“But it wasn’t going to be until people complained.”

Yeah, I’m sure you had an advance copy of the speech.

Idiot.

Frankly, I’m more intrigued and concerned by some of the other actions currently swirling in the edusphere – such as reform and reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, Merit Pay, reform of teacher prep programs, the movement to develop common standards/assessments, strategies for effective teaching, data systems to monitor student progress and teacher effectiveness, strategies to turn around low achieving schools and identify models that work, and the list could go on . . .

The only kids who liked the speech are the ones who were to be watched by the secret service. (Don’t you love how Obama always shows you the faces of his secret service by being all buddy-buddy with them!)

Anonymous 9:45, “South Dakota does not have a teachers’ union.” Your old Jedi mind tricks don’t work on me!

Stop trying to point apart something that has nothing wrong with it.

“The White House turned a Northwest Washington junior high classroom into a television studio and its students into props.” — a Washington Post editorial in regard to Bush 41’s speech to students.

Total Income: $ 2,317,553
Dues: $ 1,579,255
Program services: $ 706,037
Fundraising: $ 0

Expenses: $ 2,097,155
Officer compensation: $ 90,993

I know of teachers who refuse to belong to the SDEA. Just what do they spend $2,097,155 on??? Maybe they could not collect the union dues from those poorly paid teachers and in essence give them a raise! Seriously, what do they do with all this money? Lobby for themselves??

NCLB was credited to Bush and Kennedy. The Democrats have been in control how long now? If you are so concerned with NCLB funding, then you better look to your own party.

So because schools already waste instructional time, we should waste more?

Personally I don’t have a problem with it but many Americans have a reason to be worried about Obama’s agenda.
A previous poster was right that Obama should have scheduled yet another prime time speech so that the children could watch with their parents. But I guess the government knows how to tell kids to work hard and stay in school better than parents because they are all too stupid which is Obama’s mentality–we need to be saved by the government!

I’m sure the children at the Mitchell schools were so busy that they couldn’t take half an hour from reading “Little House on the Prairie” to hear a stay-in-school message from the most powerful person on Earth. This is so see-through that its hard to even laugh at. When I was in school, we took time out for Presidential PSA’s, Presidential addresses, etc., especially in government and civics classes. I remember watching President Bush’s address after 9/11. I remember watching a Bush “Don’t Do Drugs and Don’t Have Sex or You Will Die” PSA. You know why? Because when the President says something, it’s usually important. Yes, even more important than “Litte House on the Prairie.”

Mr. Graves wins the award for ‘most see-through partisan hack with the lamest explanation for his wingnuttery’ of the week. Congrats!

I’m sorry, but too many schools waste A LOT of instructional time – homecoming week is usually filled with various activities that take away from instructional time. This was not a waste – to have the President of the United States encouraging kids to work hard and do well in school is not a waste and anyone who says it is clearly has an agenda against Obama.