Fuss over talk fades

Jim Clark says he thinks that if President Obama had released the text of his speech to schoolchildren at the same time that he announced his intention to speak to them, the speech would have generated far less controversy.

"My initial reaction was this guy has a personal political agenda that he wants to present to my children," Clark said.

And because he doesn't want politicians speaking to his children without him being there, he thought that the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system shouldn't show the speech during the school day yesterday.

But once Clark read the speech after the White House posted it online, he felt differently. "I thought it was a good speech," he said. "I thought it was a good message for the students to hear."

In Obama's speech, delivered at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., and aired on C-SPAN and the White House Web site, he told students that each of them has a talent, and he urged them to find it and nourish it. And he urged them to take responsibility for their education.

"The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try," Obama said.

Other presidents, including Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, delivered similar speeches to students, but some conservatives accused Obama of trying to promote his policies, and they urged schools and parents to boycott the speech.

The chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer, initially called the speech an attempt to "spread President Obama's socialist ideology."

Clark was one of a number of people who contacted Superintendent Don Martin, members of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board and other school officials to object to schools' decision to show the noon speech.

Donny Lambeth, the chairman of the school board, said that he heard from people on both sides but that it seemed as if the majority of the people who got in touch were opposed.

Lambeth said he had several concerns about the speech. They included using valuable class time when the school system is already under a lot of pressure to improve test results, showing it at time when about one-third of the students would be at lunch and the short notice.

"I thought schools should have been given more time to discuss this with parents, teachers and the board," he said.

School officials gave parents the option of not having their children see the speech by sending a note to school.

Clark left the decision up to his sons. "I told both of my sons that they could make their own decision," he said.

Fred Benson also left the decision up to his children whether to listen to the speech. When he first heard about it, he wrote to Martin, saying he didn't want the government indoctrinating his children.

"After reading it, I determined it's not that big a deal," Benson said. He said he thinks that it is the responsibility of parents and teachers to encourage students, and he disagreed with a couple of elements of the speech. But, overall, he thought it was fine.

Monica Dixon went a step farther than sending a note saying she didn't want her children to listen to the speech. She kept her third-grader and fourth-grader home from school.

For her, it wasn't the message so much as the person delivering it. She doesn't agree with what Obama stands for, she said.

"I am appalled that they think he should be allowed in school," Dixon said. "If I can't have God in schools, I sure don't need President Obama."

Dixon, who chose not to read the speech beforehand or watch it, said she doesn't need the president to encourage her children.

"I can encourage my children just fine," she said.

Obama preceded his broad-scale talk with a meeting with Wakefield students, where at one point he advised them to "be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life."

The uproar over his speech followed him across the Potomac River, as his motorcade was greeted by a small band of protesters. One carried a sign exclaiming: "Mr. President, stay away from our kids."

The Department of Education was also criticized for proposed lesson plans distributed to accompany the speech, including a section -- later changed -- that asked students to write about how they could help the president.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who accompanied Obama to the school, acknowledged yesterday that some of the prepared guidance was wrong-headed.

After the speech, Theo Helm, a spokesman for the local school system, sent a message to principals asking them how many students didn't watch the speech at the request of their parents.

After hearing back from about 40 percent of the schools, the total was 260 students. The school system has more than 51,000 students

"It looks like a very small percentage," Helm said.

Members of the media weren't allowed in schools to watch the speech with students.

"The whole thing has turned into almost a circus with the amount of comments and emotions," Helm said "We want to handle it as smoothly as possible."

He said that the speech delivered a good message.

"It is about staying in school and committing to your education. It is about finding your talent and developing it," he said.

■ Kim Underwood can be reached at 727-7389 or at kunderwood@wsjournal.com.

■ The Associated Press contributed to this article.