Although I was worried that the inauguration silliness would penetrate my daughter’s school, I decided to trust its international outlook and not ask whether there were special plans for Inauguration Day. When I picked my daughter up in the afternoon, I coyly asked her if they had watched anything on TV that day. She said no, but knew what I was asking and told me that they hung Obama’s picture on the wall. She insisted showing me the picture in her classroom (my little angel! she knew I would take issue with it).
There were two photos of Obama on the wall – the first a tiny head pasted onto the calendar to mark Inauguration Day. Of course, that is without offense. But then next to the calendar hung a large head shot. I was shocked, and composed the following email to her teacher (I would have done this in person, but I pick my daughter up from the after-school program and therefore seldom see the teacher, whom I actually adore).
Dear A,
I write to express my concern about the sudden injection of politics into your classroom. I would not expect students at an international school, both in name and in student population, to pledge allegiance to the United States flag, so I was surprised today to see posted on the wall a large photograph of our new president.
Had there been a similarly large photograph of his predecessor on the wall since the beginning of the school year, I would have no word of complaint. Had I confidence that John McCain’s portrait would have found a place in the classroom, should he have won, I similarly would have no word of complaint. But the implied message, of putting a photograph of President Obama, when none was hung of President Bush, is that one is worthy of the honor to be paid by the class and one was not, an act that I deem far outside the bounds of the classroom.
Although M [A's assistant] explained to me that the students wanted a picture of President Obama on the wall, I still am not comfortable with this decision. American history and civics form almost no part of the Kindergarten curriculum (I am only aware of a Weekly Reader featuring both Obama and McCain leading up to the election), and this is as I would prefer it, if it cannot be done in a balanced way. If you were to hang a chain of portraits of all the American presidents from George Washington through to Barack Obama, I would have no problem. If I knew that a similar request by my daughter to hang on the wall a photograph of George W. Bush when he was still president would have been equally honored, perhaps I would be at ease. If I knew that other parents’ inevitable complaints about a portrait of President Bush would receive the same response that I will receive, perhaps I would be at ease.
But, in truth, never were sitting presidents so prominently displayed in any classroom from my childhood. This amounts to indoctrination, and I am not comfortable with it. A classroom is not a democracy. The children are merely echoing the opinions of their parents, which reflects the indoctrination that results from a certain type of parenting. Although other parents may choose to take advantage of their children’s impressionable mind, I do not, and I do not want the schoolroom to become an avenue for the same sort of indoctrination. This situation now requires me to explain such complex issues to my daughter at too young an age for her to truly understand them.
I apologize for having to write this in an email, but I am only at the school at a late hour and may not see you tomorrow. And please accept this critique in good faith.
Tags: classroom, inauguration, indoctrination, obama
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