Obamas school speech. whats evreyones problem???

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**LuciusAR**

I understand that a speech the president made has got some republicans in a tizzy. Out of curiosity I took a look at what he said. The speech is below and I've read it carefully 3 times.

I don't get it. I just don't. The speech is well written, it's inspirational, It encourages self discovery and hard work, It tells these kids that they all have something to offer and most importantly that they should not give up at the first failure. It's a great speech, it seems to embody all the stuff that I though Americans love, and it the kind of message every teacher should be giving out to their pupils.

Just what on earth is everyone's issue with it?

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.

**halonachos**

Its because he's a terririst.

**Kilkrazy**

The key problem is that he is a Democrat. It was the same with Clinton.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
According to my American sister-in-law, Bush gave speeches to school children and it was never a problem.

**halonachos**

I don't think Bush gave speeches across the nation on television though...

Automatically Appended Next Post:
well, to schools anyways.

**Ketara**

'I believe that human beings, and fish, can learn to co-exist peacefully'.

An example of the quality of inspirational speeches Bush delivered.

**OverbossGhurzubMoga**

The problem is that he is a politician. Doesn't matter if he's democrat, republican, or some other piece of crap party. Politicians are loved by few, hated by many, and blamed by everyone.

Good speech though.

**Lord-Loss**

Very Cheesy speach but a good one. Seemed like a lot of pressure he was putting on children when he mentioned there be letting America down if they dont study hard.

**Frazzled**

Had little to do with the speech initially, but with the materials the Education Department tried to foist on it.

Plus Obama is disliked by a good portion of the populace at this time. A live speech to their kids unfiltered by their parents freaked them out.

**Orkestra**

Frazzled has the right of it. It's not what he's saying, but the fact that it's him saying it. Simple as that. Unfortunate, but difficult to solve. It's the same reason why there are still people trying to claim he's not an American citizen.

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

God forbid children should be spoken to directly.

Major problem with Western Democracy is that party preference, and thus Political Outlook is all too often inherited from Parents.

I say good on him.

**gorgon**

Those parents upset that the President of the United States spoke directly to their children are perfectly capable of retiring to the bomb shelters in their backyards and shutting out the outside world for the next decade. Their tinfoil hats would work equally well.
I don't see the issue.

(edit) Taking my tongue out of my cheek, some of it's probably invented outrage along the lines of the "astroturf" tea parties and protests at town halls.

I'm not sure which is more fun to watch -- the Dems devouring their own when backed into a corner, or the GOP going Manson-loony when backed into a corner.

**smiling Assassin**

Obama is a fantastic orator.

Just though I'd.. err.. slip that in.

sA

**Frazzled**

Once the Education recommendations were adjusted I didn't care.

I like our school district which said in a bastardized way "We've received a bunch of calls from all you nutjobs on the left and right. Why? its not like we have TV's for every classroom. You losers sort it out. Go timber wolves."

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Frankly this one really is the call of the parents, not Grotsnik (ferners!!!), not Gorgon (young punk!), or even me (shut up old man!). The original lesson plan was OT for those who didn't vote for Obama, and played into the midset of the "less willing to believe you" crowd.

Frankly, who cares. Its not like the kids were going to pay attention anyway. Except for Genghis Connie of course, who would begin feverishly drawing invasion routes to this "land of Washginton." Looks like it has good grazing land for steppe horses on their way to taking over Canada.

**JEB_Stuart**

Kilkrazy wrote:The key problem is that he is a Democrat. It was the same with Clinton.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
According to my American sister-in-law, Bush gave speeches to school children and it was never a problem.

Actually, when Bush spoke to schoolchildren there were Congressional hearings and the Dems made a big stink.

One of the main problems I see many Americans having with this is Obama's cult of personality. Many parents, especially independents, value their freedom from party thinking and don't want their children being told different. They especially don't want their kids to turn out like this...

**Orkeosaurus**

Whatever you may think of Bush, it's hard to accuse him of demagoguery.

"Is our children learning?"

**JEB_Stuart**

I just realized that I should have clarified my post: Congress investigated when George HW Bush spoke to schoolchildren. Here is the story:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/When-Bush-spoke-to-students-Democrats-investigated-held-hearings-57694347.html

**Kilkrazy**

JEB_Stuart wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:The key problem is that he is a Democrat. It was the same with Clinton.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
According to my American sister-in-law, Bush gave speeches to school children and it was never a problem.

Actually, when Bush spoke to schoolchildren there were Congressional hearings and the Dems made a big stink.

One of the main problems I see many Americans having with this is Obama's cult of personality. Many parents, especially independents, value their freedom from party thinking and don't want their children being told different. They especially don't want their kids to turn out like this...

After, not before, if it makes a difference. Reagan also made a speech to schoolchildren.

**Cane**

Here are the reasons why Obama is hated: he's black, he's the president, he's a democrat, his name sounds like a terrorist's to the people who voted Bush and wanted America Strikes Back in Iraq, he's a politician, and did I mention he's black?

Partisan politics is the biggest drawback to the American system since those with power have turned paramount and complex issues into nothing more than Red versus Blue. You find a similar mentality in sports hooligans and riots when people simply hate and despise the other team and its fans because thats the jersey they wear.

Hopefully you're not too bummed out after reading this cynical post but its imo the unfortunate reality.

**JEB_Stuart**

Cane wrote:Here are the reasons why Obama is hated: he's black, he's the president, he's a democrat, his name sounds like a terrorist's to the people who voted Bush and wanted America Strikes Back in Iraq, he's a politician, and did I mention he's black?

Partisan politics is the biggest drawback to the American system since those with power have turned paramount and complex issues into nothing more than Red versus Blue. You find a similar mentality in sports hooligans and riots when people simply hate and despise the other team and its fans because thats the jersey they wear.

Hopefully you're not too bummed out after reading this cynical post but its imo the unfortunate reality.

Your logic really defeats itself at this point. If as many people disapproved of/hated him during the election cycle as you claim, he never would have been president. The racism card is so dead and overplayed, sure there are some who are racist, but I definitely don't appreciate being called one, not by you necessarily, because I disagree with him. You should understand that the majority of Americans don't trust the Federal government, and many, not just Republicans either mind you, see this as another example of the government moving into our personal lives.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Kilkrazy wrote:
After, not before, if it makes a difference. Reagan also made a speech to schoolchildren.

Well they also had Congress' that were controlled by an opposing party. They also didn't address all the nation's schoolchildren via TV. I think that people are overreacting a bit, but I don understand parents being outraged over their lack of control on this issue.

**Cane**

JEB_Stuart wrote:
Cane wrote:Here are the reasons why Obama is hated: he's black, he's the president, he's a democrat, his name sounds like a terrorist's to the people who voted Bush and wanted America Strikes Back in Iraq, he's a politician, and did I mention he's black?

Partisan politics is the biggest drawback to the American system since those with power have turned paramount and complex issues into nothing more than Red versus Blue. You find a similar mentality in sports hooligans and riots when people simply hate and despise the other team and its fans because thats the jersey they wear.

Hopefully you're not too bummed out after reading this cynical post but its imo the unfortunate reality.
Your logic really defeats itself at this point. If as many people disapproved of/hated him during the election cycle as you claim, he never would have been president. The racism card is so dead and overplayed, sure there are some who are racist, but I definitely don't appreciate being called one, not by you necessarily, because I disagree with him. You should understand that the majority of Americans don't trust the Federal government, and many, not just Republicans either mind you, see this as another example of the government moving into our personal lives.

Right, I tried to pre-emptively address this response by also including "he's a politician" to the list. As for votes and the like, IIRC most Americans don't vote still and if thats true then most Americans didn't vote for Obama. As for the part of the argument dealing with population numbers and the like; I don't agree here since you don't need all or the majority of the population in order to make a segment of the population's voice seem louder than the rest aka town hall meetings and calling Obama/dems Nazi's. Those with power can easily fan the flames of hate which is why imo we've hardly seen crazier media than the right wingers' this adminstration (death panels). Red versus Blue mentality coupled with any or all of the reasons listed in the other post.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
As for race, its an issue that definitely has gotten its share of attention but even living in the 2000's racism is still very prevalent in American society. Although this is an internet example, in just a few minutes/hours time you can easily find several gaming servers of people discriminating and using racial slurs. Its to the point where most servers actually have it in their "rules" that you can't be racist or you'll get banned/kicked...something that really should just be assumed and expected but thats the kind of people we got raising and being raised. And when you consider that most gamers are white, middle-class people...well, doesn't help with the Repub's image.

**garret**

This happened when reagon and bush sr. made a speech to students.

**garret**

This happened when reagon and bush sr. made a speech to students.

**Silverthorne**

It just seems disingenuous to me to give a speech like this while strengthening the teachers union, probably the greatest force for dumbing down Americans in existence. Considering he is also not giving one penny of stimulus to NASA, one of the great education motivators of all time, it is pretty obvious he is just trying to score some poll points after getting walloped by the opposition in August.

**Orkeosaurus**

Cane wrote:As for race, its an issue that definitely has gotten its share of attention but even living in the 2000's racism is still very prevalent in American society. Although this is an internet example, in just a few minutes/hours time you can easily find several gaming servers of people discriminating and using racial slurs. Its to the point where most servers actually have it in their "rules" that you can't be racist or you'll get banned/kicked...something that really should just be assumed and expected but thats the kind of people we got raising and being raised. And when you consider that most gamers are white, middle-class people...well, doesn't help with the Repub's image.

How often are those slurs directed at people known to be of the relevant race?

**frgsinwntr**

Frazzled wrote:Had little to do with the speech initially, but with the materials the Education Department tried to foist on it.

Plus Obama is disliked by a good portion of the populace at this time. A live speech to their kids unfiltered by their parents freaked them out.

what was wrong with the education stuff?

AND.... I think anyone that has to job of president during these economic hard times would have the same rap... even tho he is pretty much loved by most of the area I live in. (east coast)

Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10582301/President-Obama%E2%80%99s-Address-to-Students-Across-America-September-8-2009

this work?

You take offense to the question...
Who is the president of the united states?

**Orkeosaurus**

To whom do you think the president is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?

Are they even trying?

**frgsinwntr**

Look at the age thing Orkeosaurous, Prek would be hard pressed to answer those questions and K-1stgrade, those are appropriate level questions.

the higher order thinking questions are there for the 2nd-6th grade.

but seriously... I kinda want to know what the big deal was about exactly...

**Orkeosaurus**

Bah, when I was in Kindergarten I would have ran circles around those questions!

**Lordhat**

Orkeosaurus wrote:Bah, when I was in Kindergarten I would have ran circles around those questions!

Yeah but they still weren't sure that Ritalin worked back then.

**Wrexasaur**

This kid is super awesome!!!