Alarm bells should have begun to ring then but I must have been in another time zone. After all it was Friday afternoon and I was on my way to a movie with my nine year old granddaughter. I was looking forward to a weekend with the family. As I was leaving the building, I was stopped by another staff member asking about the Obama speech on Tuesday. Another set of bells.
When I got home I quickly Googled the topic of "The Speech" and found the overview, lesson plans, and the contest that would capstone the whole event. It was easy to deduce what "The Speech" would entail - education, responsibility, goals. . . Some wonderful thought provoking questions and activities. I wasn't worried. There would be nothing subversive in "The Speech". Alarm bells! I should have paid more attention to the whispers - propaganda, subversive material, socialism, Hitler, social state, mind control, brainwash, etc.
The Sunday News was a real shock to me! Front page, above the fold! How were the schools of York County going to handle such a critical speech from the President of the Uniter States. I can't remember a time when I have felt so very distressed about my personal belief that the President would never attempt to brain wash the children of this country, a general shame for the citizenry of this country. The article was definitely an eye opener. And I became curious about the comments that were attached to this article and those alarm bells rang with a clarity that would have frightened even the faintest of heart. I have kept a watch on these comments as they have grown from less than 20 to more than 160.
Those comments rang of fear, racism, facism, and a host of other ideologies, epithets, untruths and threats.
"The Speech" will be watched by myself in my Media Center and I will record it so that it is part of the collection for all to watch, dissect, and perhaps applaud! It is refreshing that someone is going to address the children of this country and ask them to be the best, do better, be responsible, learn, be respectful, do a good job, have educational and life goals, work hard, become educated citizens, not burdens on this society. The comments have warned me to be very circumspect about "The Speech".
"The Speech", I am thinking that it just may be a catalyst for US children to do better. I remember another time in the history of education in these United States and Sputnik was a menace that only education could resolve. Were we really a second rate country then? Are we one now?
What can "The Speech" do for education tomorrow? Will the alarm bells continue to ring? What will the alarm bells fortell? Is my country that fractured?
"The Speech"
And that is how I feel today! Alarmed!
Ps Today was about the Speech!
