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Obama speaks to schoolchildren
President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren has kicked up a great deal of controversy with parents who objected to the president broadcasting directly to classrooms across the country.
The speech is over, and I listened to it. I know some parents worry that their children are being indoctrinated, but their children are not going to be harmed by listening to a speech by President Obama which encourages students to stay in school. That’s all it was.
To concerned parents that haven’t taken the time to listen to the message online, this is what he said. From my perspective, I don’t understand what the big hype was all about. What’s wrong with a president encouraging children to do well in school and work really hard?
At any rate, here is a briefing on what the president’s speech was about. He started off by encouraging students to do their best. It doesn’t matter what grade, or circumstances they are in, they should not give anything less than 100 percent.
He also exhorted students to be responsible for themselves. In order for students to be successful, Obama said, they need to exhibit some responsibility because the government, teachers, and parents can only do so much. Nothing else will matter if the student doesn’t care, if they don’t show up to school, or if they don’t pay attention. President Obama said students "must put in the hard work to succeed."
President Obama also encouraged students to take a broad variety of classes. He wanted students to learn about new things. Otherwise they might miss out on a subject they really enjoy and excel in; if they had not taken that class, they might have never discovered it. Students need to develop their talents and abilities, but many might have to try a lot of new things before they find out what those talents are.
The president also stressed that students need an education for their everyday life. They need an education because it plays an important role in their future lives, he said. Every job requires some education. In order for our country to keep excelling and making the lives of its citizen better, we need an educated population. If students take school lightly or drop out, they are not only letting themselves down, but their country as well.
President Obama also reminded students that "where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up in your future." Refuse to give up, he challenged the students. He also said that a great way for students to find success is by achieving their goals. Students should be setting goals for themselves and really working to accomplish those.
Goals are easier to accomplish when students are accountable to not only themselves but to others. With your education students should create a support group. It doesn’t matter who is in this group, as long as are encouraging, and help you achieve your educational goals by helping you stay on the right path.
Ultimately, this speech was about working hard and valuing the opportunity to get an education. Obama reminded students that they "can’t be rich and successful without hard work. Being successful is hard." They might not succeed at everything the first time, he said, but, with repetition and practice, they can learn from their mistakes and succeed.
