VA Middle School Students Assigned to Do Research for Obama Campaign

[Clementine]

Right away, two things jump out that are horribly wrong with this picture. First of all, the students did not get to chose which candidate they support and which they considered opposition. Second, their findings will be turned over to the Obama campaign. This is atrocious!

Students in Va. Middle School Politics Class Assigned to Do Opposition Research, Devise Attack Strategies on GOP for Obama Campaign
Students in Va. Middle School Politics Class Assigned to Do Opposition Research, Devise Attack Strategies on GOP for Obama Campaign | Fox News Insider

Megyn Kelly reported on new controversy coming out of a Virginia middle school politics class today, in which an 8th grade teacher assigned students to do opposition research on the four Republican presidential candidates. The students’ research included looking into the backgrounds of the GOP candidates and finding weaknesses in their positions.
Now, this kind of research wouldn’t be out of the norm for a typical politics class if it weren’t for the teacher requiring the students submit their findings to the Obama campaign!

 

[FuelRod]

Fortunately they are from Virginia and even college grads would probably come up with gems such as:

"He's Morman."

 

[imbalance]

I'd have to see the entire class syllabus before I can get butthurt over this. My guess is that the teacher told the students she'd be sending their derp to Obama in order to get them motivated about the assignment. She's trolling the students as well as Fox News lol

 

[Avatar4321]

Should we expect anything less? I mean really, is there anything this President wont do?

 

[The T]

Should we expect anything less? I mean really, is there anything this President wont do?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJFC1qFCgyA]School children sing praises to their savior Obama - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Conservative]

Should we expect anything less? I mean really, is there anything this President wont do?

Did Obama assign this work to the students?

 

[ladyliberal]

The notion that the middle schoolers are doing research "for" the Obama campaign is absurd on its face. There is approximately zero chance that they will uncover previously non-public useful information.

This sounds like a potentially worthwhile class project that Fox News and others have savagely attacked in their attempt to entertain and alarm their audience. Are teachers who try to design engaging curricula on politics and government expected to have to defend their choices from national media machines?

 

[GuyPinestra]

Unless they are allowed to investigate Obama, the whole fucking class is BULLSHIT!

The teacher should be FIRED!

 

[Conservative]

this should have been a 50/50 assignment, if at all.

50% do it for Obama, 50% do it for the likely GOP candidate (Romney at the moment).

Then, they could discuss their results in the class. I see no reason to supply their work to either party/candidate.

 

[Peach]

The notion that the middle schoolers are doing research "for" the Obama campaign is absurd on its face. There is approximately zero chance that they will uncover previously non-public useful information.

This sounds like a potentially worthwhile class project that Fox News and others have savagely attacked in their attempt to entertain and alarm their audience. Are teachers who try to design engaging curricula on politics and government expected to have to defend their choices from national media machines?

It appears from FOX sources the school board may get involved. Big news? No, only to those who despise Obama.

 

[Peach]

this should have been a 50/50 assignment, if at all.

50% do it for Obama, 50% do it for the likely GOP candidate (Romney at the moment).

Then, they could discuss their results in the class. I see no reason to supply their work to either party/candidate.

I agree with this, though I cannot see this as national news.

 

[Vidi]

Should we expect anything less? I mean really, is there anything this President wont do?

Yeah cause Obama walked into a Middle school and said," Im fresh out of ideas and have no staff. How about a little help?"

The assignment is fine. But the requirement to submit to the Obama campaign warrants at the very least a suspension ( without pay ) for the teacher if not a complete dismissal.

ETA: However the video says that a school spokesman said NO ONE was required to submit their ideas to the Obama campaign

 

[bucs90]

How can we brainwash a generation of left winger children without, you know, brainwashing them? Thankfully we have left wing unions full of teachers to do it.

 

[ladyliberal]

this should have been a 50/50 assignment, if at all.

50% do it for Obama, 50% do it for the likely GOP candidate (Romney at the moment).

Then, they could discuss their results in the class. I see no reason to supply their work to either party/candidate.

Without actually seeing the entire curriculum rather than Fox News' description of a single part of it, it's impossible to see how it is weighted between partisan subjects. In any event, I don't think middle school teachers should have to finely balance their curriculum in this way (more blatant imbalance, such as "write an essay on why the Democrats are right and the Republicans are wrong" should certainly be avoided).

 

[Peach]

Should we expect anything less? I mean really, is there anything this President wont do?

Yeah cause Obama walked into a Middle school and said," Im fresh out of ideas and have no staff. How about a little help?"

The assignment is fine. But the requirement to submit to the Obama campaign warrants at the very least a suspension ( without pay ) for the teacher if not a complete dismissal.

ETA: However the video says that a school spokesman said NO ONE was required to submit their ideas to the Obama campaign

That added context alters the initial impression. Obama using grade school research with his "billion" in campaign funds? Unlikely.

 

[g5000]

How can we brainwash a generation of left winger children without, you know, brainwashing them? Thankfully we have left wing unions full of teachers to do it.

I suspect that may have something to do with it. The teacher is butt hurt over the "war on teachers unions" and decided to bias his students against the Right.

By the way, when I saw your avatar I thought of a different meaning at first than the one that is probably intended.

I saw it as saying it is Bush's fault we have Obama as President, which is totally true.

 

[Conservative]

this should have been a 50/50 assignment, if at all.

50% do it for Obama, 50% do it for the likely GOP candidate (Romney at the moment).

Then, they could discuss their results in the class. I see no reason to supply their work to either party/candidate.

Without actually seeing the entire curriculum rather than Fox News' description of a single part of it, it's impossible to see how it is weighted between partisan subjects. In any event, I don't think middle school teachers should have to finely balance their curriculum in this way (more blatant imbalance, such as "write an essay on why the Democrats are right and the Republicans are wrong" should certainly be avoided).

agreed about seeing the entire assignment as given.

However, if it is one sided, then it is not right. 50/50 seems fair to me, even if the side assigned is not the side the student would prefer. It's good mental exercise to have to argue for a position you disagree with. I had to do that many times in debates in school.

 

[g5000]

I had a hippie teacher in the 70s who taught a current events class. One day for illustration purposes about some point I have since forgotten, he used a current candidate for Congress as an example of some kind of evildoing. He stipulated that he did not know if that candidate was actually guilty of the wrongdoing he was saying, but he went on to paint a very negative picture of that candidate.

That candidate was a Republican. And it so happened I was on his campaign staff.

So I gave my teacher both barrels.

 

[ladyliberal]

However, if it is one sided, then it is not right. 50/50 seems fair to me, even if the side assigned is not the side the student would prefer. It's good mental exercise to have to argue for a position you disagree with. I had to do that many times in debates in school.

I'm all for balance, but I just don't think that it is practical or necessary in this context. When I was in elementary school we were required as a class assignment to write our Congressman (who happened to be a Republican). I doubt it occurred to our teacher to find us a Democrat that we could write to if we preferred. There wasn't any need. This kind of Fox News scrutiny wouldn't lead to more balance even if Fox News was itself balanced, it will just discourage teachers from effectively teaching about politics at all.

 

[Conservative]

However, if it is one sided, then it is not right. 50/50 seems fair to me, even if the side assigned is not the side the student would prefer. It's good mental exercise to have to argue for a position you disagree with. I had to do that many times in debates in school.

I'm all for balance, but I just don't think that it is practical or necessary in this context. When I was in elementary school we were required as a class assignment to write our Congressman (who happened to be a Republican). I doubt it occurred to our teacher to find us a Democrat that we could write to if we preferred. There wasn't any need. This kind of Fox News scrutiny wouldn't lead to more balance even if Fox News was itself balanced, it will just discourage teachers from effectively teaching about politics at all.

in all fairness, there is a difference between writing to a politician, and doing research as defined in the OP.