[Swoopster]

Liked it? Didn't like it? Agree with him giving it? Don't agree with him giving it? Does your political affiliation or his stance on other issue(s) besides education lead you to feel the way you do about this speech? Etc...

[xxxxpradaxxxx]

Hmmm...

My Swami Senses are tingling-

I foresee a locked thread in the future.

[KillYouWithMyMind]

No religion, no politics. I have a feeling it will be locked as well.

But Swoopster, I did not see the speech so I'm sorry, but I can't comment.

[molochete]

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 12th 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. J.K. 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.

[molochete]

I do not want the racist commando come after me, I just posted that for people who missed it and wanted to know about it....so please dont start the race war like some people did on another post.

[Swoopster]

Hmmm...

My Swami Senses are tingling-

I foresee a locked thread in the future.

No religion, no politics. I have a feeling it will be locked as well.

But Swoopster, I did not see the speech so I'm sorry, but I can't comment.

In that case I apologize if there is a strict understanding that discussion anywhere close to the real of religion and politics is off-limits. I simply thought posting something like this would be appropriate in the Off-Topic area of CB.

There can still be civil discussion regarding topics of such nature; so as long as individuals DON'T consciously and purposely want to adhere to a civil way of participating.

[xxxxpradaxxxx]

It would have been nice if the OP would have posted that.

Now I can read it, and actually give my opinion on it- as was asked.

[xxxxpradaxxxx]

There can still be civil discussion regarding topics of such nature; so as long as individuals DON'T consciously and purposely don't want to adhere to a civil way of participating.

Yes, discussion can be civil.

But in the fun anon-filled circus we live in called Off Topic, civil rarely happens.

You know this too Swoopster.

You were around for that political debacle.

[Swoopster]

It would have been nice if the OP would have posted that.

Now I can read it, and actually give my opinion on it- as was asked.

Ok cool.

I had posted a link (thought I did rather) to the speech' text; apparently not. In any case; thanks for the post molochete.

Yes, discussion can be civil.

But in the fun anon-filled circus we live in called Off Topic, civil rarely happens.

You know this too Swoopster.

You were around for that political debacle.

Civility rarely is achieved in real life; let alone on the internet...so that's for sure; yes. I enjoyed attending circuses as a mini-me...so as long as the elephants didn't jump the tracks and the lions and tigers didn't clamp down on the whip and go for the whipping boy's jugular.

[molochete]

Ok cool.

I had posted a link (thought I did rather) to the speech' text; apparently not. In any case; thanks for the post molochete.


Civility rarely is achieved in real life; let alone on the internet...so that's for sure; yes. I enjoyed attending circuses as a mini-me...so as long as the elephants didn't jump the tracks and the lions and tigers didn't clamp down on the whip and go for the whipping boy's jugular.

Hey you are welcome!

[KillYouWithMyMind]

OK, I sifted thru the speech and picked up the gist of it.

I have no problem with a speech geared towards inspiring young people, good for him.
However, it's a little surprising to me. Whenever I hear (or read) speeches like this, I can't help but lean towards the conspiracy theory. It just seems this speech is a shroud for something else, possibly something sinister. This may be the case, who can know for sure? It just seems like all media for the gov't/prez is geared towards control of the American people and I can't get away from the idea.

That probably has nothing at all to do with the speech.

[bp3dots]

I liked it. Its really not a "political" speech. Its a pretty clear message that it takes effort to make the most of yourself. It should remind kids (and really anyone that saw/read it) that they can't expect things to be handed over, or to just come naturally all the time. And, frankly, I think its a message that needed to be delivered.

I know more than a few people (yound and not-so-young) that could benefit from the kind of attitude and work ethic President Obama is speaking about here.

[LDubs]

I like this speech, a lot. I think it's important for our nation's leader to step up and inspire our nation's youth. It's important for them to understand that everything starts with education. My folks taught me back then that "school is your job right now", and that my very best was expected at all times.

Kids these days are too soft.

I don't see any conspiracy here - or any hints of socialism.

and here's a story on Yahoo that brings this speech home as well: Swiss topple U.S. as most competitive economy: WEF - Yahoo! Finance

[BergerKing]

Of course there is a deliberate avoidance of the typical stuff, this was a feint from the right, but watch out for that haymaker left.

People are watching, many are seeing what is being attempted. Just beware of the 'ol rope-a-dope. The political wonks are making nice, and as usual, the teleprompter work was near-brilliant.

But if you believe what was said, which by the way, is contrary to everything he says to controlled crowds, acolytes, and worshipping throngs, then it was a great performance.

But history and his associations point to this as a nice sleight-of-hand.

Anyone interested in some Arizona oceanfront property?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Archangel00195]

I like this speech, a lot. I think it's important for our nation's leader to step up and inspire our nation's youth. It's important for them to understand that everything starts with education. My folks taught me back then that "school is your job right now", and that my very best was expected at all times.

Kids these days are too soft.

I don't see any conspiracy here - or any hints of socialism.

and here's a story on Yahoo that brings this speech home as well: Swiss topple U.S. as most competitive economy: WEF - Yahoo! Finance

Both Bushes gave a speech like this. The president telling kids to stay in school is a good thing.

[Swoopster]

Of course there is a deliberate avoidance of the typical stuff, this was a feint from the right, but watch out for that haymaker left.

People are watching, many are seeing what is being attempted. Just beware of the 'ol rope-a-dope. The political wonks are making nice, and as usual, the teleprompter work was near-brilliant.

But if you believe what was said, which by the way, is contrary to everything he says to controlled crowds, acolytes, and worshipping throngs, then it was a great performance.

But history and his associations point to this as a nice sleight-of-hand.

Anyone interested in some Arizona oceanfront property?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I think you've missed the intention of this thread...which was to purely focus on the content of his speech... not to focus on what is THOUGHT about the intention of the speech, 'who/what is behind it', etc.

Some may say..."Oh; those things can't be separated because the mere material of the speech has the REAL intent embedded into". For those people I simply want to retort by saying that I want the sole content of the speech to be focused on here.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Archangel00195]

I think you've missed the intention of this thread...which was to purely focus on the content of his speech... not to focus on what is THOUGHT about the intention of the speech, 'who/what is behind it', etc.

Some may say..."Oh; those things can't be separated because the mere material of the speech has the REAL intent embedded into". For those people I simply want to retort by saying that I want the sole content of the speech to be focused on here.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I hate to say this but you're right. This is just a message of stay in school you have to work hard and such. I'm sure you could spin that into a hard work is socialism thing but whatever.

OP you should understand that a lot of people just want him to fail. The points don't matter. Facts don't matter. Awhile back there was an Obama healthcare topic and people started talking about death panels and such. Is that what the bill says? No, but people still chant that no matter what the evidence says. With that fact known I'd just not even reply to people like that who are suddenly paranoid now that Obama is saying it.

Personally I also smell a topic lock.

[Tlynnsmith]

I hate to say this but you're right. This is just a message of stay in school you have to work hard and such. I'm sure you could spin that into a hard work is socialism thing but whatever.

OP you should understand that a lot of people just want him to fail. The points don't matter. Facts don't matter. Awhile back there was an Obama healthcare topic and people started talking about death panels and such. Is that what the bill says? No, but people still chant that no matter what the evidence says. With that fact known I'd just not even reply to people like that who are suddenly paranoid now that Obama is saying it.

Personally I also smell a topic lock.

I agree with everything you said. There's nothing he could have said, or not said, that would have been "right".

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Swoopster]

I hate to say this but you're right. This is just a message of stay in school you have to work hard and such. I'm sure you could spin that into a hard work is socialism thing but whatever.

OP you should understand that a lot of people just want him to fail. The points don't matter. Facts don't matter. Awhile back there was an Obama healthcare topic and people started talking about death panels and such. Is that what the bill says? No, but people still chant that no matter what the evidence says. With that fact known I'd just not even reply to people like that who are suddenly paranoid now that Obama is saying it.

Personally I also smell a topic lock.

I created the thread not with a shred of naivety in regards to a thread regarding such a topic to be closed...but I would never want off-centered discourse about this to take shape. Yet; that's what I'd want and like to see...it doesn't mean reality will automatically dictate that. But hey; so far, so good .

Regarding Obama or anyone for that matter; when someone is already mentally set-up for failure in an individual's mind...no matter what that person does in reality to contradict the failures framed for them in the minds of people; it won't suffice. This type of mental division creates societal divisions from the bottom-up or top-down for that matter. It is unfortunate.

[Vortex337]

While I might not agree with President Obama's politics I do think that this speech was well delivered and well received. For all the hype that surrounded it, I do believe he steered away from turning it into a political speech. If this speech influences even a small amount of kids to stay in school, make a better decision or try harder (which I think it may) I think that it is well worth it.

[thinkamp]

I liked it. Its really not a "political" speech. Its a pretty clear message that it takes effort to make the most of yourself. It should remind kids (and really anyone that saw/read it) that they can't expect things to be handed over, or to just come naturally all the time. And, frankly, I think its a message that needed to be delivered.

I know more than a few people (yound and not-so-young) that could benefit from the kind of attitude and work ethic President Obama is speaking about here.

I think the speech was good and I hope it helps a majority of the kids to stay in school and do something good with their life. This next coming generation is going to be bad if something doesn't change soon! I thought I was bad, but when I look at people 5 years younger than me I think damn what in the world are these kids doing today.

These children need to stay in school and become successful in life.

[Vortex337]

[QUOTE=thinkamp;3547949] I thought I was bad, but when I look at people 5 years younger than me I think damn what in the world are these kids doing today.

I think that is what every generation thinks.

[JustPlainJef]

Personally, I thought it was a good speach.

Also, as I've said before, I've never seen a person get so much negativity thrown at them BEFORE an election. And a vast majority of it was false or irrelavant. My neighbor started calling him Hussien. I was like "Dave, how many other people do you call by their middle name?"

Idjits.

Oh, and I didn't vote for him, so please don't feel that I'm all gaga for him...

[thinkamp]

I think that is what every generation thinks.

I think it is so sad that we think like that, but honestly every generation keeps getting worse.

Personally, I thought it was a good speach.

Also, as I've said before, I've never seen a person get so much negativity thrown at them BEFORE an election. And a vast majority of it was false or irrelavant. My neighbor started calling him Hussien. I was like "Dave, how many other people do you call by their middle name?"

Idjits.

Oh, and I didn't vote for him, so please don't feel that I'm all gaga for him...

Jef sounds like you need to go listen/watch Mr. Glenn Beck!

[JustPlainJef]

No thanks AmbZ. I'd much rather spend my time with honest, caring people.

Like the Simpson's...