if my kids came home signing about obama i would be packin' em up and getting farther away from the boarder!

Miss, its not just a cute little song about current events. Its kids who are singing a song about something they know NOTHING about. I agree with Mommy.Armywife, if my kid came home singing that song there would be hell to pay, and not because I dont like him, but because I dont need a stranger pushing their beliefs or opinions on MY child.

These kids are teenagers who are probably old enough to form their own opinions.

They are singing a song about health care reform. My NINE YEAR OLD knows about the need for health care reform. How can these kids who are AT LEAST upper middle school not know anything about it?

Wow...I think people are overreacting here just a little bit. There is WAY more politics in learning environments than most people realize. It's subtle, yes. Most of us would not recognize it unless it was pointed out, but it's there and it's always been there whether your child comes home and tells you about it or not. Aside from that, children are influenced by everyone and everything they come into contact with. If they don't hear about current events in school, they probably will hear about it on TV or overhear adults talking about it. Kids know a lot more than most people give them credit for just because they are children doesn't mean they don't have the ability to understand things.

I agree. I'm ashamed to be in the same country with the people who seem to be implying discipline for their children who would dare sing a song like this.

Implying discipline? You are completely wrong. I would not be angry or attempt to discipline my CHILD. I would take it up with the teacher and the administration. You can bet that there would be many more parents that would do the same. You sure do like to twist words. But, most liberals do.

LOL You say it like a conservative has never twisted words to get what they want. Both sides are equally guilty of that.

I wasn't even referring to you. What's your problem?

Er, I never got the message that anyone would be disciplining their child for that.
I'd be taking it up with the school.

It isn't the child's fault they're doing what their school told them to do.

The child could be having fun. And either way, the kids in that video seem to be middle/possibly high school level. They seem old enough to form their opinions anyway.

Actually, I'm a teacher. Unless we are TEACHING the political process, or something similar, we are SUPPOSED to keep politics out of the classroom. ESPECIALLY at a lower-elementary level. And, we are ALWAYS supposed to keep our political beliefs out of the classroom.

Allow me take this time to point out the fact that you keep using the phrase "supposed to". Just because you're SUPPOSED to do something doesn't mean everyone does, and just because YOU do it, doesn't mean most other people do too. If you seriously think that teachers don't input their beliefs (political or otherwise) when they are teaching, perhaps you should sit in on some other classes other than your own and observe a bit. It happens ALL the time. I'm not saying that they are blatantly pushing their beliefs on kids, or they're opening up political debates in the middle of class. It's a lot more subtle than that. It's a small comment, a gesture, body language when the topic comes up, any number of things that can tip kids off into believing one thing over another. 99% of that kind of influence is not intentional, but it doesn't mean that it's not there. It's a lot more difficult to remain objective than you are making it seem.

Actually, if you're a GOOD teacher, it's not that hard. Believe me, I've been in ALOT of classrooms. Not just my own.

You're right. It's not difficult to do. But even the good teachers are guilty of it, most often without even knowing it.

Which is exactly my point.

Part of being a good teacher is being conscious of what you say and do at all times. It is something that we as educators are reminded to do SO very often. It is imperative that we think before we speak, and design lessons and dialog that will present the curriculum in a fact-based UNBIASED way. Now, I am talking about these ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, not high school students. Sure, history, government... it will, and does come up, and that's a different conversation. It's our JOB to be unbiased, and yes sometimes it's difficult to come up with dialog that will present something in a clear way without interjecting personal opinion. That's our job. If a teacher is continually failing to do their job to this level. They should not be teaching.

Lavender Breeze pretty much summed up my response to this.

It's not even a matter of being a "good" teacher, as you call it. That has nothing to do with it. The point is that people influence each other all the time whether or not they mean to do it, and children are more susceptible to it. Just because you don't mean to do it, doesn't mean you don't.

I'm sure there are plenty of people that pick up on your negative and clearly bias attitude about the subject. Who's to say you haven't influenced a child because of it? You don't KNOW if you have which is the point.

Actually, I don't talk about politics or the president in my KINDERGARTEN class. I teach what it is that I am supposed to teach. I KNOW I have not influenced them. It's my job to be unbiased. Just because I voice my very strong beliefs on a message board does not mean that I am in any way influencing the students in my class. Also, I don't have a negative attitude in my class. Though since you don't know me, you wouldn't know that. I am actually a pretty positive, happy person. Though, because my opinion isn't the same as yours, you call it a negative attitude. You have no clue about my class, my students, myself, my teaching style, and my love for these amazing kids. Don't presume to say that you do.
It IS about being a good teacher. We're TAUGHT to be unbiased, and teach facts. It's our JOB. You're right, some teachers disregard that. They should not be teachers.

First of all, we're not just talking about kindergarten classes. We were talking children in general. And as I said before just because you try to be unbiased doesn't mean you always succeed. Humans are imperfect. So, no, you don't know that you haven't influenced a child somewhere. Perhaps you are more aware of your responses in your classroom, but that's not the only place you can influence a child either.

And you're right. I don't know you. You attitude towards my opinion is what is reflecting negatively on you, not your opinion itself. Your opinion is your opinion, and that's fine. The way in which you present it is where the negativity comes in. I didn't "presume" to know what your class is like. In fact, I didn't say anything about "your class, your students, yourself, your teaching style, or your love for those amazing kids" at all. Again, that's not the point.

Whether or not a teacher is biased or unbiased doesn't mean they're not a good teacher. It just means they're an opinionated one, and there are plenty of them out there.

I do agree. Part of being a good teacher is about teaching the facts. But what if you said something along the lines of

"The health care reform bill will call for a raise on taxes so that the government can afford to pay for the expenses in order to make it free for the people who can't pay their taxes or afford proper health care."

The way you present facts is where the bias comes in.

And before you point it out (and I know you will), I'm not saying you presented it in that matter toward your students when teaching them about these issues. I'm just saying, the presentation of cold, hard FACTS could still easily be leaning toward a certain political agenda.

But while you are talking about kindergarteners, the students in this video are NOT kindergarteners. I would guess they are at LEAST middle school age, maybe even first year of high school. There is a big difference in what you discuss with early elementaries and what you discuss with middle/high schoolers. And they are not rapping about Obama, they are rapping about the need for health care reform, which even the conservatives agree is needed whether they support Obama or not, Obama's name is only mentioned because he is the current President. Had it been McCain in office and McCain saying we need health care reform HIS name would have popped up in the rap.

Let's not make this thing more than it really is.

You really think conservatives agree with any kind of health care reform? lol Go look at the comments to that video (only if you're willing to sacrifice your good mood).

I personally know conservatives who are for health care reform. Not the way it is being handled right now, but they do agree health needs to be reformed.

umm....*they do agree health CARE needs to be reformed.