, by taking this stand, I am homeschooling my child, in a very real sense. I am teaching her about political backbone.

[vadawg]

17. i applaud you for making the decision you have, people forget its our job as parents

to educate our kids, we leave it up to others when we should be taking an active role, we may be on different sides of this issue but i agree with your right to make this decision..

[abluelady]

55. I Think You're Wrong

The issue is this is not political!

[scheming daemons]

21. Should parents be able to take their kids out of high school biology because of

...their 14th-century views of science?

[vadawg]

23. if they want to take their kids out of school and teach them 14th century stuff then

unless there are actual laws in place and im sure there are, then its the parents decision, i wont agree with them but there you go, but this is not biology its politics and there are a lot of people who for various beliefs that are different from the majority who ascue politics and these families believes should be respected. As i said if it wasnt for the crazies this issue would have been handled as political issues have in the past with the families quietly opting out whether that meant kids staying home or having a dental appointment etc during the speech.

[TorchTheWitch]

31. I think that's harmful to kids in the end

Doesn't matter if you agree with the president or not, it's important for kids to recognize the current pres, hear them talk, watch how they act and how others behave around him/her. All their lives they'll have to see and here people they don't agree with or even despise and have to live under a government they may or may not like because that's life. Shielding your kids from seeing and hearing the pres talk about the importance of staying in school and striving for a good education just because you don't like the pres or disagree with their politics is idiotic.

I wouldn't have cared if this speech was being given by Bush whom I despise, if I had kids I'd still want them to see and hear him and let them see for themselves what a dunderhead he is who can't put two words together that make sense. It's stupid shielding like this that's the reason that most kids have no clue what the name of the pres is or be able to pick him out of a lineup or have any understanding of the importance of the office.

Certainly, there are speaches Bush gave that I would not have wanted my ficticious kids to witness without me there to explain what he was talking about and why it's wrong but I sure as hell would not have shielded it from them. But a speach about the importance of staying in school and striving for a good education is a speach any kid should listen to whoever it's given by. Keeping information from your kids does not teach them anything.

[sandnsea]

4. Now that's Fired Up!

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Catshrink]

5. A couple of things to keep in mind:

1) The teacher may be inundated by similar requests and may not have a chance to reply to all of them in a timely manner. After all, the teacher is human. Coming back from a 3-day weekend, s/he may be setting up a lesson, writing a lesson plan, or in a meeting about the speech.

2) The school district, school, principal, etc. may have directed teachers to show the speech or not to show the speech so it may be out of the teacher's hands. Some districts have instituted an "opt-out" process to avoid showing the video to kids of parents who don't want their children to see that a Black man is President.

So... if you want to be absolutely sure your child sees the speech, keep the child home.

[Fridays Child]

11. I emailed him last week, and it's because I already know the district's policy on this issue...

...that I've decided to handle it this way. What the teacher does is his business. I couldn't care less because this isn't about him. Simply put, either of the two following scenarios will, to my mind, mean he's not showing it: no reply or a reply specifically stating that he's not. In either case, my (taking her out of) public (school) option gets triggered.

[maglatinavi]

28. Fridays

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! :yourock: :applause: :patriot:

[cherokeeprogressive]

44. A non-response, which could happen because your child's teacher was inundated with

too may emails to deal with, beginning of the year lesson plans, and the minutiae that comes with the start of the school year. Any or all of those scenarios could apply. Maybe I'd add to that the fact that your teacher might find this three day holiday somehow important, and refuse to deal with schoolwork, students, or their parents for three days.

If even one of those things apply, and your child's teacher shows the speech tomorrow, you'll be penalizing the whole class, the whole school, and the whole district and all students it supports because of the way school districts get their monies.

[Fridays Child]

45. Gosh, and before you know it, my simple decision will have led to WWIII.

Seriously, if you have to control every possible variable before you act, you must be completely paralyzed. I'm sorry for you.

In the mean time, out of an abundance of cautious deliberation, I will wait as long as I can before acting, which means that I can give the teacher only until 8:15 to respond to the email I sent him last week. After that time, I'll have to go get my daughter, if I want to have her home in time to watch the president.

But if you're really concerned about school districts losing money, why don't you run along to one of those right wing forums and scold the multitude of parents who plan to keep their kids out of school, tomorrow so that they WON'T hear President Obama speak.

:eyes:

[Catshrink]

46. Thank you.

It's amazing how many people just don't understand what a teacher actually does every day. Do they think that somehow the teacher just gets up there and starts teaching with no plan? Or magically has a fun and engaging activity ready to roll when the kids walk in the door? At the middle and HS level, a teacher may have upwards of 150 kids and if all of those parents emailed the teacher at one time? OMG. And there are IEPs to deal with and a bazillion other things.

Still, an email sent last week should have been answered by now, I would think, but there may be extenuating circumstances. Or the teacher could be dodging the issue.

Teachers are, in general, getting slammed right now. I know our class sizes have gone up over 10% in size and our salaries have gone down 10%. The demands of special ed. students being added to our classes due to lack of sped resources is overwhelming. All the while, we try to now show the kids our angst. I understand why people quit.

[CoffeeCat]

7. You're my hero!

I think that is terrific.

What a great parent you are.

We don't have school tomorrow, so I'm watching it at home with the kiddoes.

Let us know what happens.

[Fridays Child]

13. Roger that.

:thumbsup:

[demmiblue]

8. Keep your child home...

it really isn't up to your teacher, I am guessing.

[Fridays Child]

12. Yes it is.

[demmiblue]

14. Just curious... how so?

Usually these types of things are up to the administration.

[Fridays Child]

16. The district has declared its decision about this speech.

[demmiblue]

19. Huh?

If you are saying that the district has left the decision up to the teacher... then work it, sister!

[Fridays Child]

22. That's exactly what I'm saying!

Didn't mean to be obtuse. :)

[demmiblue]

25. Ha! You do what a mamma needs to do.

I am with you!

:hi:

[valerief]

20. You hot ticket!

:applause:

[ohtransplant]

27. I've already notified the principal.

I'll pick up Miss OHT at 11:45 AM, bring her nome to watch the speech, have lunch and probably have her back at school by 12:45.

We live close to school and I have the day off.

They're teaching their lessons (closed mindedness, disdain, contempt) and I'm teaching mine (respect and dissent).

[Fridays Child]

33. Good on you!

:applause:

[Greybnk48]

29. Bravo Mom!! Your daughter's lucky to have you. ;

[donco6]

30. The teacher may have directives they must follow.

It's a hard row to hoe for them. They cannot disobey, else they are open to termination. The board of education determines curriculum, as has been determined by many, many court cases. Take your kids out, but don't blame the teacher.

[Fridays Child]

32. You're the second poster to suggest that I might blame the teacher.

Where in the world is that assumption coming from? Let me be very clear: I am personally acquainted with that proverbial space between the rock and the hard place where teachers are, so frequently, stuck by administrators and school boards.

In this case, however, the district is leaving the decision up to the individual teachers. If my daughter's teacher doesn't want to show it or if he doesn't get back to me in time, no harm, no foul. I'm not even interested in his reasoning because this isn't about him. But I will be bringing her home to watch it.

[donco6]

34. By the way you phrased it. "They have til 8:15 or else!"

I don't think it's that big a stretch.

[Fridays Child]

37. "Or else?"

Do you put words in people's mouths, all the time, or only when you have no other way to defend erroneous assumptions? Pretty lame. :eyes:

[donco6]

51. OK, I'll SPELL it out for you.

You wrote:

"I'm giving my kid's teacher until 8:15 AM to reply to my email inquiry about Obama's speech."

Or . . . what? This turn of phrase demands some kind of consequence. "I'm giving you five seconds, young man, before I come up there and kick your ass!

That's what it sounds like. Several people have told you it sounds like that. It may not be what you meant. But don't blame us for your poor choice of phrase.

[Fridays Child]

56. My phrasing is fine. A shortcoming of digital communication...

...is that inflection, body language, etc. are absent. With that in mind, it's hardly surprising that people interpret plain language differently. The only real question, in this instance, is why you would see antagonism where no antagonism was conveyed. And, for the answer, you'll have to look to yourself. Have a great day and good luck with those anger management issues.

[donco6]

58. You too

And I'm full of inflection on that.

[SmileyRose]

35. I hope the poor guy didn't take a trip for the weekend with his family

and then not even turn the computer on until 8:30am.

Yes I know, we live in an instant message world. I have the same thing with our sales agents and customers at work - I emailed you more than an hour ago why haven't you given me what I want !!!??? Sorry, nothing personal honest - I am being obtuse.

[Fridays Child]

40. This is NOT about the teacher. It's about time constraints.

I emailed him last week, and I can give him only until 8:15, tomorrow morning, at the very latest, if I'm going to have enough time to pick my daughter up and bring her back home before the speech begins.

[librechik]

54. he's very rude not to answer immediately

you are right to be angry.

[Fridays Child]

57. He can answer or not, as he sees fit. And I will base my decision on his response or lack thereof.

It's that simple. I don't have any idea what motivates him and I'm not interested in making assumptions about it. I just know that, if I don't hear from him in about one minute (it's 8:14, as I type these words), I'm going to the school to pick up my daughter. We need to be back here before 9:00.

[Froward69]

38. Trying to be funny here

but how about a kid or two go back to class wild eyed, zombie like, mumbling something like "republican indoctrination"...
I need a lobotomy...

:evilgrin:
just something I would have pulled.

[Fridays Child]

42. Yeah, stumbling, walking into walls, and so on.

Some talented soul should produce a YouTube video. That'd be hilarious! :rofl:

[Tx4obama]

47. Here is my answer to you....

Here is my answer to you...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6489233&mesg_id=6489233

SEND YOUR KIDS TO SCHOOL NO MATTER WHAT !!!

1) The main message of President Obama's speech is GO TO SCHOOL and WORK AS HARD AS YOU CAN TO OBTAIN YOU GOALS.

2) As as parent you can DVR, TiVo, or record on VHS Obama's school speech to be watched at a later time.
CNN and C-Span will be airing the speech on TV and the speech will be on YouTube on video at a later date to view anytime that is convenient.

3) If your kids' school has refused to air President Obama's speech be sure to write a letter to ALL of your kids' teachers, the principle, and the SCHOOL BOARD to let them know how you feel about their decision. Also, it would be good to write to YOUR CongressPeople to let them know how you feel about the President of the USA was disrespected regarding this issues.

4) Take some time to view the speech with your kids (even if they have seen it in school) to explain to them what the speech meant and how you feel about what was said.

5) If possible, print the speech out on paper and go over each paragraph with your child. Explain any 'big' words that they might not understand. Explain any sentences that they might not comprehend.

I read the speech earlier today, and I was very impressed with the message that OUR President wants to deliver to the children of America!

[woo me with science]

48. The princiPAL of your school

is your PAL.

[seabeyond]

49. i am telling you..... a friend gave me that info. there is nothing more humiliating writing about

academics and misspelling principal. lol lol. oh.... the shame. a lady gave me that and has come in so handy. dont know why i want to spell principle..... but, ever thankful for the pal

[Tx4obama]

52. Hahahaha! Thanks for the correction. n/t

[LaydeeBug]

50. My best friend ran a day care called "Friday's Child" in the 90's. Love the handle. Love the

message even more. :hi:

[Fridays Child]

59. Thanks! We just watched the speech and I'm taking her back to school.

Under "reason for leaving" on the school's sign-out sheet, I wrote "to watch Pres. Obama's speech."

[TexasObserver]

53. The teachers don't seem to be in control of the issue.

Administrators do.

I think by directing your email to the teacher, and by demanding a response by 8:15 am, you've rendered your comment less meaningful. Wouldn't it have been better to communicate with the superintendent that you're keeping your kids home to view the speech, and find the cowardice of the school district pathetic?

[Fridays Child]

60. Re: letter to the superintendent, I did that, too. And our district left it up to the teachers.

[rucky]

61. It's different everywhere.

Ohio state BOE delegated it to the individual teachers, and most districts respected that.