\nBack to School Event<\/strong><\/p>\n
Arlington, Virginia
\nSeptember 8, 2009<\/p>\n
The President: Hello everyone \u2013 how\u2019s everybody doing today? I\u2019m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we\u2019ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I\u2019m glad you all could join us today.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s your first day in a new school, so it\u2019s understandable if you\u2019re 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\u2019re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could\u2019ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.<\/p>\n
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn\u2019t 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 \u2013 at 4:30 in the morning.<\/p>\n
Now I wasn\u2019t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I\u2019d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I\u2019d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, \u201cThis is no picnic for me either, buster.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I\u2019m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I\u2019m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what\u2019s expected of all of you in this new school year.<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I\u2019ve talked a lot about responsibility.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve talked about your teachers\u2019 responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve talked about your parents\u2019 responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don\u2019t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve talked a lot about your government\u2019s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren\u2019t working where students aren\u2019t getting the opportunities they deserve.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Every single one of you has something you\u2019re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That\u2019s the opportunity an education can provide.<\/p>\n
Maybe you could be a good writer \u2013 maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper \u2013 but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor \u2013 maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
And no matter what you want to do with your life \u2013 I guarantee that you\u2019ll 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\u2019re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can\u2019t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You\u2019ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.<\/p>\n
And this isn\u2019t 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\u2019re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll 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\u2019ll 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\u2019ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t do that \u2013 if you quit on school \u2013 you\u2019re not just quitting on yourself, you\u2019re quitting on your country.<\/p>\n
Now I know it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
I get it. I know what that\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
So I wasn\u2019t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I\u2019m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.<\/p>\n
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don\u2019t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there\u2019s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don\u2019t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren\u2019t right.<\/p>\n
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life \u2013 what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you\u2019ve got going on at home \u2013 that\u2019s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That\u2019s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That\u2019s no excuse for not trying.<\/p>\n
Where you are right now doesn\u2019t have to determine where you\u2019ll end up. No one\u2019s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.<\/p>\n
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who\u2019s fought brain cancer since he was three. He\u2019s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer \u2013 hundreds of extra hours \u2013 to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he\u2019s headed to college this fall.<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s 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\u2019s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.<\/p>\n
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why today, I\u2019m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you\u2019ll 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\u2019ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you\u2019ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don\u2019t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.<\/p>\n
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.<\/p>\n
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work \u2014 that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you\u2019re not going to be any of those things.<\/p>\n
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won\u2019t love every subject you study. You won\u2019t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won\u2019t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who\u2019ve had the most failures. JK Rowling\u2019s 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, \u201cI have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
These people succeeded because they understand that you can\u2019t let your failures define you \u2013 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\u2019t mean you\u2019re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.<\/p>\n
No one\u2019s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You\u2019re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don\u2019t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You\u2019ve got to practice. It\u2019s 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\u2019s good enough to hand in.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn\u2019t a sign of weakness, it\u2019s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don\u2019t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust \u2013 a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor \u2013 and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.<\/p>\n
And even when you\u2019re struggling, even when you\u2019re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you \u2013 don\u2019t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.<\/p>\n
The story of America isn\u2019t about people who quit when things got tough. It\u2019s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
So today, I want to ask you, what\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n
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\u2019m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you\u2019ve 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\u2019t let us down \u2013 don\u2019t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.<\/p>\n
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
Ideas for Teachers to use in the Classroom PreK-Grade 6<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Before the Speech<\/h3>\n
Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama. Teachers could motivate students by asking the following questions:
\nWho is the President of the United States?
\nWhat do you think it takes to be president?
\nTo whom do you think the president is going to be speaking?
\nWhy do you think he wants to speak to you?
\nWhat do you think he will say to you?<\/p>\nTeachers can ask students to imagine that they are delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States.
\nIf you were the president, what would you tell students?
\nWhat can students do to help in our schools?
\nTeachers can chart ideas about what students would say.<\/p>\nWhy 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?<\/p>\n
During the Speech<\/h3>\n
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\u2010taking graphic organizer such as a \u201ccluster web;\u201d or, students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children could draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
\nWhat is the president trying to tell me?
\nWhat is the president asking me to do?
\nWhat new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?<\/p>\nStudents could record important parts of the speech where the president is asking them to do something. Students might think about the following:
\nWhat specific job is he asking me to do?
\nIs he asking anything of anyone else?
\nTeachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?<\/p>\nStudents could record questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
\nMenu of Classroom Activities (PreK\u20106)
\nPresident Obama\u2019s Address to Students Across America<\/p>\nAfter the Speech<\/h3>\n
Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes, or place notes on a butcher\u2010paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, such as citizenship, personal responsibility, and civic duty.<\/p>\n
Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
\nWhat do you think the president wants us to do?
\nDoes the speech make you want to do anything?
\nAre we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?
\nWhat would you like to tell the president?
\nExtension of the Speech
\nTeachers could extend learning by having students:<\/p>\nCreate posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants, puzzle pieces, or trails marked with the following labels: personal, academic, community, and country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in that area. It might make sense to focus first on personal and academic goals so that community and country goals can be more readily created.<\/p>\n
Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short\u2010term and long\u2010term education goals. Teachers would collect and redistribute these letters at an appropriate later date to enable students to monitor their progress.<\/p>\n
Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.<\/p>\n
Interview one another and share goals with the class to create a supportive community.<\/p>\n
Participate in school\u2010wide incentive programs or contests for those students who achieve their goals.<\/p>\n
Write about their goals in a variety of genres, such as poems, songs, and personal essays.<\/p>\n
Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.<\/p>\n
Graph individual progress toward goals.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ideas for Teachers to use in the Classroom Grades 7 – 12<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Before the Speech<\/h3>\n
Conduct a \u201cquick write\u201d or \u201cthink\/pair\/share\u201d activity with students. (In the latter activity, students spend a few minutes thinking and writing about the question. Next, each student is paired with another student to discuss. Finally, the students share their ideas with the class as a whole). Teachers may choose to ask the following questions:
\nWhat ideas do we associate with the words \u201cresponsibility,\u201d \u201cpersistence,\u201d and \u201cgoals?\u201d
\nHow would we define each term?
\nTeachers then may choose to create a web diagram of student ideas for each of the words.<\/p>\nHave students participate in a \u201cquick write\u201d or brainstorming activity. Teachers may ask students:
\nWhat are your strengths?
\nWhat do you think makes you successful as a student and as a person?<\/p>\nTeachers may engage students in short readings. Teachers may post in large print around the classroom notable quotes excerpted from President Obama\u2019s speeches on education. Teachers might ask students to think alone, compare ideas with a partner, or share their thoughts with the class. Teachers could ask students to think about the following:
\nWhat are our interpretations of these excerpts?
\nBased on these excerpts, what can we infer that the president believes is important in order to be educationally successful?<\/p>\nCreate a \u201cconcept web.\u201d Teachers may ask students to think of the following:
\nWhy does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us?
\nHow will he challenge us?
\nWhat might he say?
\nDo you remember any other historic moments when the president spoke to the nation?
\nWhat was the impact?
\nAfter brainstorming answers to these questions, students could create a \u201ccause\u2010and\u2010effect\u201d graphic organizer.<\/p>\nDuring the Speech<\/h3>\n
Teachers might conduct a \u201clistening with purpose\u201d exercise based on the following ideas: personal responsibility, goals, and persistence. Teachers might ask pairs of students to create a word bank at the top of a notes page that has been divided into two columns. On the right\u2010hand side, students could take notes (trying to capture direct quotations or main ideas) while President Obama talks about personal responsibility, goals, or persistence. At the end of the speech, students could write the corresponding terms from the word bank in the left\u2010hand column, to increase retention and deepen their understanding of an important aspect of the speech.<\/p>\n
Teachers might conduct a \u201clistening with purpose\u201d exercise based on the themes of inspiration and challenges. Using a similar double\u2010column notes page as the one described above, teachers could focus students on quotations that either propose a specific challenge to them or that inspire them in some meaningful way. Students could do this activity individually, in pairs, or in groups.
\nTransition\/Quick Review<\/p>\nTeachers could ask students to look over their notes and collaborate in pairs or small groups. Teachers might circulate and ask students questions, such as:
\nWhat more could we add to our notes?
\nWhat are the most important words in the speech?
\nWhat title would you give the speech?
\nWhat is the thesis of the speech?<\/p>\nAfter the Speech<\/h3>\n
Guided Discussion:<\/p>\n
What resonated with you from President Obama\u2019s speech? What lines or phrases do you remember?<\/p>\n
Whom is President Obama addressing? How do you know? Describe his audience.<\/p>\n
We heard President Obama mention the importance of personal responsibility. In your life, who exemplifies this kind of responsibility? How? Give examples.<\/p>\n
How are the individuals in this classroom similar? How is each student different?<\/p>\n
Suppose President Obama were to give another speech about being educationally successful. To whom would he speak? Why? What would the president say?<\/p>\n
What are the three most important words in the speech? Rank them.<\/p>\n
Is President Obama inspiring you to do anything? Is he challenging you to do anything?<\/p>\n
What do you believe are the challenges of your generation?<\/p>\n
How can you be a part of addressing these challenges?<\/p>\n
Video Project: Teachers could encourage students to participate in the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s \u201cI Am What I Learn\u201d video contest. On September 8, the Department of Education will invite students age 13 and older to submit a video no longer than two minutes in length, explaining why education is important and how education will help them achieve their dreams. Teachers are welcome to incorporate the same or a similar video project into a classroom assignment. More details will be released via www.ed.gov.<\/p>\n
Teachers could introduce goal\u2010setting activities in the following way to make the most of extension activities:
\n\u201cWhen you set a goal, you envision a target that you are going to reach over time. Goals are best when they are \u201cChallenging,\u201d \u201cAttainable,\u201d and \u201cNeeded\u201d (CAN). For example, a good goal might be: \u2018I want to boost my average grade by one letter grade this year so I can show colleges that I am prepared.\u2019 But, every good goal also needs steps that guide the way. These steps keep you on track toward achieving your goal. For example, my first step might be improving in all of my subjects by one letter grade. My second step might be completing 100\u2010percent of my homework in all of my classes during the first week of school. My third step might be taking an extra hour to study for all of my tests during each marking period. My fourth step might be attending a tutoring session or getting an adult to help me whenever I do not understand something. My last step might be the most important: asking an adult in my life to check on me often to make sure that I am completing each of my steps. Your steps should add up to your goal. If they don\u2019t, that\u2019s okay; we fix them until they do!
\nLet\u2019s hear another example of an academic goal for the year and decide what steps would help to achieve that goal\u2026
\nNow I want you to write your personal academic goal for this year and the steps that you will take to achieve it. We can revise our steps each marking period to make sure we are on track.\u201d
\nExtension of the Speech<\/p>\nTeachers could extend learning by having students:<\/p>\n
Create decorated goals and steps on material that is the size of an index card. The index cards could be formatted as an inviting graphic organizer with a space for the goal at the top and several steps in the remaining space. Cards could be hung in the classroom to create a culture of goal setting, persistence, and success, and for the purpose of periodic review. (See the \u201cExample Handout\u201d section.)<\/p>\n
Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants, puzzle pieces, or trails marked as steps. These also could be hung around the room, to be reviewed periodically and to create a classroom culture of goal setting and for the purpose of periodic review.<\/p>\n
Interview and share their goals with one another and the class, establishing community support for their goals.<\/p>\n
Create incentives or contests for achieving their personal goals.<\/p>\n
Write about goals and the steps to achieve them in a variety of genres such as poems, songs, or personal essays.<\/p>\n
Create artistic representations of goals and the steps to achieve them.<\/p>\n
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