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Students, parents react to Obama's school address
Photo by James Nix
Students from Suzy Whitley's and Stephanie Mattingly's third-grade classes at Odell Elementary School watch President Barack Obama's National Address to Students at the school Tuesday afternoon.
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Published: September 9, 2009
CONCORD — The messages of not watching too much television and never giving up were ones several students at W.R. Odell Elementary School remembered from President Barack Obama's national address on Tuesday.
While school systems across the nation had mixed opinions about showing the speech to students, Cabarrus County Schools decided not to make a blanket decision. Schools were given the choice to air the speech, as long as parents received notification so they could decide if they wanted their children to watch.
"That's typically the approach we use for educational opportunities not tied to curriculum or instruction," said Ronnye Boone, public relations director for the school system. "We wanted to give the parents that choice."
Kannapolis City Schools encouraged schools to show it, but like Cabarrus County Schools, it made sure parents gave permission to do so.
Classrooms watched in a variety of ways. Some viewed it live, while others taped it to show at a later time.
At Odell, Suzy Whitley's third-grade class joined Stephanie Mattingly's third-grade class to watch it together on an interactive white board.
Some of the students danced as the music played when Obama was introduced, and many clapped and cheered when he concluded the speech.
Several students laughed as Obama mentioned spending too much time in front of the television and Xbox.
"He is trying to teach us that you need to learn and not play and sit around," said Sommer Hafiz, a third-grade student in Mattingly's class, after the speech.
As Obama said getting a bad grade does not make you stupid, some students in Mattingly's class smiled or laughed.
Obama's message of not quitting was one that several Odell students talked about after the speech.
"If I give up, I can't make a difference," Sarah Trantham, a second-grade student in Wanda Barber's class at Odell, said after the speech.
Barber was one of many teachers who spoke with her students for a few minutes after the speech to ask them what they learned.
Lynn Marsh, Odell's principal, said the school was not using the official teaching activities provided by the U.S. Department of Education for the speech.
"That was where a lot of the controversy was," Marsh said.
Local parents had mixed feelings about whether students should watch the speech.
"I am thankful Bethel (Elementary School) chose not to air the speech to the children, because I think they are at a young age," said Crystal Lowery, co-vice president for the school's PTSO. "I don't think (the students) are able to make their own decisions. I think it's the parent's right to decide what their child sees."
Others felt differently.
"By (some) schools barring the speech, it didn't give kids the chance to see who this president is," said Caroline Cagle, former president for the Beverly Hills Elementary School PTO. "I think it would be important for them to know what he has to say."
At Odell, Marsh said there were not many students whose parents said they would not watch the speech. Those who did not watch either read or did another educational activity with a teacher, Marsh said.
"It is more of a motivational speech," Marsh said. "You have the freedom to look at it or not."
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