Reporter, 11, Grants Obama Homeboy Status
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Damon Weaver made his name in journalism with a campaign-time interview of then-Vice Presidential wannabe Joe Biden. Now, a veteran reporter at the age of 11, the Florida boy sat down at the White House to pepper the President himself on issues important to American kids.
Weaver admitted to being a bit nervous as he waited for the nation's leader to enter the Diplomatic Room. However, for the remainder of the nine minute "dream" interview, which appeared Thursday night on YouTube, his nerves never betrayed him.
Weaver had been vying to interview Mr. Obama for eight months, he told CBS' "The Early Show" Friday. Of his experience, Weaver said, "The president is a normal person."
The reporter, who has doubtless become something more of a media star than his position at Kathryn E. Cunningham Canal Point Elementary's KEC-TV initially promised, first prodded the Commander in Chief to reveal details of his upcoming education reform plans.
Mr. Obama, in typical adult fashion, answered the question by saying that, yes, in fact, he would answer the question, just not right now. The president urged Weaver and the rest of America to tune-in on Sept. 8 for his big announcement in a televised speech.
So Weaver pushed harder, asking the President how schools could improve as national, state and local governments look for ways to slash growing budgets.
Mr. Obama said his administration had increased funding for education, but he said "we've also got to improve how the schools are operating."
"Find the best schools and figure out what it is that they're doing well, and then try to get other schools that aren't doing so well to do the same kinds of things," he told Weaver.
The President acknowledged a gulf in the quality of education between some of the nation's richer and poorer communities.
"A lot of that is state funding," said Mr. Obama, "and I want to see states be more fair in terms of how they give money to various schools around their communities."
He said the federal government also needed to "make sure we can find" enough money to fund programs at the worst-off schools to help boost their efficacy.
Weaver wasn't able to leverage any further details on the coming reforms, but he did reveal three key "talking points" which likely will be heard again from Mr. Obama on Sept. 8; state's responsibilities and Washington's responsibilities, as mentioned above, and the third being parents' responsibility.
Mr. Obama stressed the importance of parental involvement in education, particularly early education. He said it was the job of parents and communities to ensure American kids enter school already armed with "the basics", such as a familiarity with the alphabet.
The President said it was also down to parents to help end the indiscriminate violence that plagues children in some communities, including Weaver's own in Pahokee, Florida.
"Schools need resources to keep kids safe," said the President, but parents and other figures of authority in local communities "need to make sure that we are teaching young people to deal with the issues that they may have in a better way, in a more constructive way."
There were a few specifics revealed, however, in the contentious area of school nutrition.
"There's a lot of French fries, pizza, tater tots, all kinds of stuff that, you know, isn't a well-balanced meal" being served in the nation's schools, Mr. Obama told Weaver.
The President vowed to make some changes to that menu which he admitted, "kids may not end up liking."
Weaver suggested the relatively-balanced meal plan of French fries and mangoes for all U.S. school children.
"I don't think we can get mangoes in every school," the President told him, citing agricultural geography and food transport efficiency concerns.
Despite this disappointment, and the President's admission that he can no longer slam-dunk a basketball due to old legs, Weaver gave his subject the sort of YouTube endorsement White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs could only dream of.
As he ended the interview, Weaver declared Mr. Obama his "homeboy".
"He's very tall and nice," added the young reporter in his closing remarks, outside the White House.
Before entering high school, Weaver has interviewed some of the biggest names in America, including Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Caroline Kennedy, Samuel L. Jackson, and basketball player Dwyane Wade — not to mention his homeboys in the White House.
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Good for him.
Information was thus bi-directionally exchanged, and verily understood by both parties, as well as the vast majority of those witnessing said encounter, it seems that thou possesseth an inability to comprehend the subtleties of modern colloquialism, and thus are incapable of understanding modern English communication.
Thou dost protest too much.
I agree with Obama, that parents need to get more involved, but there are a few road blocks.
1. Parent and teachers, rights to discipline have been constantly eroded, by Law.
An unruly kid, is not going to automatically do what is asked when you threaten "TIME OUT" - They will laugh at you. And, Children Services has over-reacted repeatedly, to the points where Parents FEAR being claimed as Child Abusers, or molesters.
The "power" has switched for parents to kids. I see nothing wrong with 3 smacks on the butt, or washing the kids mouth with soap for using "trash talk" or even sending them to bead without dinner. I do not think spanking should be allowed in schools, simply, because I feel it is the parents responsibility to discipline kids - not the schools.
Yes, there is legitamate child abuse - I will not get in that discussion.
2) You have Kids having Kids - there have even been articles where 10/11 have become pregnant. - kids and teen-agers ahving kids? They have not even figured out where they are yet, and now have the assome responsiblity to raise a kid? They are not ready! Most are still kids themselves - Look at all the dumb stuff reported at colleges - Do you really think they are ready to be parents - and can handle the stress?
These are just 2 of the issues with education. Lids have to know that there are degress of punishment for mis-behaving. (Example: talking in class, put them in the hall and make them write a 500 word essay - theres should be some adult walkinig the halls, to make sure they don't "slip" away. If they throw a book at the teacher, then they need to know that parents will be called - and do it - how happy, do you think that kid will be, or will he be sweating bullets, just waiting for his parents to show, knowing, that they had to ask to leave work, because he/she misbehaved?
But, if you have a smart kid - "hello, children services my teacher (or parent) TOUCHED ME THERE" - Now, who is sweating????
"Rights to discipline" do not exist, there is no provision in the constitution guaranteeing a "right" to discipline. What does not exist cannot be "eroded", but there is a responsibility to discipline, and it does not preclude corporal punishment by the parents, nor is corporal punishment the only way to instill discipline.
As far as kids having kids, that has existed since time immemorial, the urge to procreate is a necessary part of all life, couple that with the emphasis on materialism, and the demonstration by "adults" from the highest station to the lowest, that "who dies with the most toys, wins", and that it really doesn't matter how one gets the toys, and it shows your post to be at best naive re how the world works.
Talking in class? What nonsense, education without two way communication is not education, but indoctrination. Asking for permission to speak is a violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech. Last time I checked, there is no provision in the constitution that rights begin at "adulthood".
No one possesses the mental derangement to concentrate for 55 minutes on a single subject, without exchanging ideas with those around you, and there is no way adults, much less kids, can gather and sit without social interaction.
In the hall writing an essay? What reference material that they would find in the halls, and how is that contributing to education?
Throwing books? That is assault, if it were to happen, I would have the police call the parents, but it is rare that such assaults take place, not even worthy of mention as a factor. Also, how many jobs nowadays would even allow a parent to leave work? This isn't 1950 anymore.
Here is the way out, first throw out unnecessary and tortuously boring indoctrination courses, like the propaganda called "social studies", leave Latin to elective courses, and if you are going to teach history, remove the lies, leave the "Columbus discovered America in 1492" BS out, and teach real history.
Re-orient education to prepare a student for the real world, business administration, the sciences, art, music, athletics, computer technology, even pre-med.
Also end the concept of "amateur" status for students, if the school can make money off the athletes, musicians, and other performances by the students, the students should be entitled to the lion's share of that money. In Detroit, most high schools have an auto shop class, why not teach the actual business of running an auto shop, as well as the tech?
Teach the real reasons the US fought wars, and teach political processes from local to international, so the population won't be so easily lied into wars.
In short, teach kids how to make money instead of loading them with useless and in many cases false information, and you will have a much more cooperative student body.
PS--for the naysayers, I shouldn't have to add this, but don't even try to guess my race.
We have seen enough of your posts not to have to guess that you are a sucker who still believes in the concept of race, which means you are one of "them".
If you have taught your children that we are all "Americans", then how do they explain Amadou Diallo, Rodney King, or many of the posters on these threads?
You remind me of a DVD interview with one of the writers of the movie"Blazing Saddles", who had trouble understanding why many of the "White" actors had trouble using the "n-word", his comment was, "What's wrong with calling people what they are?"
You seem almost as ignorant as the writer.
Wouldn't it be nice if a company as wealthy as CBS could get its act together and provide a comment board that doesn't repeat posts?
This thing has been a total mess, ever since they "fixed" it last fall / winter.
by democracy1 August 14, 2009 9:20 AM EDT
This thing has been a total mess, ever since they "fixed" it last fall / winter.
________________________
I could have sworn, that you were talking about the Obama economy and his Presidency.....it has been a total mess since the "fixed" it last fall.....How Ironic.....AHHHH HA ha ahahahahah ahaha