Listening to president good use of kids’ time

I was astounded to learn that students in Cedar Rapids schools were to only hear President Obama's address to school children if they opted to leave class to watch it, and must then make up any work they have missed during their absence! The rationale offered for this arrangement is that, “We try to protect classroom time.”

What better use of

15 minutes of classroom time could there be than hearing the president urge students to stay in school and work hard to learn all they can? When the president speaks directly to students, they hear a strong message that education is important. They also hear that their government values them enough for the president to take time to tell them. But requiring students to leave to hear the message undermines the impact, implying that the message is not important, or there is something wrong with the message or the messenger.

When then-President George H.W. Bush addressed students on the subject of drug use and education in 1991, there was no outcry about “indoctrination” or the need for students to choose to listen to him or not. A sincere welcome back to each new school year from the president would go farther than a high school civics class toward making our students feel like valued citizens!

Alice Dahle

Cedar Rapids