“I Pledge”: Obama Speech to Students Upsets Parents (VIDEO)

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A school principal is apologizing after showing a video at a student assembly that a conservative group leader is calling "radical, leftist propaganda."

Students at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Utah were shown a video called "I pledge" on August 28th. The video begins with a picture of President Barack Obama and a portion of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."

The "I Pledge" video then features various celebrities, including Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, making promises about how they will help the president and help the world. That's where some parents say the problem exists.

"Showing the video in a public school is completely inappropriate," said Jennifer Cieslewicz, whose daughter is a first-grader at the school. "I don’t believe a video such as this that promotes certain values should be shown to elementary students, especially without parents being aware. "

Chris Williams, a spokesman for the Davis School District, stated that school principal Ofelia Wade and school PTA leaders decided to present the video as part of a student assembly on the school’s theme of the year...service. Apparently, the PTA board selected the video and Wade didn't see it before it was shown in the assembly.

"It got to a point where she turned to her assistant and said, 'Oops, I wish I would have seen this before. I don’t think I would have shown it,' " Williams said. He mentioned that it's understandably for some adults to find the video political.

"She acknowledges she was wrong and apologizes for it and says she’s sorry," Williams said.

Williams said Wade plans to send a letter home to parents Wednesday about the issue.

"I Pledge" Video

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Technorati Tags: Ashton Kutcher, Barack Obama, Demi Moore, I Pledge Video

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angrymarine

"I Pledge" ...to fight the socialism coming to our country and to speak out against the forerunner bringing the soft tyrrany to this once great nation, and fight against the fascist pigs like the ones in this video who take our money at the box office, yet use more natural resources than 20 normal american families do in one year. Keep spouting your clap-trap and hypocricy, your movies are only getting worse because of it, and the fact that you all are complaining about box office earnings being low with every politically charged crap movie each of you make, your RED, not green, belief system will only help you suffer in your lavish lifestyle in the longrun. Chairman Obama did not say he would raise taxes on the rich, except for those in Hollywood with their tongue's massaging his prostate, did he? This video is not public service enough to keep Hussein from raising your taxes!!

retiredyes

As an educator of 36 years experience I will share that young children do not hear advertising as having a monetary purpose or political talk as anything different than the compelling story from an adult authority figure. They are just not skeptical of these presentations. They are naive.
So if someone important tells them this is patriotic or necessary they will get in line and assure parents that they don't understand the information.

While some of the goals in the video are worthy and perhaps lofty, others are strange to mainstream Americans and not shared by most children's families. "I pledge" are familiar words to students and will easily transfer robotic, muscle memory into their brains.
Yes, we want children to learn to think and distinguish and make thoughtful decisions.
They need lots more practice before they understand that they have choices when the president (commander in chief) requests their help.

Patricia

It seems that civil conversation is lost in America. In my view, everyone should take it down a notch so we can all listen more.

Listen not to believe or disbelieve, but to weigh and consider.

How can our children learn to make good decisions if they do not hear all points of view and learn to sort out what is reasonable?
From the screamers who want the government out of their lives, I think you would hear thunder from those whose widowed parent missed a Social Security check, or was denied Medicaid. These folks who rail against "socialism" would be outraged if the police did not answer their call. The police, the libraries, the fire department...all organized and run for the good of all by the taxes paid by all....socialism?? Well, yes it is. People, get a grip on reality! In this democracy, we need a balance of all these systems. That's why we flourish.

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“I Pledge”: Obama Speech to Students Upsets Parents (VIDEO)

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