Obama's Prepared Remarks

I came to class on Friday not knowing what the topic of discussion would be-- that President Obama would be streaming a message about education and schooling live to students across the country. We did not know where he would be speaking, or which students he would be speaking to. There is a link provided by an article on CNN.com to a copy of the remarks he will have today.

I eagerly clicked on the 4-page link, scanning to find scandalous new plans for high school teens, etc. There was absolutely nothing I could personally find that would infuriate parents so much. People are taking their kids out of class and schools are refusing to broadcast this message.

I can't figure out why. Can you? If I was a parent, I would definitely want someone else telling my kids to try as hard as they can. He mentions people who have grown up without money going to Brown University and becoming doctors...but he also mentions the value of just graduating high school. He even wants kids to wash their hands more to prevent the flu from spreading around school this Winter and Fall. He's not pressuring everyone to become rocket scientists or professors with a countless number of degrees. Parents obviously have control over their kids, but I wonder, if it was anyone other than Obama telling their kids to follow their dreams, would they be this upset? Is their argument that the most powerful man in the country should not be telling my kids what to do valid because someone else could have the same exact beliefs?