September 8, 2009

Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

Today you addressed the school children of our nation in a live broadcast. Unfortunately, I was unable to share it with my 24 school children, because the district in which I teach would not allow it. Mr. President, I applaud you for taking the time to speak directly to the future of our nation. For some of these children, it is so easy to become convinced that they don't matter, or that their voices aren't heard, or that adults do not care about them. Thank you for acknowleding their potential and power, and for believing that the youth of our nation have ears and are eager to listen to adults.

I am sorry that so many adults allowed their minds to be clouded by political ideologies, and that they let their faith in teachers be forgotten. You see, no matter for whom I cast my vote last fall, my job is not to preach but to teach. I do not fill minds, I open them. I wish I had been allowed to embrace this perfect teachable moment. I wanted to shout to my students, "You see?? You can be anything! Nothing is impossible to you!" I wanted to encourage them to be critical listeners, and to take in your words and think them over before forming their own opinions. I wanted to remind them that despite their youth, they are important in this country.

Mr. President, do not let the ignorant adults who censored you today taint your faith in the young generation. Please do not stop speaking to the children, because they need to hear the voice of the leader of our country, no matter his party or race or platform. I will tell my students that their president cares about them, and remind them that they have both responsibilities and potential. I will do my best to help my students form their own political views, no matter what the views may be of the adults in their lives, mine or others. I know that this is my role as a teacher and a citizen. I will encourage my students to keep their minds open, in hopes that they will not grow up to be the jaded adults who would censor these moments from their own children.

Sincerely,
Miss Teacher

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