SphericalTime: Actually, that sounds like an interesting project. Huh. Wish that I could have done that in Middle School.

I disagree. Schools should be politically neutral.

If she wanted students to identify weakness of *all* candidates, then I'd have no problem with it.

And it would still be better than the GOP's own internal vetting.

Are you saying a middle school class couldn't handle this assignment? Can they work a DVR?

What's wrong?

You guys don't trust that anonymous father?

opposition research? or, just reading old newspaper articles?


What are you afraid that the kids might find out? that you have a terrible memory or poor reasoning skills

Well that was certainly a very detailed and well researched article.

even if it is true, so what? they've just learned how to do research on a politician, and how to write to a local chairperson. oooh madrassa boogity boogityboo! they're taking steps in becoming informed voters! even in jethro's version it doesnt say.. send your research in. But yes i do agree it is Obama's fault that there isn't anyone running in the democrat's primary so that the assignment could be to research the people running for the DNC nomination.. and report on them.

If true, easiest A ever.

SphericalTime: Actually, that sounds like an interesting project. Huh. Wish that I could have done that in Middle School. when they *allegedly* vetted Sarah Palin in 2008

FTFY

"Mitt Romney's biggest weakness is that he doesn't have middle school students researching President Obama and submitting Obama's weaknesses to the Romney campaign."

I'm a democrat. This should not be a middle school assignment. I'm not entirely convinced this is true though, but kids should not be force fed partisan politics by anyone, including teachers and parents. I know it happens, but it shouldn't. If they want to give genuine Civics lessons, I wholeheartedly wish them well. In fact, more school time should be devoted to Civics (at least enough to engrain the structure of our government into people's heads).

/That said, this topic might make for a nice college paper.

ManateeGag: FTFA: forced his students to support President Barack Obama

Yeah, no bias here.

How is that biased? That's exactly what the assignment was to do, support Obama by sending him "useful" information on his political adversaries.

Because if there's one reliable source for political campaign research, it's eighth-graders.

I think a typical middle school class, if allowed to interview the candidate, could rule out Palin as a vice presidential candidate choice.

This article?

I_Am_Weasel: That really shouldn't be an acceptable assignment. Though I'd much like to see a link to the story that isn't sourced from the Daily Caller. Not that I'm trying to suggest that the Daily Caller is being dishonest, it's just that I'd imagine a story like this would find its way into more than just one report.

Yeah. All those quotes from parents and school officials is fishy.

Project should have involved foreign candidates to imbue impartiality.

As a former loyal Democrat voter all I say is this:


Sure wish vetting happened with Obama.

Depending on how the assignment is phrased, this is a great classroom project. It is interesting and relevant to today. It incorporates reading, writing, and research. It is an inquiry project, which means that students aren't just fed answers, they complete the assignment by surveying different articles, newscasts, and even late-night talk shows. It can even be differentiated by letting kids watch debates or youtube videos instead of just having them read.

A public school teacher using their little bully pulpit to politically indoctrinate children?

Unpossible.

I call total and complete bullshiat on this article. The furor on Fox News over this would be sky-high and there is not a peep.

Total BS.

Since the national political discourse about what makes a candidate suitable or not suitable seems to be aimed at a fifth-grade level, this assignment seems faintly condescending when given to eighth graders.

Also, if the teacher deliberately gave a class an assignment to come up with weaknesses for only one side of the aisle, he's an utter twunt who might want to leverage being Fox's freak of the week into some sort of reality show appearance.

Close2TheEdge: I call total and complete bullshiat on this article. The furor on Fox News over this would be sky-high and there is not a peep.

Total BS.

Are you trolling, or incapable of using Google?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/22/virginia-middle-school-tea c her-makes-students-search-for-weaknesses-in-gop/
http://nation.foxnews.com/schools/2012/03/22/middle-schoolers-assigne d -opposition-research-gop-candidates

FloydA: jigger: ManateeGag: FTFA: forced his students to support President Barack Obama

Yeah, no bias here.

How is that biased? That's exactly what the assignment was to do, support Obama by sending him "useful" information on his political adversaries.


If this actually took place, that teacher would lose his job. The thing is, the claim is false. The events described did not happen. The source is not reliable. You have been lied to.



Did the media source make it up? If not, it's not biased.

This would have been a great assignment if:

1) Half the class was assigned to research the Dems
2) Half the class was assigned to research the Reps
3) Nothing was forwarded to any campaign

/ ex-history/social studies teacher

magores: This would have been a great assignment if:

1) Half the class was assigned to research the Dems
2) Half the class was assigned to research the Reps
3) Nothing was forwarded to any campaign

/ ex-history/social studies teacher

===================

Meh - would just do the republicans because there currently is a metric ass-load of material ,magazine / newspaper articles out for the last year on the nomination race

Have a short intro about the Republic party and its ideals and policies -- the last few republican presidential candidates or presidents . Then break the kids up into groups to review one candidate each and what republican voters they think they are trying to attract by their policies / promises and what republican voter that they would really appeal to , and have them assigned another candidate ( make it easy and have an opposite politically ) and what they would attack or point out weakness in their policy .

The last part of forward the results to Obama sounds Derpy to me for there would be no point to it

Posted at 03:32 PM ET, 03/22/2012 TheWashingtonPost
Fairfax teacher assigned students to do opposition research against GOP candidates, report says
By Emma Brown

A Fairfax civics teacher assigned eighth-graders to conduct opposition research against GOP presidential candidates and send their findings to the Obama campaign, the Daily Caller reported Thursday.

The Liberty Middle School assignment to find weaknesses in Republican campaigns - and develop strategies to exploit those weaknesses - caused consternation among some parents who said that kind of partisanship has no place in a public school.

"I was shocked that a school teacher would so blatantly politicize the curriculum of a middle school classroom," one parent told The Daily Caller.

"The intent of the assignment was to teach students about the political process and not to be an endorsement of one candidate over another," school system spokesman John Torre said in a telephone interview with the Washington Post.

Students were supposed to figure out how to forward their findings to the Obama campaign, Torre added, but none of their research was in fact sent to Democratic operatives.

After a parent complained, Torre said, the school principal discussed the matter with the teacher. The principal said - and the teacher agreed, Torre said - that if the assignment is given in the future, students should have the option to research candidates from both political parties.
No disciplinary action against the teacher is being contemplated, Torre said.

Are you a parent at Liberty who was upset by this assignment? Are you a parent in any Washington-area school system whose children have completed assignments that you thought were inappropriately partisan? I'd love to hear from you at brown­e­t­sophsawco­m.

By Emma Brown | 03:32 PM ET, 03/22/2012

Seems there is something to the story. Not going to call for the teacher to be fired, but damn, something more than a stern "talking to" seems to be in order for this fark up. And yes, if the assignment was to do opp research on President Obama only, I would have a big problem with it as well..

I wonder if the outrage would be lessened if the assignment (framed as a lesson in how the nomination process works) had included one kid from each group then assuming the role of their assigned candidate, having the class hold a mock primary debate, and then voting for one of the Republican candidates.

I think it is probably a real story. I remember when my youngest was in school, they sent something home for MLK day and were talking about civil rights and they actually wrote that basically men were republicans and women and minorities were democrats. Hell, today I could take that information and sue the school system.

apoptotic: I wonder if the outrage would be lessened if the assignment (framed as a lesson in how the nomination process works) had included one kid from each group then assuming the role of their assigned candidate, having the class hold a mock primary debate, and then voting for one of the Republican candidates.

With this bunch, wouldn't they have to have the special education students play the candidates?

Why do I think that most of the "THIS IS FAKE!" people here would be having a different reaction if the parties in the scenario were reversed?

Rhetorical question is rhetorical.

From the Fox News article...

"My classmates don't actually know a lot, but a few of us tended to agree that the most recent instruction on this project just didn't seem right," one of the students told the news website. Mr. Denman didn't tell us where to find the information, just to research on them."

Because that sounds like the speech pattern of an 8th grader...

Even if the story is completely true, are we to believe that an 8th grade civics class is going to uncover something from open-source articles that professional political insiders and investigators have somehow missed throughout the years?

I'd bet dollars to donuts that this was an assignment to compare and contrast against each other the only four presidential candidates currently involved in debates and primaries.