EAST ALTON, IL ( KPLR ) -
President Barack Obama left the health care controversy and energy policy debate outside the school yard Tuesday when he delivered a sixteen minute speech to students across the country. The speech had been preceded by intense controversy. Some parents and conservative commentators feared the president would use the platform to push his political agenda.
Instead, he spoke partly like a stern father reminding students of their responsibilities while also trying to inspire them to overcome adversity. President Obama praised others who have succeeded against tough odds and spoke of his own experiences as the child of a single mother. "None of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school," he said.
Some schools in the St. Louis area recorded the speech to show later. Others used the internet or C-SPAN to carry the comments live from a high school in Alexandria, VA.
At Bunche International Studies Middle School at 7th and Chouteau in St. Louis City the gymnasium was filled with sixth, seventh and eighth graders some who had copies of the president's speech in hand. That came in handy when the overloaded internet system failed to keep up with the live video. School principal, Michelle McDaniel-Headd said eighth graders would compare President Obama's speech to one delivered by President George H.W. Bush while he was in the White House. She said the controversy surrounding the speech was not the focus of students, but any parent could have excluded their child from the assembly.
One eighth grader said she thought the speech would resonate well with her peers. "Obama..he achieved a lot, a lot of kids want to be like him so they are gonna look up to him and listen to his message and not give up," explained Anta Kane. Najma Sherzamin, also in the eighth grade, said she thought the president's speech might change some student attitudes. "I don't think it was to brainwash kids," she said referring to the controversy. "It was just to remind them they need to keep going on their work and keep doing their best," Sherzamin said.
In East Alton the Pre-K through eighth grade school district recorded the live speech and reviewed it with administrators before showing it to their fourth through eighth graders Tuesday afternoon. It had to fit in our curriculum explained Superintendent Virgil Moore. "Anything that is an addition to curriculum whether it is a field trip to the zoo or a speech from the president it has to fit under an umbrella of rigor, relevance or relationships and the text of this speech seemed to speak to all three of those," Moore said.
After playing the recorded speech from President Obama, school Principal Butch McGill challenged students to decide to work hard and do their very best. Eighth grader Emily Roberts agreed she needed to begin thinking about her future. Seventh grader Nic Daily said the president's speech "showed us no matter where you grow up you can always do whateveryou want in life and if you try you can succeed."
Administrators said no parents at either school chose the option to keep their children from watching the speech.
Instead, he spoke partly like a stern father reminding students of their responsibilities while also trying to inspire them to overcome adversity. President Obama praised others who have succeeded against tough odds and spoke of his own experiences as the child of a single mother. "None of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school," he said.
Some schools in the St. Louis area recorded the speech to show later. Others used the internet or C-SPAN to carry the comments live from a high school in Alexandria, VA.
At Bunche International Studies Middle School at 7th and Chouteau in St. Louis City the gymnasium was filled with sixth, seventh and eighth graders some who had copies of the president's speech in hand. That came in handy when the overloaded internet system failed to keep up with the live video. School principal, Michelle McDaniel-Headd said eighth graders would compare President Obama's speech to one delivered by President George H.W. Bush while he was in the White House. She said the controversy surrounding the speech was not the focus of students, but any parent could have excluded their child from the assembly.
One eighth grader said she thought the speech would resonate well with her peers. "Obama..he achieved a lot, a lot of kids want to be like him so they are gonna look up to him and listen to his message and not give up," explained Anta Kane. Najma Sherzamin, also in the eighth grade, said she thought the president's speech might change some student attitudes. "I don't think it was to brainwash kids," she said referring to the controversy. "It was just to remind them they need to keep going on their work and keep doing their best," Sherzamin said.
In East Alton the Pre-K through eighth grade school district recorded the live speech and reviewed it with administrators before showing it to their fourth through eighth graders Tuesday afternoon. It had to fit in our curriculum explained Superintendent Virgil Moore. "Anything that is an addition to curriculum whether it is a field trip to the zoo or a speech from the president it has to fit under an umbrella of rigor, relevance or relationships and the text of this speech seemed to speak to all three of those," Moore said.
After playing the recorded speech from President Obama, school Principal Butch McGill challenged students to decide to work hard and do their very best. Eighth grader Emily Roberts agreed she needed to begin thinking about her future. Seventh grader Nic Daily said the president's speech "showed us no matter where you grow up you can always do whateveryou want in life and if you try you can succeed."
Administrators said no parents at either school chose the option to keep their children from watching the speech.
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon
