The President: Principal-in-Chief, or Father-in-Chief?

This statement, attributed to a woman who posted a video online of kindergartners chanting praises to the president, is unbelievable:

“Alteredbeat” told FOXNews.com that he reached out to Carney-Nunes, who insisted that the program had been filmed in June as part of a Father’s Day tribute to President Obama. “The kids made up the songs on their own,” she wrote, according to the YouTube user.

Here is the video, with the lyrics written out in the description on the right side of the page. I don’t think little kindergartners are capable of writing rhyming couplets that allude to global economic issues and legislation passed months earlier. Not to mention the big words like “accomplishments.”

It is possible that the students brainstormed ideas for the songs, but some of the content was obviously provided by an adult. This reminds me of the activities that the Department of Education recommended classrooms engage in leading up to the presidential address to students a few weeks ago. The ostensible purpose of the writing exercises was for students to express their own ideas, but the writing prompts all started with the assumption that students would find the speech inspiring and would want to support the president.

Furthermore, Father’s Day seems like an odd time for schools to celebrate the presidency; it implies that the president is somehow a father to all schoolchildren. That’s not the way to view elected officials in a democracy.