Do You HEAr What I Hear?

by Efraim Saltzman

On Sept. 8, President Obama spoke to America’s school children in a televised address. Before his speech there was a lot of analysis and criticism of the president and his plan to speak to students directly with some in the media accusing the president of brainwashing and some parents keeping their children home from school that day. Incredibly, little attention was given to what students themselves thought.

Out of the 10 students I interviewed by e-mail, many wanted to listen to the speech. Jake Sarachek, a sophomore at Ramaz, said he listened to it because he heard an administrator mention it in school. Many also listened to the speech because they were impressed that the president would want to speak to them. “If he’s going to make a speech directed right towards me, I might as well hear what he has to say,” said Zachary Eckstein, a sophomore at Ramaz.

In his speech President Obama shared some very moving insights into his childhood. He told how when he was younger his family lived in Indonesia where he was not able to afford the American school. Instead his mother decided to teach him, “Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.”

He stressed that students are responsible for their education. “We can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed,” he said.

Critics condemned the speech as President Obama’s attempt to impose his views and politics on impressionable youngsters. However, the students I spoke with agreed that the president did the right thing in making his speech. “I thought it was absolutely right for President Obama to address America’s students directly,” said Jordan Pomerantz, a freshman at North Shore Hebrew Academy. “I believe that for American students to fully apprehend how significant their education is, they need to hear it from a true role model. President Obama was not born into wealth. Little by little he became a top student and graduated from the prestigious Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Based on these facts I strongly believe that President Obama is an extremely influential role model to students all across America.”

Surprisingly, most students agreed that parents could regulate what their kids listen to. “Parents have power over their kids and that allows them to censor what their children hear, but there is a limit to their powers,” said Ava Kingsly, a freshman at Bryam Hills High School.

Others simply felt that it was pointless for parents to stop their kids from going to school because, “With the Internet it’s close to impossible for parents to stop kids from watching the speech,” said Zachary Weiner, a Ramaz sophomore.

Ethan Fried, another sophomore at Ramaz, used psychology to explain parental opposition. “I think it aroused controversy because many parents think that Obama is trying to replace their role as role-model of their family and they want their children to stay in school because they told them and not the president.”

Many students seemed to feel that it was underlying political issues towards President Obama that created the controversy. “I believe that the president’s speech aroused such controversy because of the fact that America has been so polarized between liberals and conservatives,” said Pomerantz.
Zachary Weiner built on this viewpoint. “And it all is really rooted in one thing, race. Many people can’t accept that a person who would not have been able to sit next to you on the bus 60 years ago can be our leader. And when Obama announced his plans to talk to students, it threatened to burst many people’s bubbles. It’s hard to pretend he’s not president when he’s talking directly to your kid.”

Most students rejected or ridiculed any notion that they were being brainwashed. Eckstein refuted the critics. “Sure, kids’ minds are easier to mold, but Obama was just trying to inspire children to work hard for what they want and if that’s not what these critics want American students to do, then I can’t imagine what they do want the students to do,” he said.

Weiner mocked the president’s critics. “Ha ha, yes, I have Karl Marx posters all over my house now.” In contrast Ava believed that, “Obama tried to indoctrinate students because he had a message he wanted/needed to send out and the only way to really catch the attention of a kindergartener to 12th grader is by directly speaking to them.”

Pomerantz’s reaction defined the students’ rejection of the brainwashing charge. “Actually, I was appalled to hear critics say that the president was trying to indoctrinate students,” he said. “I listened to the whole speech and read the full text of it and nowhere did I find in the president’s speech one thing pertaining to any of his political policies. Personally I did not believe for a second that I was being indoctrinated”

One area of difference among the students that emerged was whether the president should address students again on different topics. “If the president of the U.S. were to address America’s students at least once per year, I think it would have a lasting effect on the future of American education,” said Pomerantz.
Saracheck suggested that the president should address the students about health care because that is a subject that many do not really understand. Weiner on the other hand felt that “the last speech was enough for now.”

Finally, students were impressed by the idea that each of them had a special talent to contribute. “Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is,” the president eloquently said.

Pomerantz wonderfully expressed his feelings in an e-mail. “Yes, I fully agree that every student possesses a special talent to develop through education. I felt that way before the president’s speech and I do now.”

Saracheck said the speech made a difference to him on this point. “Yes, even though some of these talents may be minor, everyone can contribute. I didn’t feel that way before.” Concluded Eckstein, “Everybody has something that they’re good at and it can be brought out through education.”

Whether the president will speak to students again this year, another year or at all, remains to be seen. However, the president’s challenge came in loud and clear this time. “I expect great things from each of you,” he proclaimed.
Efraim Saltzman is a sophomore at Ramaz Upper School in Manhattan.

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