We've Lost Trust in the Educational System

There was a lot of angst and hysteria in the last week about President Obama's speech to students on Tuesday. It has been interesting to hear the different reasons and, to a degree, I can understand skepticism. We live in a politically charged environment unlike the time President Reagan and the first President Bush spoke to students while in school. In today's immediate news cycle and instant sharing of news — both good and bad — any speech to students would probably get some attention. But this speech — one about goals, objectives, achieving success and washing your hands (a pretty sterile subject for anyone, whether democrat or republican) — drew the hottest fire of about any speech the president has given.

It's not the fact that the president was speaking to students that surprises me. It's not the fact that conservatives were upset that the president was taking the opportunity to speak to students on the traditional first day of school. (I'm a Christian conservative and I get the fact that we are supposed to disagree with the opposition party, but this was a little on the ridiculous side.) And it's not the fact that some parents were upset. What I realized was that one of the reasons why so many parents were upset, is the fact that they have lost trust in the educational system. The fact that many parents were willing to keep their children home if the school showed the presidential address illustrates something frightening: Parents no longer trust the educational system that they grew up in. Teacher unions have placed such an emphasis on their needs and wants, that many parents do not trust teachers to be able to provide discernment to their children. To me, that is the story of this entire episode. A system, that has been broken for years, now makes it impossible for the president of the United States to speak to students.

This entire event could have been a great teachable moment. We should ask the students, "Why do you believe this speech caused such a stir?" Let's get the students back into the debate. In fact, let's have the students debate, discuss and learn. For there to be real education reform, the trust between the schools and the family unit needs to return. Parents have to be able to trust their local school, whether public or private, to look after the best interests of students, not adults. For trust to return and real reform to happen within the system, education needs to be given back to students, parents and teachers who are student centered and not contract driven. 

The president can give as many speeches as he wants. He has that privilege, and I don't blame him for espousing the virtues of hard work. But until adults start to act like grown-ups and make student-centered decisions, we'll keep having ridiculous discussions about whether or not the president of the United States can talk to kids. While we are wasting time in that discussion, another graduating class will come through just as distrusting as the one before.