A Letter to the President

Dear President Obama,

In the midst of much controversy concerning your upcoming speech, I , as an educator and parent, thank you for addressing the students of this country as to the importance of working hard and staying in school.

Yesterday, a letter came home from our neighborhood school giving parents the option of not viewing Tuesday’s speech. At first glance, I snickered and set the paper down. Then, I quickly picked it back up and re-read the letter, confused that I must have missed something. Why would I not want my children to hear the President of the United States tell them how important education is in their lives?

I have long admired your tough-love, pick yourself up from your bootstraps approach to raising and educating our children.

No excuses. Work hard. No excuses.

Sure, I disagree with you on teacher merit pay and expanding charter schools. And… I may or may not agree with you on health care, taxes, or domestic policy, but if you want to tell my kiddos to get good grades, set goals, go to college…please, have at ’em!

And…Don’t you worry, Mr. President. (assume sarcasm here.) If you try to get sly and attempt to brainwash my munchkins with your socialist mumbo jumbo, I’ll be quick to step in. They've warned me about you, Mr. President. I even hear that if I play your speech backward, I may hear, “Socialism Now” and “Capitalism is dead”!! So, don't try it, Mister. Please, stick to the subject at hand.

Remind my children of their potential. Remind them how fortunate they are to be born in a country of endless educational opportunity. Ask them, not if they are going to go to college, but where are they going to go to college. These are things I tell my children everyday, but it certainly can’t hurt to hear them from their president!

And, since we’re talking education here, Mr. President. Can you please treat teachers as the professionals that they are and finally, make changes to pay them a decent and respectable salary? Each day, we parents, hand over our children into the care of these individuals and what they do with them is truly miraculous.

Your friend and constituent,
Sara

To go directly to the US Department of Education’s page, go here.
To read Obama’s speech on education given in March 2009, go here.