Discussion -- Obama's speech to students: There is no excuse for not trying
Obama said he'd already talked about government's, and parents' and teachers' responsibilities to students, but that students need to take responsibility for their performance, too.
On Sept. 8, President Barack Obama challenged all students in America to “get serious” about their education. Obama said he’d already talked about government’s, and parents’ and teachers’ responsibilities to students, but that students need to take responsibility for their performance, too.
Obama spoke of three students to illustrate his point — a student who didn’t speak English when she started school and is now studying to be a doctor, a boy who has fought a brain tumor since he was 3 years old and suffers memory loss but is going to college, and a girl who managed to stay on track in school and set up a program to keep kids out of gangs while she was living in foster care.
His main message was even if you have obstacles in your life, there is no excuse for not trying in school.
“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,” he said.
Obama asked students not to give up on themselves, for their future, but also for the future of the country. “The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough,” he said.
We want to hear your reactions to Obama’s speech. Did it affect you? Do you feel you are one of the students Obama mentioned who has problems in your personal life that affect you at school? Will his words help inspire you to “get serious” about school this year? If so, what goal have you set for yourself, and how do you plan on accomplishing it?
ThreeSixty Journalism wants to know! Submit your reaction to the speech in the comment field below.
To read the full speech, go here.
Comments
I thought it was a very pleasant and inspiring speech. I do not understand why he is being criticized for encouraging children to stay in school and follow their dreams. The right-wingers have no argument on this. Accusing him of trying to ‘indoctrinate’ our youth is absolutely ridiculous. President Obama didn’t speak one word about politics so what’s the problem? I actually think every elementary, middle, and high school across the country should have turned on the television and watched it with their students in the classrooms. Not to mention the fact that other presidents have given similar speeches to children in schools. I would like to know where the negativity over his very eloquent and empowering speech is coming from.
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