Reply #17: We are so lucky to have a 'President Obama' after years of......

[YvonneCa]

...no or incompetent leadership for years. Can you imagine Bush's answer to the question?

I agree that there are many perspectives on this (local,national,etc.) and that it is a sad event. I will admit that my response is at a national level.

"Teachable Moments". This country hasn't had a leader who understands their importance...until now. For me, it was refreshing that Obama just answered the question honestly, without equivocation. It may have been a political lapse to say 'stupidly', but he spoke his truth. That's okay by me...BETTER than okay.

Setting up honest communication about issues over which we have conflict is a first step in conflict resolution. Including the people in this communication is not what the country is used to, but it needs to happen. Often. JMHO. It IS how we fix things.


The actions of President Obama reflect the best of conflict resolution skills. (bring people together to communicate, use de-escalating language, listen to each other, etc.) I've worked for years teaching that to students in a program called 'Peace Patrol.' Here's a link...

http://interactionsforpeace.org/PeacePatrol_Home.aspx

Peace Patrol © empowers our youth with the strategies and skills necessary to build a strong foundation for non-violent interactions in our schools and communities:


Self-awareness and worth
Cooperation
Communication
Conflict Resolution
Parent and Community Connections


The Peace Patrol © Program, coupled with the rest of Our integrated set of programs, enables children to gain the knowledge necessary to further develop these skills and incorporate them into principles that will be used all of their life.


For me, I'm excited to see teachable moments being used to TEACH. When I've worked with kids to develop these skills...there has often been a disconnect when they see adults do the opposite. President Obama is giving them a new role model...one that leads to a better world. I applaud President Obama for his leadership. :patriot: