Politics, with all its intricacies, subterfuge, and bureaucracy, is an adult concept.
Earmarks and income taxes are words that are almost foreign to many elementary and middle school children. It's not until end of middle school and in high school that these concepts really begin to solidify into genuine aspects of government.
For children, the government is not about health care reform, gun control debates, corrupt representatives or political lobbyist.
For children, government is part of community and civil studies. It's a subject in school that gives them a taste of how their country works, generally in a very patriotic way.
It's not uncommon for elementary age children to write letters to the president or even to see cartoon representations of him on television shows - like an episode of the children's show "Arthur" when the character D.W. gets lost in the White House.
The president is that person who most children idolize at some point or another. The president is the embodiment of the American dream, no matter what party. By the age when this image of the president has faded, children have most likely already been indoctrinated with parents ideals, or aggressively fought against it, enough to understand that just because the president says do well in school, it doesn't mean you have to adore the guy.
Yesterday President Barack Obama asked schools around the country to show a speech he gave to Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. People of all ages, including students here at Virginia Tech, were concerned that exposure to the speech would leave the kids more sympathetic to the president's policies, possibly forming an unwanted bias.
The speech itself contained no political lesson. Obama simply told students to take personal responsibility for education and tried to inspire students with examples of kids who have faced tough life experiences and still managed to dedicate themselves to their studies. The only part of the speech that can be considered controversial is when he said that by quitting school, students are "quitting their country."
Of the five elementary schools in Blacksburg, one school chose to postpone viewing the speech until the faculty watched it themselves to decide whether it was appropriate. If the faculty decides it is, they'll send home letters alerting parents so that they can decide if they want their children to see it.
One decided not to show the speech at all, and another was unavailable for comment.
Two schools showed the speech and said they found it appropriate for the children and without any real political bias. Administrators from these schools said only a handful of parents chose for their children to not participate in the viewing.
So, while parents do have the right to have their children abstain from participation in activities they do not agree with, this speech was non-threatening. To a child, he's just a man in a position of high respect - the President of the United States - encouraging students to do their best in the upcoming school year.
The editorial board is comprised of Debra Houchins, Sara Mitchell, and Peter Velz