After a fierce controversy over what many perceived as an effort to indoctrinate students, the White House says it will rewrite the government recommendation that teachers nationwide assign students a paper on how to "help the president."
According to the Washington Times, Obama aides acknowledged the White House helped the U.S. Education Department craft recommended activities to be assigned to students after they watched Obama's address:
Among the activities the government initially suggested for prekindergarten to sixth-grade students: that they "write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president."
Another task recommended for students immediately after listening to the speech: to engage in a discussion about what "the president wants us to do." [emphasis added]
Those were some of the recommended activities included in an electronic letter from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, which also encouraged school administrators to air Obama's address.
President Obama still plans to "inspire" the nation's schoolchildren with his video address next week.
The Obama White House continues to display its amateurism. Presidential aides should have seen that the recommended activities would be perceived as unwarranted politicization of Obama's video address to the nation's schoolchildren.
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