President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren was not widely viewed live in many districts on the North Olympic Peninsula on Tuesday.
Some students still may see the address, since some schools recorded the speech for viewing later.
In his prepared remarks, delivered at Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., and televised Tuesday morning, Obama told students that all the work of parents, educators and others won’t matter “unless you show up to those schools, pay attention to those teachers.”
He encouraged students to work hard and stay in school, saying it was important for the global economy.
“What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future,” he said.
Obama make no reference in his prepared remarks to the controversy surrounding his speech. Nor did he make an appeal for support of tough causes like health care reform.
Some conservatives, saying Obama would use the opportunity to promote a political agenda, had urged schools and parents to boycott the address.
Port Angeles, Sequim and Quillayute Valley School District superintendents all had said that no student would be forced to watch it.
But, except for Crescent School District in Joyce, few did Tuesday.
Administrators at both Chimacum and Port Townsend school districts said that most teachers were too preoccupied with the hectic first day of school to air the speech, but that it was recorded and some teachers might use it later.
“It was up to the individual teacher whether to show it or not, but we’re on the first day of school and trying to get kids checked in is a busy time,” Chimacum Superintendent Mike Blair said.
“The president giving a speech is an ongoing thing, encouraging kids to work hard and make yourself successful.
“Any support we get to help students make the right choices is great.”
Port Townsend Superintendent Tom Opstad said the speech had been shown at a couple of classrooms at Blue Heron Middle School, but that most teachers were too busy on Tuesday.
‘Kind of a long speech’
“I think it went over OK, but it was kind of a long speech for keeping the attention of the younger students,” Opstad said.
Neither Blair nor Opstad had received calls from parents about the address.
It was also not widely viewed in Port Angeles School District, and no teachers at Port Angeles High School showed the speech to students.
“Some of the teachers taped it and might show it later — especially the teachers for the ninth grade advisory classes,” Port Angeles High School Principal Garry Cameron said.
“The main theme of the speech was to stay in school and work hard.
“It is something teachers might use as a motivator.
“Motivating students is what we want to do, and we don’t worry about who the messenger is.”
He said a couple of parents had asked about the lesson plans related to the speech.
“There really isn’t any lesson plan, though,” he said.
“It would be more a part of a discussion about why you should stay in school.”
Cresent School Principal and Superintendent Tom Anderson said that the majority of students at the Joyce school watched it.
“I think students really enjoyed it, but it was up to the teachers whether to show it,” Anderson said.
“It hasn’t been an issue with parents though. I haven’t had any comments about it.”
At Cape Flattery School District, none of the teachers in Neah Bay and Clallam Bay showed the speech on Tuesday, Kandy Ritter, superintendent, said, adding that she hadn’t had any comments from parents.
“We do have it recorded, so our social studies classes might show it in the next few weeks,” Ritter said.
Sequim Superintendent Bill Bentley said that he hadn’t had reports from schools about who showed it and who didn’t, but that he didn’t believe a lot of teachers aired the speech.
He also said he hadn’t heard many concerns from parents.
“I had two or three questions about it and one of them wasn’t from here — they were from Utah,” he said.
“But I shared with them our view that it was up to the individual teacher whether or not to show it.”
Quillayute Valley School District Superintendent Diana Reaume and Quilcene School District Superintendent David Andersen could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
On Monday, Reaume said that a teacher in the Forks school district who showed the speech would be expected to tie it into a lesson.
“If a teacher chooses to do so, they certainly may,” Reaume said.
A video of the speech can be seen on the White House Web site, www.whitehouse.gov.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige. dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
