Obama to address school children

[Calabrio]

PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities:
President Obama’s Address to Students
Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education September 8, 2009


Before the Speech:

Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions: Who is the President of the United States? What do you think it takes to be President? To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking? Why do you think he wants to speak to you? What do you think he will say to you?

Teachers can ask students to imagine being the President delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States. What would you tell students? What can students do to help in our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what they would say.

Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech:

As the President speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note-taking graphic organizer such as a Cluster Web, or students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children can draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following: What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do? What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?

Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?

Students can record any questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
After the Speech:

Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes or stick notes on a butcher paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, i.e. citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty.

Students could discuss their responses to the following questions: What do you think the President wants us to do? Does the speech make you want to do anything? Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us? What would you like to tell the President?

Teachers could encourage students to participate in the Department of Education’s “I Am What I Learn” video contest.
On September 8

the Department will invite K-12 students to submit a
video no longer than 2 min, explaining why education is important and how their education will help them achieve their dreams. Teachers are welcome to incorporate the same or a similar video project into an assignment. More details will be released via http://www.ed.gov
.
Extension of the Speech: Teachers can extend learning by having students

Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants or puzzle pieces or trails marked with the labels: personal, academic, community, country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in those areas. It might make sense to focus on personal and academic so community and country goals come more readily.

Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.

Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.

Interview and share about their goals with one another to create a supportive community.

Participate in School wide incentive programs or contests for students who achieve their goals.

Write about their goals in a variety of genres, i.e. poems, songs, personal essays.

Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.

Graph student progress toward goals.[/quote]

 

[Black87LSC]

:eek2:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

k6, now there's a challange if ever I sawe one.
Indoctrinate kids who don't have the slighest interest in what is going on in the world.
These kids couldn't care less that the president is paying them a visit.
They are only interested in the latest electronic gadgets and video games, not a visit from a politician.
This is just another failed expos'e of the gloom and doom that the country is headed for with the black dude at the helm.
Mayber monstormark and his henchmen outta rush the white house and hang him from the nearest tree..
Man you people are in desperate need of emotional councelling.
You are grabbing at straws.
What other gloom and doom stories do you have?
Bob.

 

[Calabrio]

k6, now there's a challange if ever I sawe one.
Indoctrinate kids who don't have the slighest interest in what is going on in the world.

The request is to make it part of the curriculum.
Did you read it?
I doubt it. You never do.

This is just another failed expos'e of the gloom and doom that the country is headed for with the black dude at the helm.

Stop viewing this through the window of your racist soul.
Race has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Man you people are in desperate need of emotional councelling.
You are grabbing at straws.

Based upon all that you are projecting, I'd suggest counseling for you.

What other gloom and doom stories do you have?

Nothing that you'd understand.

 

[Black87LSC]

k6, now there's a challange if ever I sawe one.
Indoctrinate kids who don't have the slighest interest in what is going on in the world.
These kids couldn't care less that the president is paying them a visit.
They are only interested in the latest electronic gadgets and video games, not a visit from a politician.
This is just another failed expos'e of the gloom and doom that the country is headed for with the black dude at the helm.
Mayber monstormark and his henchmen outta rush the white house and hang him from the nearest tree..
Man you people are in desperate need of emotional councelling.
You are grabbing at straws.
What other gloom and doom stories do you have?
Bob.

Please read this, Bob.

http://colanmc.siu.edu/clockwork/papers/p1.html

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Please read this, Bob.

http://colanmc.siu.edu/clockwork/papers/p1.html

So now what are you claiming?
Am I suppossed to belive that Obama is another Hitler?
Oh please, give it a break.
Bob.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

"This is just another failed expos'e of the gloom and doom that the country is headed for with the black dude at the helm. "

"Stop viewing this through the window of your racist soul.
Race has absolutely nothing to do with it."

I belive RACE has everything too do with it.
You people preaching gloom and doom by Obama have never done the same with other presidents.
Obviously it must have something too do with his color that is driving your frenzy.
I'M surprised you,and those who share you warped views haven't banded together and circeled the white house demanding his head.
Gee, I can see it now, another Normandie invasion, only this time on the shores of the Patomic.
Oh, don't forget to bring all the little kids from K6 with you.
Bob.

 

[Calabrio]

I belive RACE has everything too do with it.
You people preaching gloom and doom by Obama have never done the same with other presidents.

I've been critical of other Presidents, but what's going on in unprecedented. You dismiss all efforts to demonstrate that.

You can dismiss everything and continue to view it through the lens of your bizarre white-racist guilt, but you're a fool for doing so.

Obviously it must have something too do with his color that is driving your frenzy.

"Obviously"- you're still a racist who lacks the ability to understand what is going on in the world. OBVIOUSLY, you are projecting the racist sentiments that YOU CONTINUE to feel onto other people.

I'M surprised you,and those who share you warped views haven't banded together and circeled the white house demanding his head.

What "warped views" are you talking about?
Defending capitalism?
Defending the constitution?
Tell us, Bob, what views are "warped." Elaborate.

I'll repeat, this has NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE. If you actually read or understood the material you were responding to, you would realize that. People like Cass Sunstein are not black. Emanuel is not black. Bill Ayers. Jeff Jones. George Soros. These are not black people, you racist clown.

Stop projecting your insecure racism on other people. Stop using it in an effort to hide your ignorance.

Gee, I can see it now, another Normandie invasion, only this time on the shores of the Patomic.

That's just a stupid comment.
Even for you.

Oh, don't forget to bring all the little kids from K6 with you.
Bob.

This is a political movement taking place, you moron. We're seeing everything move in for revolutionary, radical change.

Perhaps you should ask questions instead of just giving your knee-jerk, racist, moronic responses.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

"Perhaps you should ask questions instead of just giving your knee-jerk, racist, moronic responses."

That stupid comment isn't worth the time too respond but, I will.
The only maronic responses are the one's being put forth by you and monstormark.
You take all this crap off sites on the internet, and take it as gospel.
It is easy too see who the real morons are.
Havn't you learned yet that peole posting these blogs on the internet are giving you THEIR views?
Downloading blogs from some internet site does not make that information totally true, or accurate.
Using that information as the basis for your opinion is crazy at best.
Bob.

 

[Black87LSC]

It is easy too see who the real morons are.

You are correct. I really, REALLY wish that you and the liberals were right about Obama, but there are red flags everywhere. I am NOT in any way, shape or form a racist. This whole thing has NOTHING to do with the fact Obama is black. I think it's great to have some diversity, but not at the expense of our freedoms and the way this country works. I would have been in this same boat during the era of Hitler. I stand up for what is right, whether my oppostion be white, black, yellow, orange, blue, red, etc. I also won't support anybody just because he/she happens to be white, black, yellow, orange, blue, red, etc. Race is not an issue, so why don't you try to scratch at least just a little bit below the surface, OK? All you do is get in the way of real discussion.

 

[foxpaws]

Cal - Where did you get this - there isn't a link...

 

[Calabrio]

Cal - Where did you get this - there isn't a link...

The Letter to School Principles

PreK through 6 curriculum

And here is the grade 7-12 curriculum:

And lastly, the interview where Obama made the "announcement"
YouTube - Student Reporter Damon Weaver Interviews President Barack Obama
Obama makes the announcement right away, about 45 seconds into the "interview."

 

[Calabrio]

hat stupid comment isn't worth the time too respond but, I will.

No doubt, you can't resist the opportunity to post something that further demonstrates your gross ignorance, narrow world view and understanding of race.

The only maronic responses are the one's being put forth by you and monstormark.

I disagree.
I'd discuss that with you, but you apparently have neither the ability nor the interest to do so.

But, tell me what was moronic about anything I've presented. Try me.

You take all this crap off sites on the internet, and take it as gospel.
It is easy too see who the real morons are.

What are you trying to say here? Did I post something that was untrue? What. Challenge me.

Havn't you learned yet that peole posting these blogs on the internet are giving you THEIR views?

In this thread, what "opinion" did I post?
What conclusion are you taking issue with?
What are you trying to say?

Downloading blogs from some internet site does not make that information totally true, or accurate.

What information have I presented that wasn't true or accurate?

But, you seem to have strayed.... you're original point was that I, and others like MonsterMark, were racists. You seem to have strayed from that idiotic, unsupportable, baseless claim to this new angle, ineffectively attacking vague, imaginary sources.

 

[shagdrum]

You’ve Got a Better Idea?

Well. Not content with an unprecedented four primetime news conferences to date in his young administration, President Obama now needs to address the entire public school system. And not just for a Hey-Kids-Howya-Doin-I’m-Your-New-President-So-Be-Good-In-School-This-Year-Mmmkay? speech.

You know, like back when I was a kid and Jimmy Carter would come around and hand out balloon animals at parties. Or maybe those were clowns. I get confused. Anyway.

Nope, Obama can’t just say hey to the kiddies and encourage them to do their homework. He has to make this a — what does the Left call it? — a teachable moment. A speech-in, if you will. Teachers have even been given handy instructions on how best to integrate The One into the classroom. Here’s some fun educational-type stuff your young son or daughter might be doing next week:

After the Speech:

• Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes or stick notes on a butcher paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, i.e. citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty.
• Students could discuss their responses to the following questions: What do you think the President wants us to do?

You mean, other than hurl?

Oh, and this:

Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?​

It’s not mere education — it’s learnyness!

Now my son is young enough that he won’t be subjected to the President’s smiling face, dulcet tones, and calls to action. He won’t be pressured by his teachers or peers to go along or get with the program.

Your kids might not be so lucky.

In impossible times, the only way to be a responsible parent is to do the irresponsible thing. If my son were in a public school…

I’d call him in sick next Tuesday. I’d keep him home. I suggest you do so. I urge you to do so. If pressed, be honest about your reasons — but be reasonable about presenting them. Otherwise, don’t offer an explanation. Make it a silent protest.

And while your kids are home, think up some patriotic games to play. Rent the delightful (and true-in-spirit-if-not-in-fact) musical, 1776. Set off some fireworks. Make it a mini Fourth of July.

Can’t take the time off work? Well, I’m sure you have at least one patriotic neighbor with an older child, who might jump at the chance to play a little sanctioned hooky — and make some babysitting money, too.

Spread the word. Pass the link around. And see if the President’s face is still smiling, when he realizes he’s talking to half-empty classrooms. Do make it a teachable moment — one where the would-be teacher does the learning.

 

[MonsterMark]

You people preaching gloom and doom by Obama have never done the same with other presidents.

Yes, having the 1st usurping, conniving and lying socialist in the White House has nothing to do with it.

 

[Kstills]

I'm torn by this.

I don't mind so much Obama addressing the students (given he stays on topic about how important education is) but the suggested study guides are just downright creepy.

As long as the school my daughter attends does not use those guides, I'm ok with her watching him speak.

 

[shagdrum]

I'm torn by this.

I don't mind so much Obama addressing the students (given he stays on topic about how important education is) but the suggested study guides are just downright creepy.

As long as the school my daughter attends does not use those guides, I'm ok with her watching him speak.

If he were simply making broad non-political overtures, and basically making kids aware of of government, civil society, etc., that would be great. But this looks very much like it will be promoting a political agenda (as would be typical with this administration). That would be a blatant abuse of power through the government school system and nothing short of indoctrination. It is all very Orwellian, IMO.

If I were a father I would pull my kid out of school on this day; letting both the teacher and the principle know why I am doing so and that I don't want them pushing (of facilitating Obama's pushing) of a political agenda on my child.

 

[Calabrio]

The following day he's going to address a joint session of Congress.
Other than after being elected and State of the Union addresses, that hasn't happened since Bush addressed the Congress following 9/11.

 

[Calabrio]

The White House is says regarding the speech that, "Obama will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of taking responsibility for their success in school."

If the address is about personal responsibility, that would be great.
I'm doubtful that will be the message.

Frankly, it'll further confuse the issue and continue to give people the impression that the FEDERAL government is supposed to have anything to do with local education.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Now, with all the sites and links you use as "evidence", how is it that none of you have found an advance copy of the speech he is suppossed to be making to these school kids?
Basing my question on the tons of information you have had us link to in many of your threads, this is a reasonable question.
Instead of running off at the mouth about what Obama is, or is not going to say too these kids, why have you not taken the time to find an advance copy of what he WILL talk about?
Seems like that should be a pretty easy task for all you internet junkies.
You certainly have no trouble finding all the other crapolla you post and link from you tube.
So now I suppose you are going to tell me a speach does not exist.
Further, you would think by your use of it, you tube was the second comming of Christ.
You take what is on that site as the gospel truth.
Have none of you heard of video editing?
I hope you don't think all of that stuff you link too from you tube is beyond reproach.
If you do, you are most definetely in need of help.
The next thing I expect to hear from you is that Obama is going to institute the "camps" of world war II again to house non belivers of his policies.
That makes about as much sense as the crap you fools have been posting too date.
None of which, unless you call you tube a reliable source, is from an unimpeachable source.
I want you all to know,my response to this original post is not about a president, his color or his misguided speeches.
What it is about, is fact gathering.
The sources of the facts you present is what I am questioning, and the way you present those facts as being gospel.
Why do you insist the information you post is the way it REALLY is?
Just because you saw a video on you tube which in all proability may have been editited or, you saw an internet article from some unnamed source, or, from a source that has absolutely no standing, does not make it so.
Many of the information sites you have taken information from, and posted links too in this forum are nothing more than lobby groups, with an adgenda of their own.
Naturally the info will be slanted in their direction.
What else would you expect?
There are always two sides too every story.
It would be nice to see the other side so that one could make an honest judgement based on the true facts.
What is it they say on fox news?
Oh yeah, "Fair and Balanced".
Too date, what has been posted is extremely biased with not one ounce of validity.
Bob.

 

[Calabrio]

Now, with all the sites and links you use as "evidence", how is it that none of you have found an advance copy of the speech he is suppossed to be making to these school kids?

Because it hasn't been released.
It probably isn't finalized yet.

Basing my question on the tons of information you have had us link to in many of your threads, this is a reasonable question.

It's a reasonable question, presuming that you recognize your knowledge and understanding is very limited.

However, you think that you've made a point. And in that context, it was a rather stupid question.

Instead of running off at the mouth about what Obama is, or is not going to say too these kids, why have you not taken the time to find an advance copy of what he WILL talk about?

As mentioned, it hasn't been released.
Most likely, it won't be released to the media until the morning OF the speech.

But the White House did just release this:
http://www.ed.gov/news/events/advisory.html

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
President Obama to Speak Directly to Students in National Address on Educational Success

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As children across America go back to school, President Obama will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of taking responsibility for their success in school on Tuesday, September 8th at 12:00 PM EDT at Wakefield High School in Arlington. In advance of this address, the Department of Education is providing resources developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion about persisting and succeeding in school. The speech will be broadcast live on www.WhiteHouse.gov and C-SPAN. The speech is open to pre-credentialed media. The deadline to request credentials is 6:00PM EDT tomorrow, Thursday, September 3rd.

Seems like that should be a pretty easy task for all you internet junkies.

A moron might think that, wouldn't you?

You certainly have no trouble finding all the other crapolla you post and link from you tube.

It's kind of entertaining, every time you post, Bob, I get the sense that you honestly believe your saying something intelligent or sage like. For example, you honestly think that you had come up with a clever response here, something that would really just put me in my place. Of course that never seems to happen. You just go on to further demonstrate the vastness of both your ignorance and your unexplainable arrogance.

So now I suppose you are going to tell me a speach does not exist.

umm.....No Bob... it doesn't exist.
It's not scheduled to take place for another week......

Further, you would think by your use of it, you tube was the second comming of Christ.

That's an interesting observation, but I can't say that I understand what you're talking about.... However, if they develop the ability to view videos of future events, as you seem to have inside knowledge of, I'll be pretty damned impressed.

You take what is on that site as the gospel truth.

As much as I'd like to just sit here and belittle you and your absurd attempt at condescension... I'll have to ask- "what are you talking about."

Youtube doesn't create content. It hosts content that is upload by users. So any indictment that you'd like to make will have to be more specific. Is there something in this thread, or anywhere, that I posted that you think was...

Have none of you heard of video editing?

...the result of editing.

I hope you don't think all of that stuff you link too from you tube is beyond reproach.

Care to be more specific.

If you do, you are most definetely in need of help.

There's plenty of misleading and dishonest information on the internet.
Fortunately, I know how to distinguish it from the quality content.

The next thing I expect to hear from you is that Obama is going to institute the "camps" of world war II again to house non belivers of his policies.

Do you believe this to be the truth?
Why would you present something like that?
An openly racist individual like yourself should be quite worried about that though. Someone who's gone on the internet and unabashedly made they're racists beliefs public record might be interested in better understanding what political correctness and hate crimes can mean.

That makes about as much sense as the crap you fools have been posting too date.

Such as??

None of which, unless you call you tube a reliable source, is from an unimpeachable source.

Again, Youtube isn't a "source."

I want you all to know,my response to this original post is not about a president, his color or his misguided speeches.
What it is about, is fact gathering.

Here's the problem, Bob.
You're not getting smarter as this thread progresses.
Though I see how hard you're trying to make it look that way and back pedal.

You specifically said,
"This is just another failed expos'e of the gloom and doom that the country is headed for with the black dude at the helm."
And then even said that people like me want to hang him from "the nearest tree."
So, don't try to disown the statement now just because you've been called on it.

And if you'd like to discuss "fact gathering"
Noting that the information I posted on this website was released by the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, what is it that you're taking issue with?

Did you not like the Youtube video I posted?
Was that the product of "trick editing" that you speak of?
Was that a CG Obama with that little kid, or did he NOT say that he'd be speaking to school kids after labor day?

The sources of the facts you present is what I am questioning, and the way you present those facts as being gospel.

Give some specifics Bob.
And, better yet, maybe do them in the thread that they are presented.

Why do you insist the information you post is the way it REALLY is?

Because I make and effort to make sure that the information I post is the way it REALLY is.

Just because you saw a video on you tube which in all proability may have been editited or, you saw an internet article from some unnamed source, or, from a source that has absolutely no standing, does not make it so.

Do you have any ability to self-censor yourself?
Saying something stupid is one thing. But repeating it over and over, as though you're making a valid point is simply making me embarrassed for you.

If you take issue with something that I've pointed, specify it, and will discuss it- in great detail if you'd like- in the appropriate thread.

Many of the information sites you have taken information from, and posted links too in this forum are nothing more than lobby groups, with an adgenda of their own.

Examples?

Too date, what has been posted is extremely biased with not one ounce of validity.
Bob.

You don't make any sense.
If I'm to presume you have ANY sense at all, then I'm left to presume that you're challenging the accuracy of the information in THIS thread.

So you either think:
A- Obama IS NOT going to deliver a speech/message to school children
B- That the letter to the principles and the two teaching guides are fake.
C- The video of Obama SAYING that he is going to deliver a message to children is the product of slick and deceptive editing, and he said no such thing.

Which is it, Bob.
What point are you trying to make?

 

[shagdrum]

Now, with all the sites and links you use as "evidence", how is it that none of you have found an advance copy of the speech he is suppossed to be making to these school kids?
Basing my question on the tons of information you have had us link to in many of your threads, this is a reasonable question.
Instead of running off at the mouth about what Obama is, or is not going to say too these kids, why have you not taken the time to find an advance copy of what he WILL talk about?
Seems like that should be a pretty easy task for all you internet junkies.
You certainly have no trouble finding all the other crapolla you post and link from you tube.
So now I suppose you are going to tell me a speach does not exist.
Further, you would think by your use of it, you tube was the second comming of Christ.
You take what is on that site as the gospel truth.
Have none of you heard of video editing?
I hope you don't think all of that stuff you link too from you tube is beyond reproach.
If you do, you are most definetely in need of help.
The next thing I expect to hear from you is that Obama is going to institute the "camps" of world war II again to house non belivers of his policies.
That makes about as much sense as the crap you fools have been posting too date.
None of which, unless you call you tube a reliable source, is from an unimpeachable source.
I want you all to know,my response to this original post is not about a president, his color or his misguided speeches.
What it is about, is fact gathering.
The sources of the facts you present is what I am questioning, and the way you present those facts as being gospel.
Why do you insist the information you post is the way it REALLY is?
Just because you saw a video on you tube which in all proability may have been editited or, you saw an internet article from some unnamed source, or, from a source that has absolutely no standing, does not make it so.
Many of the information sites you have taken information from, and posted links too in this forum are nothing more than lobby groups, with an adgenda of their own.
Naturally the info will be slanted in their direction.
What else would you expect?
There are always two sides too every story.
It would be nice to see the other side so that one could make an honest judgement based on the true facts.
What is it they say on fox news?
Oh yeah, "Fair and Balanced".
Too date, what has been posted is extremely biased with not one ounce of validity.
Bob.

Ok, care to make a substantive critique, or are you going to stick with irrelevant attacks on the source of the information without, in any way, demonstrating that the information is somehow flawed or tainted?
You are making petty ad hominem arguments at best; attacking the messenger and avoiding confronting the actual message.
Can you move beyond the playground logic?

 

[Calabrio]

Should be fine, wouldn't pull the kids over this.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

 

[MonsterMark]

Completely rewritten.

 

[MonsterMark]

More Democrat hypocrisy...

When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
09/08/09 7:11 AM EDT

The controversy over President Obama's speech to the nation's schoolchildren will likely be over shortly after Obama speaks today at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. But when President George H.W. Bush delivered a similar speech on October 1, 1991, from Alice Deal Junior High School in Washington DC, the controversy was just beginning. Democrats, then the majority party in Congress, not only denounced Bush's speech -- they also ordered the General Accounting Office to investigate its production and later summoned top Bush administration officials to Capitol Hill for an extensive hearing on the issue.

Unlike the Obama speech, in 1991 most of the controversy came after, not before, the president's school appearance. The day after Bush spoke, the Washington Post published a front-page story suggesting the speech was carefully staged for the president's political benefit. "The White House turned a Northwest Washington junior high classroom into a television studio and its students into props," the Post reported.

With the Post article in hand, Democrats pounced. "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students," said Richard Gephardt, then the House Majority Leader. "And the president should be doing more about education than saying, 'Lights, camera, action.'"

[snip]

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