"President Bush is a great, great man"

I was speechless when this little song came out of my five-year-old's mouth last night. This, from my daughter who counted Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers with me all last Fall, who went to vote with me November 2, who is not shy at all about telling you Bush sends people to war so he can steal gas and oil and that Condoleeza Rice is a liar.

When I could speak again, I asked her where she learned this "song". "In school," she said. "We're going to sing it in our show tomorrow."

More silence. More speechlessness from me.

I asked her again (and again), "did you REALLY learn this at SCHOOL?" Yes. "Who taught it to you?" Ms. H, the music teacher. "Are you really going to sing it in front of all the parents tomorrow?" Yes - and then she backed off a bit, saying maybe, she wasn't really sure. I think she could see I was upset, and that made her back up a bit on the story. But it isn't the kind of thing she would make up. Some of you might remember I posted a few months ago about a student teacher telling my daughter "Kerry kills babies" after my daughter told her "we voted for Kerry because Bush sends people to war etc...". I was able to confirm this story as true by talking with the parents of another child who was there when the comment was made. We both complained, and the student teacher was dismissed as a result.

Anyway, the school "celebration" is this afternoon - I'll post again after I get home, but would appreciate in advance any input some of you (especially those who are parents of small children) on how you would handle this situation. They may not even sing this "song" at the performance. Even if they don't, I feel I should do or say something to the administration (public kindergarten) about this. And what if they actually do sing this? What would you do? This will be in a room of a couple hundred kindergartners and hundreds of parents, grandparents, etc...

Betcha the school will never try that one again after the hilarious press it would generate.

Tell me you can't picture Colbert grilling 5 year old children about this issue, and putting on the principal.

brilliant!

I hope you can post a tape and send it to Jon and progressive radio.

Hehe. Think of the show now.... I think you should talk to the teacher. Just because Bush is a president doesn't mean everybody respects him (ew!).

:thumbsup:

I would go straight to the Principal if this goes down like your daughter said.

and to the school's district superintendent, ASAP.

I'd yell, 'PROPAGANDA!' and call their hands on it.
I'd hate for someone teetering sheeperson in the audience to be influenced by it.

Principal, school board and don't forget your local media,,,,,,

Teachers that brought anti-war sentiments into the classrooms were chastised,,,,

I would be livid!!!!

Kids should NOT be taught to lie...particularly in front of their parents. And not at an event to impress their parents.

Totally wrong. I'd probably call a couple parents to check around and see if someone else is aware of this. I'm guessing most of them don't. Get some support, and request that the song be ommitted from the program...somehow.

This is really brainwashing at its finest.

because I often defend the South on this board, but I am in Alabama. And I admit that this would be far less likely to happen most other places in this country.

PLEASE everybody - don't turn this thread into a hatefest against Alabama or the South (I know that wasn't your intention in the last post). Let's just agree that it isn't surprising it is happening here and leave it at that.

You won't hear any Dixiephobia from me.

--p!

where common sense is supposed to reign. Has the teacher been living in a cave for the last few months? Not everyone voted for Bush! It was a highly contentious election.

Put a stop to it or else pull your child out of the assembly and file a complaint.

two percent a victory. And if someone yelled John Kerry kills babies I'd shout "at least his grandfather didn't kill jews!"

isn't there? How bad is it going to get?

and lay into the officials if they are allowed to sing that song in the program.

I'm going to go charge the battery right now. I never take that damn thing anywhere, so I didn't even think about recording the performance.

I like the idea of sending it to the Daily Show, too, but my primary goal would be to capture this (if they actually sing this) for use in dealing with the school afterwards.

sing about any other president. Are there any dead president songs? If it were my kids I probably give them the option to not attend. But I'm sure you little girl is excited about the program and it would'nt be fair to pull her out of it.

I was going to suggest "God Bless America," but that seems wholey inappropriate.

It's when times suck like they do now that you need God's blessing - but I can see why that would be a touchy song to sing.

Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land"

Not this time around I'm afraid.

and take him/her with you as you confront the teacher and ask her why she is indoctrinating your daughter in a political philosophy that your famiy does not hold.

Where does your kid go to school? Sounds creepy.

Like that "Everyone is rejoicing over the wiping out of the four pests?" Or like the Batman theme. I mean maybe that's why the song is selected.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

"President Bush is a great, great, kil-ler...."

Maybe you can get some more people to go along with you. PLEASE PLEASE don't let this one slide. Make as many tsunami-sized waves as you can, for all of us.

I can't wait for this to happen at our school.

I hope you will have a quiet talk with the teacher to clarify just what is going on. Let's hope it's all a terrible misunderstanding (though I'm not expecting that at this point).

By the way, I cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, imagine my eighth-grade music teacher making us sing "President Nixon is a great, great man."

Compared to W Nixon is a great man! At least he pulled out of Vietnam...eventually....

its your word against hers..and i would not trust a teacher who would indocrinate children like this ..i would only confront the teacher with the principle in attendance or with the school board..and i believe i would start with the school board..and i would talk to the superintendant first..and i would begin with asking what the rules and regulations are with politicizing children in the classroom..

my son had a fith grade teacher who was doing corporal punishment...and i went first to the principle..because the teacher forbade the children telling their parents..well my son slipped up and cried telling me...and he was more upset because the teacher told them they were not to tell their parents..well my son was raised to tell me everything..that we discussed everything..,that their was nothing we could not talk about...well i was more angry that any teacher would tell my son he could not talk to me about anything...that he was to keep a secret from me..i was livid...then i realized it was about corporal punishment...
well i marched up to school....i demanded to see principal...and i went into his office and told him to shut the door..and i let him have it..i said no one.. no one.... was ever to tell my son he could not tell me something...i went off on the principal...then i went to the superintendants office..and i raised holy hell...the teacher was fired..but i above all else told them no one ever better know it was my complaints...as i did not want my son to be marked by other teachers during his schooling..and if ANYONE EVER FOUND OUT OR IF I EVER HEARD RUMOURS THAT THE COMPLAINTS CAME FROM MY SONS MOM..I WOULD SUE ALL THEIR ASSES!! corproal punishment was against the law in my state at the time...so i knew i had the law on my side...the teacher was fired and no one that i know ever knew it was me that got the teacher fired..

remember teachers talk amongst themselves and your child can be marked for a very long time..so you must be smart about how you deal with this...but del with it i certainly would...just be smart how you do deal with it..but never confront the teacher directly without witnesses..and its best to go over their head...your child will be in that school system..you must protect your child foremostly..

use your head ...not your emotions first!! you do not want your child to be retailiated on...
that teacher is overstepping their boundries big time..stop the teacher..but do it through the proper authorities...and make sure no one will ever know that the complaints came from you..so your child does not pay the consequences...

hope this helps...we can get mad when it comes to us..but we must use smarts when it comes to our babies!!

fly

mr bush is a great great man
kim jong il is a dear dear leader
stalin is a great great man
mao is a great great man


shall i go on?

is exactly who I thought of when my daughter started singing this. I could not imagine all these little kids standing on risers singing Bush's praises - just like those scary propoganda tapes from North Korea that have made their way into Sundance Channel documentaries.

at the end go "Heil Feher!"

:puke:

Keep us posted--and I do very much like thebigidea's idea about taping it for Teh Daily show!

Then get together and storm the principal's office. That is outrageous.

Small town in a red state. Might not be too many who would want to take a stand. Kind of like public anti-war protests.

Small town, red state, but this is a college town and there are plenty of Democrats and other non-Bush supporters here. I know other parents I can call to confer with.

Sounds like a good idea. Strength in numbers. You'll have better results I think if more people complain. If it's just one person they wouldn't do anything about it.

Sieg Heil after the little song, ok? Scary. Really scary.

If this song is sung, I would definitely write a letter of complaint to the Principal and a letter to the editor of the local newspaper.

edit: even if the song isn't sung, you must complain.

how so very Goebbels of them.....

what i would do - i can see your hesitation to make an issue in front of the crowd, but you must compose a seriously worded letter to the principal and school board.

Let your child take part so as not to frighten her, or make her feel different from the other kids, but bitch like crazy to the administration. I would just be beside myself. That is overstepping on the teacher's part. Five year olds? God, that would make my eyes cross.

Talk to the other parents, see if it disturbs them too. Then make your complaint.

Kyle's mom's a bitch, she's a big fat bitch,
She's the biggest bitch in the whole wide world,
She's a stupid bitch, if there ever was a bitch,
She's a bitch to all the boys and girls.

...but if I were, I don't think I'd be quiet about something like this. I might try to get in touch with other parents and see how they feel, too, and then work together.

It's not right of this person to brainwash your child like that.

one wonder about the content of the rest of the program.

And if my daughter came home singing this "song" I would be visibly upset and would have to call upon what little patience I have to "be cool" when asking her about the song and how it was taught to her.

Following the program, I would make a point to speak with the teacher and voice your concerns about politically-related songs being introduced to children. Following the teacher's explanation (whatever it may be), I would then take it to the school's principal and let them know your thoughts on the matter and that that type of indoctrination should not be taught as part of the school's music curriculum.

They'd probably think it was grand.
Unless this parent can get Keith Olbermann down there - pronto - to cover the show.

They certainly have a lot of nerve brainwashing other peoples children don't they?! I would find out if they were singing that song beforehand, and if so, my kid would NOT participate-NO way-NO how. :grr:

to the teacher with a copy to the principal and the school board.

would sing "President Clinton was a great great man" or "John Kerry is a great great man" and like it.

they used to show the children singing his praises...that would be a great side by side video for The Daily Show.

Two "evildoers" brainwashing the kids!

You know, we kept hearing about how the kids would have sing about Saddam and learn about him in their text books.And how Chimp and his cronies were so upset that those children were being fed govermental propaganda..... well, what's the difference?

This really pisses me off!

they didn't like it was because W was jealous.

...and I cannot imagine hearing those words come out of her mouth.

I would be livid.

Like another poster said, I would tape this program for sure.

I commend you for saying something about the other teacher who made the "baby killer" remarks about Kerry. I'm glad the teacher was fired.

It's amazing. What emboldens these teachers to be so political and to force-feed our children these anti-Dem, pro-Bush bull?

Can you imagine how a fundie would react if their child came home from school and said, "Mommy, President Bush lied his way into a unilateral, illegal war which serves only to further the PNAC warmongering agenda."

My child starts kindergarten this fall. I hope to heck I don't have to deal with this!

Keep fighting the good fight. You're doing very well.

And tape that program!! There are so many things you could do with that tape!

If it's not too much trouble, I'd really like to hear the rest of the lyrics when you get back! I'm hoping something like:
"President Bush is a great, great man
said the Abu Ghraib prisoner on the stand"
or some such...

Ask an administrator to be in on the conference.
Politely explain that as some families do not want to participate in "family life" classes or in classes that exclude creationalism your family does not wish to participate in the indictrination of your children into the current cult of mediocrity and hatred. That means you will have to do a replacement something special with your child as you will not be able to let her participate in this sham.

As a former teacher, get this done as soon as possible. Although, it might be more effective to tape it and deal with it on Monday with as many parents as you can round up. If the principal sees several parents in the meeting, it'll change his tune.

Btw, I'm just sitting here with my mouth hanging open. That's beyond ridiculous! Fight it tooth and nail!!!

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The Reverend Martin Luther King was a kind, kind man...

My kids all sang this at our Black History Program last month.

Jeez, even the thought of this is too obscene for words. I don't know the melody to the song you mention about Martin Luther King, Jr., but the idea that the words to the same song might be changed to glorify Bush at a children's performance in the same state as the Montgomery bus boycott just gives me an incredibly sick feeling in my gut.

I'm stunned. I would be in that principal's face and the school board's face and on the newspeople in my town, etc. WTF is going on where you live if this is the second instance of messing with the mind of your child?

Someone should do a parody of the song "Abraham, Martin, and John" and call it "Hitler, Stalin, and Bush"

:puke:

I really appreciate all your input - I was afraid people would think I was crazy if I posted this. And I hesitated to post BEFORE the performance, because they may not sing this song, and I didn't want to stir things up for nothing.

But even if they don't sing it publicly, it's not nothing. My daughter was singing this last night and she learned it at school, from a teacher. This would NEVER had come out of her mouth on her own. And I WILL have a talk with the principal even if this is not "performed" today (I like the idea of talking to other parents first - it would be better to have some strength in numbers).

My main question is how to handle it today, at the performance, if these children do sing this "song." I didn't think making a scene on the spot, during the performance, would be best for my child, but am not sure I can contain myself if this really happens. Using a video camera will help, because it will give me something to do instead of charging the music teacher on the spot.

...and let them know, in no uncertain terms, that you're greatly disappointed and angered about their attempts to indoctrinate your child into the Republican party.

In my book, songs about America are okay but, songs about the chimp being "great", NOT okay...

Good luck dealing with these zealots!:thumbsup:

But maybe they will LEARN something if you couch it in terms of how this is something that you would have imagined happening in the old USSR or as someone else suggested, with Saddam in charge.

If they proceed with the song despite your protestations, then the good part about having it on tape will be its shock value when people outside your school hear it for the first time. I'll bet there's some archival footage of Nazi Youth singing the praises of the Third Reigh that could be interspersed with the video from the present school chorus in question.

Tape it. Make copies.

Whether or not you have other parents as backup, confront the principal telling him/her you will not stand for a teacher subverting your family values, and that if the teacher is not punished (suspension without pay at best), the school district will be hearing from your lawyer. Don't let them know you have the event documented.

Then send copies of the tape to "The Daily Show" and any friendly nearby media. That'll be a great sucker punch. The principal's wondering about legal stuff, then to get blindsided with a media storm and be totally unprepared... good times.

"President Bush is a great, great man
DoDa DoDa"

I am so angry about this posting, that I just sent a link to my Daughter, her 4yo will be starting school in September,,,,

Indoctrination of this sort is very very wrong.

and I agree, even if they do not sing it publicly today, the very fact that the teacher is inventing these little ditties to teach her students unbelievable. Call before the 'performance',,,, good luck to you if they actually sing it,,,, I also agree that it would not be a good thing to confront her in front of the children,,,,,

ask them to explain WHY they think he is such a great man. Start there, then protest like hell.

up against, folks. Back in November, my 8-year old told me his class held an 'election' and there were only 2 votes for Kerry: my son and his teacher!!! I swear to god,anecdotal evidence is beginning to point
toward some sort of indoctrination program geared toward youth..
*adjusts tinfoil chapeau*

If your kid was making racial supremacist comments, wearing Nazi jewelry, or riding her bike on the freeway I'm sure you would get her squared away immediatly.

The thing that is probably important for her to understand is that George Bush is not a great man, by any measure. People that think he is a great man have a lousy perspective (at the very least), and may be worshippers of Satan.

That was what made it so surreal to hear her singing this. See my original post for what she usually has to say about Bush. She is far more aware of political and social events than her peers, and probably more so than the average adult where we live. She is bilingual and has traveled abroad. Some people would probably say we expose her to too much, but we want her to grow up eyes wide open to the way the world works.

All that said, she's still just five, and if a teacher teaches her a song, she'll sing along with the other kids. That's where I come in!

Sounds as if they are laying the groundwork for Leader worship that is the hallmark of a dictatorship.

Can anyone tell me where my @#%J* videocamera battery charger is? AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

I can hear the clock ticking as I tear through my house looking for the charger, which was not in the case.

If I don't post to this thread for the next half hour or so, it isn't a hit and run. I'm trying to get set to record the show!

I hope you find your battery - and Give 'em Hell for all us blue Southern Moms!!

(My kid is in kindergarten, too. Fortunately, during their school elections, there were tons of Kerry posters. Knoxville may be in the heart of "red" Knox County in "red" East Tennessee, but it still went "blue" this year.)

After wrecking my house, which I was supposed to be cleaning on this rare day when I don't have work and my daughter still had school! It was worth it though.

Makes homeschooling look better and better.

I'd freak.

during the election and told my they were voting at school for the president. I asked who she voted for and she said bush! I have never discussed politics w/her and asked why she voted for him. Her answer was "he likes to help people". I never pursued it because I was to engulfed in the election myself, but I wonder what they were telling these children. I never saw anything blatent in the scchool but I think there must have been some pro-bush bias in what they saw and heard. If I were in your situation I would clarify w/the principal they wouln't be singing the song,and inform him/her there will be repercussions if it is.

and I'd let the school officials know why. This crosses the line in a big way.

Hope you're fears are not realized though. Sometimes he has told me things, that when I get there, just don't pan out. Yesterday he told me that his friend said the world is going to blow up.

The difference between a fundie 4yo and a liberal christian 4yo. Apparently they talk alot and both wore crosses this week. My son, just because he made his at an Easter fair and still thinks it's neat. The other boy apparently wears one all the time. His is (as described by my son) "glass with belts to tie somebody up....Mason says God died and the world is gonna blow up". I asked him what he said to Mason. He told me he said "I like my blue one better. It says He Lives". Then he asked if we could make a glass one that says "He Lives" to give to Mason.

I just can't imagine these 4yo's conversing over lunch. NO, it's not a christian school. It's a very diverse, liberal teaching/thinking, daycare. They teachers must have been beside themselves OR cracking up.

IMO, this song has NO merit whatsoever for education. Just indoctrination and should be ditched from the class. At the least, the teacher should be raked over the coals. Let the principal and school board have an earful.

But decided I want her to take part in the performance in the end. I don't want her to feel badly about not being able to sing with her friends if this song isn't actually on the program. Though she is pretty straightforward with me, she could have been stretching things when she said they were going to sing about Bush today. You are right, at this age, everything out of their mouths isn't always complete fact.

If they do sing about Bush today, I will use it as a learning experience for her. Because if they do, I will absolutely do something definitive about it. And just as when the teacher made the Kerry/babykiller remark to her, I will take the opening to remind her that even adults "make mistakes" and that is why it is important for her to continue to think for herself and not be afraid to have her own ideas and opinions, even if they differ from the majority of her friends, their parents, teachers, whoever. If she learns well from her father and I, she is in for a life of being a little different than the majority in the area where we live, so these are good lessons for her.

squeaky wheel gets the grease

Either squeak to the district superintendent or don't post your saga to the public. If those kids start singing "we love Bush," this fodder for the ACLU.

was NEVER an option I considered, believe me. I "squeaked" here first because I needed some advice from like minds on how to handle things at the school show should this little ditty be sung there.

Saga? This is real life. And I am glad there are so many great folks on DU who are willing to offer their ideas and support to fellow members when its needed.

:-)

I did, and after the initial shock from the "community" that someone actually objected to RW propaganda being pushed into everyone's face, things got changed.

Someone has to get the ball rolling.

I don't think I would do that to my kid. The trama of not being at the assembly after having practiced for it and all,I think would be far worse than some pro-bush propaganda, especially at this age. Their will be plenty of time to teach him/her the truth. Actually it could be used as an excellent example of not believing everything you are taught and to find out the facts for oneself.

private or religious schools or home schooling. Then they can teach heir AGENDA without interferance...like the Taliban.

she is supposed to sing "Bush"

HELL no would any reich-wing music teacher make my kid sing this crapola homage to the Retard-in-Thief. It's bad enough that my kid was almost Kool-aided by his kindergarten teacher in 2000. He's since wised up.

So you go to the teacher, whether its at the assembly or just in class this type of political plug for the Republicans is not OK. The teacher needs to hear this from you. If the teacher doesn't drop the song and apologize profusely, then you go over their head. The principal should know about it. If the prinicipal doesn't reprimand the teacher, drop the song and apologize profusely then you go up the chain. Go to the school board.

Meanwhile tape the assembly. If it isn't in the program then tape your daughter and any friends who might like to sing with her this song and get them to say on tape who taught them the song. You can use the tape later if necessary.

Its not about being a republican or democrat. Its about keeping politics out of the school, about fostering diversity of opinion in a democracy, it's about not putting ideas in suggestive young children.

Wow, you may have to fight your own battle in jesusland. That's a heck of a lot more important and tougher then fighting it in blue states. Keep your cool, keep your dignity, and don't let it slide! You are in the right. We're rooting for you!

For your thoughtful and wise response - this is just how I plan to handle things.

Battery is charging and I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who has twins at the same school. She and her husband will both be at the performance this afternoon, and she was going to call him to make sure he brought their digital camera that records video as well. She said they would definitely join me in complaining if anything like the song my child was singing is on the program today.

This can't be allowed to go on.

We live in a very Republican neighborhood -- lots of 'W The President' stickers on the backs of SUVs.

And I have worried about her becoming indoctrinated by her teachers and peers. She once mentioned that it would be cool if Condi Rice ran for president.

So I was sort of amazed when she asked to borrow the video camera to tape a "TV show" she and her friends were doing about Bush.

This "TV show" script called Bush all sorts of names and was especially vicious toward Laura Bush, who my daughter accused of being a fake.

I hadn't said that kind of stuff around her -- although I always have Morning Sedition on the radio when I drop her off at school. So I asked her where she got those ideas. She said she and her friends all hate Bush and thought them up on their own.

And all this time I thought the public school system in Alabama was in need of serious reform. LOL

Thanks, Quaoar!

:hi:

And she has been taught that she is a Democrat. I would have been so livid if she would have come home singing that! I think one of my proudest moments of her was when her teacher told me that she was very excited to vote Kerry in their class elections. Of course, her teacher is a Massachusetts Liberal! See, not all of us in Tallahassee are crazy.

stand for it. I would find a new school and work three jobs if necessary to send her to a sane, private school.

keeping a cool head but also making plans to document it. Also, having a video would be a great way to educate your daughter (later) as to how easy it can be to brainwash children. She'll get it.

Good luck!

BTW, I recently moved to Alabama. :hi:

I just sent you a PM!

I would let it happen to get evidence but this is your child and your choice. My 13 year old daughter is termed by some of her class mates as a BABY KILLER because she expresses progressive ideas and supported John Kerry. I know what you must be feeling. We have to protect our children.

In 2000, my then 9 year old daughter was directed by her teacher to write a letter congratulating * on his election. My daughter didn't want to do so and was told she had to complete the assignment.

So she wrote a letter that went something like this

Dear "President Bush"

I am writing this letter because I have to for school. Some people might congratulate you, but I know that the Supreme Court handed you the election and that Al Gore really won. I would never have voted for you.

I want to live in a clean world. I don't have body guards like you do and I want guns off the streets.."

Anyway you get the drift.

They didn't want to send it, but I threatened to sue the school district if they didn't accept her work and send it with the rest of the "congratulatory " love letters to *.

Got to teach them they count too and to stand up for themselves and their beliefs.

Good luck to you and your daughter- stand up for what you believe and show her it's important to do so.

One of the reasons I was hesitant to post this is because I didn't want to start a "see-the-South-really-sucks" thread. I am willing to admit this kind of stuff happens more often in "red" states, but no town, state or region is immune.

You sound like a great parent raising a great kid. Which is all I am trying to be. It can be very lonely sometimes, lots of folks think you are crazy if you try to teach a young child about world issues, but I'd rather be lonely now and proud in the long run of raising a brave and thinking child who can actually help make the future better for all of us.

Rep. Woolsey is my Congresswoman. Even here, the 'health' teacher taught that condoms don't work. No birth control works. Abstinence is the only safe choice. It was a modified Abstinence only education. Here???

I would probably speak or e-mail the principal, rather than go directly to the teacher, since who knows how your child might be treated if the teacher were confronted directly. Certainly very inappropriate.

I had an analogous situation this year (Kansas). My daughter (8th grade) brought home a form that she, and a parent, had to co-sign affirming that she would abstain from sex until she was married. It had to be signed in order for her to receive extra credit in health class. I was pretty shocked to say the least and, even though I did not want to sign it since its obviously not the schools place to dictate sexual decisions, I wanted my daughter to receive an "A" in the class. So, as I signed, I explained to her that the document was inappropriate in school, explained that she would eventually be the one to make those types of decisions for herself, and eventually contacted the principal and told her that I thought it was inappropriate. Have no idea what the principal said, if anything, to the teacher.

What an intrusion into a child and family's personal life. It is stunning to think they could affect grades based on such "pledges". Will they rescind her grade if she has sex? Will they perform examinations on girls? Do Boys have to sign these things too? How will they "confirm" a boy's virginity?

That is insane. I don't think they do that in NY- my now 8th grade daughter learned about contraception methods I didn't know about in school this year.

Although I STRONGLY disagreed with the document, the teacher added other forms of birth control methods to the "abstinence only" curriculum that the state (one of over 20 now) has adopted.

and I would pull my child from the "celebration" - can you enlist the help of the parent who helped you before?

I have five-year-old also. She can be a little outspoken, and I'm pretty sure if someone taught her that song, she'd say, "But President Bush lies!"

I'm guessing she would get scolded and then come home crying because she disappointed her teacher.

I do not know what I would do regarding her participation in such a program, but you can bet your boots I'd be on the phone to the principal as soon as my hands stopped shaking in anger.

So I'll just say one thing: good luck!

They don't even try to be subtle about it anymore, do they? :eyes:

I would have opted them out of a brazenly political statement with which I don't agree.

Such a partisan statement is not proper in that kind of forum. It would have been just as wrong to have performed a song called "Bush is a cur" (even if I think he is a cur).

Since the student teacher who instigted the affair was dismissed, my guess is that this little number will be omitted from the program.

...with a bunch of schoolkids in Nazi Germany standing in their classroom singing, "For Hitler we live, for Hitler we die..."

If someone can find that film, please send it to Mrs. H.

so with you in hte feel of the child, the way you talk to the child and the story you told. i would sit and listen and if they sing it fine. hopefully they arent and she was just taught. if just taught, not in performance i would most certainly talk to teacher, that you dont honor bush as she does. further there aRE A LOT OF devices issues regarding bush and as far as you see, htis teacher knowing htis and teaching children this song is a finger to all those that oppose bush so. you wont allow your child to be brainwashed in a chant fashion, which is how you feel this nation is behaving with the bush/christian/republican behavior

she has to understand that you recognize that she did this dispite the knowledge that so many children and their families are not supporters of bush, and how inappropriate that is. it would be like this teacher sitting down and teaching the facts of live to child without permission, or teaching her a religion that is not yours.

i would not be mean hostile and have a huge smile, and totally serious that this is unappropriate.

i had to do with sons school last year with the movie passion. made clear to teacher, i dont brainwash my kids, i am certainly not going to allow a teacher or school to do this

good luck to you, and keep us informed. interesting situation you are in

OK, I just got back from the performance and am happy to say that this song was not on the program! The kids sang some of their "favorite" songs from this school year, and the one picked for December was about Kwanza, so a little of my faith in our public school system here (which is considered the best in the state) was restored.

I was still quite bothered about the conversation with my daughter last night, so I found the music teacher after the show and asked her about the song I heard from daughter. She is very young, and I think I made her nervous, even though I was very low-key and not confrontational when I approached her.

She knew immediately what I was talking about and explained that she had taught them a song about George Washington for President's Day (she even sang it, and it did indeed say George Washington was a great, great man). I told her my daughter had been singing about George BUSH, and, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, asked her if they had gone through all the presidents in the song. She said no, but that there had been several "classes" (not individual kids) that had been "confused" by the song and "wanted" to sing about Bush. She said that many kids thought the "W" in "George W. Bush" must stand for Washington and so they thought the song was about Bush. I thought this was strange, because as bright and aware as my daughter is, even she doesn't call Bush "George W. Bush", just Bush or George Bush. So I asked again, just to be sure, whether or not she had led a song about Bush in class. Her reply - "No, my songbook isn't THAT up-to-date!"

I didn't get a chance to ask much more because she was in charge of the check out list for kids who's parents wanted to go ahead and take them home from school after the performance and she walked away after that last comment.

So, not as bad as I feared, but not great either. Some true horror stories from other parents in other places have come out in this thread. Being a parent has never been an easy job, but man, do we have a lot to contend with these days!

I'm glad this turned out well.

It sounds innocuous, but obviously, a parent can't be too cautious with this stuff.

I probably would have talked with the music teacher anyway, but being buoyed by all the good feedback from fellow DUers right before the performance probably didn't hurt my confidence, either!

I'm glad everything turned out for the better in the end, though to be honest, I would have loved to see some DU activism at work. I'm funny that way... :bounce:

Young kids can get confused, and if many of them get confused in the exact same way, it can be a spaghetti mess to sort out.

Washington starts with W

His first name was George

They hear/see 'George W. Bush' all the time

hence

George Washington Bush. Oh, I could easily see my neice doing that, especially if the other kids were.

Poor music teacher- I bet her books are old. "That's all that there music stuff is, right? Well, them oughta be good 'nuff!"

Trust me, I've seen that attitude so much from republicans.... call me cynical, but they often see the arts as a waste of time and energy that could be spent on "more productive" things. :grr:

Glad she didn't have to sing that.

It just shows you that you can't jump to conclusions. A low key approach is always best until all the facts are known.... then if warrented... scream bloody murder!!!

Great story.... thanks for sharing with everyone...

:toast:

I should also say that I spoke with my daughter, who said there were lots of kids singing about Bush when this happened in music class. I asked her if she was one of them and she said no. I asked her why, then, did she sing about Bush at home, and she said she didn't know. She was obviously getting upset with my questions - kids know when you are unhappy with something they've done - so I explained again I wasn't mad at her.

As I said before, my daughter is well aware of how this family views Bush. She's been to vote with me, and is a part of political discussions in this house. And yet even she came home singing about Bush. Whether or not the teacher herself sang it, I suspect little, if anything, was done to stop it, and the message was clearly that it is a good thing to sing the Bush is a great man (whether it was taught directly or indirectly through a lack of intervention by the teacher).

Very impressed with how you (and your daughter) handled this. What a week!

Still it happens that the US surprise me. Other posters have stated it before me: Songs like "President * whatever is a great man" are sung in dictatorships. And in dictatorships only. It doesn't' make any difference whatsoever if this song will be sung in public. Your daughter has learned it in school. I do hope it will be sung in public, though, because you'll be able to tape it and therefore there's a chance that the rest of the world gets some information about what's happening in your country.

You sound like the mother I would have liked to have. Please keep us informed.

edit: Just read the update. Good that you talked to the music teacher!

------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

"You sound like the mother I would have liked to have had"

:D

I am trying to be the kind of mother I would have liked to have had, so your compliment was very meaningful to me. I love my mother, but she always taught me not to rock the boat, that it was rude to express an opinion counter to others in the room - I have come to call this approach to life "dysfunctionally polite" and it is rampant in the South especially. It made for some extremely painful times growing up, but others have endured far worse childhoods, so I can't complain.

The interesting thing is that my mother has, later in life, become a public leader in my area, one that is not afraid to voice her opinion on issues - softly and with a smile, of course, but firmly and always with the facts on her side. The iron fist in a velvet glove, she is. Maybe we've learned a little from each other over the years!

of teaching them to realize their full potential. To my mother "fitting in" was so important that everybody who did not - I never did - was gravely at fault. That's a burden I still haven't been able to shake off.

:yourock:

-----------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

Or, "Ameruka uber Alles".

That would suit us better.



Photo from the State of Wyoming

embarrasses him because he despises Bush. He's 7.

SHOULD KNOW BETTER, call the school board and RAISE HELL!

they should let them sing "President Bush is a great, great man" and immediately follow it up with "The Idiot Son of an Asshole."

And just for good measure, have them sing a Medley to Ronald Reagan: the Dead Kennedys' Dear Abby and The Ramones' Bonzo Goes To Bitburg. Imagine the shock at the dulcet tones of children singing these immortal words:

Dear Abby:
Got a problem.
I'm a decent, underpaid, hardworking county coroner.
It's important that my family eat meat at least three times a week.
But we just can't afford to with prices the way they are.
So I've been bringing home choice cuts from my autopsy subjects.
Just mix in the Tuna Helper and--ta da!

My whole family thinks my new meals are delicious.
They ask me what my secret is. Abby, I think they're getting suspicious.
My smart-ass 8-year-old keeps asking me, "where's all the meat?
The Red Dye Number 2 kind that's kept in the fridge."

If they find out the truth I don't think they'll understand.
Abby, what do I tell my family?

DEAR REAGANOMICS VICTIM:
Consult your clergyman. Make sure the body's blessed and everything will be just fine.

(The really sick part of it all is that I DID NOT have to Google for the lyrics to that song!)

southlandsheri, good for you! The only thing that keeps the forces of weirdness within their relatively bad boundaries is vigilance like yours. Your daughter is a lucky girl. She'll probably be governor some day (and stop bossing you around).

This sort of thing is happening everywhere but in different venues. In my area, no teacher would pull this stuff BUT in a whole bunch of churches here in liberal Redstateland, Northern Virginia,you have pastors and priests telling parishioners how to vote! Now isn't that outrageous. What a commentary. Since I'm a strict constructionist on the concept of "Sunday is the day of rest," my belief system keeps me out of the hallowed shrines.

I'm glad you backed them down Sheri and you gave your daughter one heck of a lesson in responsible parenting and citizenship!!!

Complain to the principle, the school board, the district superintendent and the state board of education.

Send the teacher a letter and cc all of the above.
Also cc a lawyer and just for fun, the ACLU. That should get their attention. Also the Southern Center for Law & Poverty (I think that's the correct name; does anyone here know for sure?)

This sort of thing has no place in the public schools.