Obama speaks to kids

President Obama’s address to students Tuesday was broadcast to local classrooms without much fanfare, despite all the political contention in the days leading up to the speech.

Several Republican leaders and conservative groups had protested the planned speech as opening up the possibility for the president to introduce politics in the classroom, but by Monday, the White House had posted the text of his address, largely silencing the clamor.

The speech was focused on student achievement and setting goals, and made no mention of the contentious policy initiatives the president is pushing on Capitol Hill.

Of 27,000 students, 28 missed Obama’s address Tuesday, Glendale Unified School District officials said.

Two students were absent the entire day because of the speech and 26 more chose not to view it. District officials said they also fielded a few calls from parents seeking to ensure that their child got to see the speech.

District officials in Glendale and Burbank left it up to teachers to decide whether the broadcast fit in with lesson plans, which was the standard for many school districts nationwide, according to the American Assn. of School Administrators.

“Teachers make decisions whether to use a president’s inaugural address in the classroom and this is another one of those same kinds of situations,” Glendale Unified Supt. Michael Escalante said.

Three or four parents called district offices and did not want their students viewing the speech, Burbank Unified School District Supt. Kevin Jolly said.

“We always let our teachers use their discretion and their professional judgment of what news events to include in the curriculum,” he said.

While Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush made similar addresses to schoolchildren on the dangers of smoking, Obama’s speech elicited fears from some conservatives that he might politicize classrooms. The White House posted the text of the speech online Monday to dispel political concerns, and by Tuesday, the Florida Republican Party chairman, who ignited controversy last week by saying the speech would spread the administration’s “socialist ideology,” had backed away from those criticisms. The Department of Education submitted several suggested lesson plans to accompany the speech. One suggested students write letters to themselves on what they can do to help the president, which sparked backlash and fears the superintendent-in-chief would use the opportunity to sell his policies. The lesson plan was rewritten.

The idea to address schoolchildren was praised by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and another leading Republican senator on “Fox News Sunday.”

“If I were a teacher, I’d take advantage of it,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the former chief executive of Chicago public schools, called the political uproar “silly” on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

In the speech, Obama made personal appeals to students to set lofty goals and dream big.

“Every single one of you has something that you’re good at,” he said. “Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide . . . If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.”

Students at Burbank Community Day School, a school for at-risk youth, were receptive.

“No matter what your background is, you still have a chance to be somebody,” said Alex Rodriguez, a junior at the school.

Principal Christine Krohn said the president’s message was particularly important for at-risk youth, who may sometimes feel hopeless.

“He’s talking about the future, and that he came from an at-risk background like our kids,” she said. “They only see three or four steps in front of them . . . [but] he had all sorts of trials and tribulations, which is the same kinds of things our kids are going through.”

Obama made reference to his own childhood and 4:30 a.m. tutorials with his mother.

“Now, I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early,” Obama said. “A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, ‘This is no picnic for me either, buster.’”

Alicia Harris, a government teacher at Crescenta Valley High School, said the speech and Obama’s personal story could inspire students.

“I found most poignant about the speech is the overall message, which I perceive to be that anything is in fact possible with hard work. He certainly embodies this truth,” she said. “I believe that students will enjoy this, not only the content of this speech, but also appreciate that they are being acknowledged and addressed in a dignified and respectful manner.”

The president’s message mirrored what teachers impart to students at Glendale Montessori Elementary School, a private school on Pacific Avenue.

“I thought he pulled it off, and it was positive and uplifting,” Principal Nina O’Brian said. “When he was finished, the sixth-grade teacher commented, ‘That’s what we say to you: Find your passion, find what you’re good at, and go with it.’”

 MAX ZIMBERT covers education. He may be reached at (818) 637-3215 or by e-mail at max.zimbert@latimes.com.