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Still on summer break? You still can watch President Obama's address to students

• Published September 03, 2009

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Students at North Thurston, Olympia and Tumwater schools will have to find a computer or a television with cable if they want to watch President Barack Obama's address to students, scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, local time.

Obama's speech will be about the importance of staying in school and working hard in classes. The White House will also launch a new initiative, the "I Am What I Learn" video contest . According to the Department of Education:

The Department of Education offers educators a menu of classroom activities—created by its teachers-in-residence, the Teaching Ambassador Fellows—to help engage students in the address and stimulate classroom discussions about the importance of education.

On September 8, we will invite students to respond to the president’s challenge by creating videos, up to two minutes in length, describing the steps they will take to improve their education and the role education will play in fulfilling their dreams.

They will ask students to enter the contest by uploading the videos to YouTube.

If you're in a district where school hasn't started yet, you can watch the address live at the White House Web site or on TV on C-SPAN, which is Channel 24 in Olympia.

I've seen some news sources (mostly from Texas, but I've seen at least one report from Missouri) reporting concerns from community members that the speech will veer from education and into health care or the environment. Some districts are needing to reassure parents they have the right to pull their children from that lesson or that the address will not be shown at school at all. Here's the Dallas Morning News education blog's take on that.

I've heard reports of one local school district asking parents to sign off before their children watch the speech. I'm still chasing that one down, and if I get that confirmed I'll post here.

-Venice Buhain, Olympian education reporter