Obama's Political Speech to Brainwash Our Kids

[PlatyPius 5]

Socialism Indoctrination FTW!!!1

[Joseph & Ana 0]

QUOTE (Joseph & Ana @ Sep 9 2009, 07:58 AM)

Everyone talks of how wonderful it is, and how great it is that the president took time to talk to kids, but you and I both know that if Bush gave the same speech you'd have a problem with it. You wouldn't say how great it was, etc.. I wouldn't say how great it was either. I don't want the POTUS doing it. Thats it, thats all.

No kidding. The usual response would be if Bush really wanted to help kids in school he'd spend billions more and dump NCLB. Telling poor kids they can do it in spite of the obstacles would get a plateful of laughter served with a side dish of snide comments from the Left.

But since the messiah hath spoken, it is expected Obama's comments will really reduce the drop out rate and boost test scores. The Left claims they really don't believe the messiah talk but their actions tell us otherwise.

Once again ALC, you fail at quoting, making your previous attempt to chide someone for their quoting all the more hillarious.

Now to address your actual point. No child left behind was a complete joke. All it did was force teachers to teach to pass a specific standardized test for results. This teaches children nothing. Are you really criticizing the president for trying to inspire kids to stay with their education? Is that really such a horrible "Librul" concept to promote to our youth? Clearly this message fell on deaf ears decades ago when each and every president made the same message....

I'm glad you admit Teddy Kennedy's No Child Left Behind Act (which he authored) was a failure. Thanks.

[alienlovechild 75]

Once again ALC, you fail at quoting, making your previous attempt to chide someone for their quoting all the more hillarious.

Now to address your actual point. No child left behind was a complete joke. All it did was force teachers to teach to pass a specific standardized test for results. This teaches children nothing. Are you really criticizing the president for trying to inspire kids to stay with their education? Is that really such a horrible "Librul" concept to promote to our youth? Clearly this message fell on deaf ears decades ago when each and every president made the same message....

Well, well, well. . . you can write more than a sentence or two and on topic no less.

At least you were honest in confirming some of what I said about the probable liberal response if Bush had given the same speech. Do really believe in that the messiah will inspire kids to stay in school and boost test scores merely with words? Did he inspire your kids or was it another waste of time for any president?

HAL didn't do a very good job on the positive effects of Obama's speech, actually nothing at all after repeated requests. Too much to ask of such a busy man of science. How about you since you've got the quotation function down? BTW, tell me how Obama's education policy calls for eliminating NCLB and starting his own programs for excellence in education.

[The Dude 206]

Once again ALC, you fail at quoting, making your previous attempt to chide someone for their quoting all the more hillarious.

Now to address your actual point. No child left behind was a complete joke. All it did was force teachers to teach to pass a specific standardized test for results. This teaches children nothing. Are you really criticizing the president for trying to inspire kids to stay with their education? Is that really such a horrible "Librul" concept to promote to our youth? Clearly this message fell on deaf ears decades ago when each and every president made the same message....

Well, well, well. . . you can write more than a sentence or two and on topic no less.

At least you were honest in confirming some of what I said about the probable liberal response if Bush had given the same speech. Do really believe in that the messiah will inspire kids to stay in school and boost test scores merely with words? Did he inspire your kids or was it another waste of time for any president?

HAL didn't do a very good job on the positive effects of Obama's speech, actually nothing at all after repeated requests. Too much to ask of such a busy man of science. How about you since you've got the quotation function down? BTW, tell me how Obama's education policy calls for eliminating NCLB and starting his own programs for excellence in education.

Wow, ALC, bravo, you have finally mastered the art of hitting the "quote" button before posting. Truely remarkable.

Where did I say that I was against it when Bush made a similar speech? I was actually in school when Bush (senior) made his similar speech. I don't recall the specifics, but I do recall the furor over it. My school showed the speech, and as I recall, not many people paid attention to it. I can't imagine all that many school kids really paid attention to Obama's speech either. I think it's a good idea to tell kids to stay in school and work hard. Those are good qualities to posses, regardless of political affiliation. Now with NCLB, I never said Obama's education policy calls for eliminating it. Read again there for confirmation. All I said was that it was a horribly designed system. It was well intended, but the end result was far from laudable.

[HAL 9000 96]

HAL, just curious, if this speech was so good and innocent then how the White House yanked the original version of this speech and then put forth this one, obviously Obama is preaching from the bully pulpit and he is quite good at it, open your eyes, Obama is no better than Bush in many respects, just from the far opposite side of the political belief spectrum!

HORRIBLE!!!

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Back to School Event Arlington, Virginia

September 8, 2009

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.

Unless you're privy to the supposed 'original' speech...

Oh wait this is zqtroll...

The whining was first over the speech... then the lesson plans... then the secret original speech. This one is winding down faster than the death panels thing at least.

[HAL 9000 96]

No idea. I don't like political speeches so I don't really care either.

I did find this graphical word analysis:

Obama's 9/8/09 speech

Bush speech 10/1/91

Reagan speech 11/14/88

All based on word-weight frequency analysis.

^That's cool.

where did you find this?

I literally Googled it. I find this kind of thing very telling. Some programs are available that detect plagiarism, etc in certain author's works... I wish I had these programs b/c they would likely tell a lot about duplicate accounts here on VJ since I'm not privy to other kind of info...

HAL, just curious, if this speech was so good and innocent then how the White House yanked the original version of this speech and then put forth this one, obviously Obama is preaching from the bully pulpit and he is quite good at it, open your eyes, Obama is no better than Bush in many respects, just from the far opposite side of the political belief spectrum!

If I can jump in here a second.

Yesterday, my son's school was set up and ready to go to air the speech. Last week they sent a bulletin out saying if some parents wanted their child to opt out they could write a letter and their child would be given something else to do.

I didn't opt out. I read the transcript afew days ago and made the decision that my son should watch the speech. To me, the speech was focused on education and trying as hard as you can and not quitting. Just the kind of stuff I teach my son. ...' won't get a good job handed out with out effort'...etc.

Anyway, there was ruffled feathers amongst some parents here about it and a good proportion opted out.

I decided to go watch the speech with my son at school.

I mean whatever anyone says or thinks- to me-it IS my responsibility on what he watches anywhere.

So I get to the school-and what do u know? They ' couldn't get a feed' to air the speech.

So he didn't get to see it at school, but we watched it together on the net later that day.

Now-I am not an Obama fan at all--but I do not involve my son in all that.

Politics aside ( because I really think that at my son's age-political debates have no place in the classroom) I really thought he said alot of what teachers and parents are telling their kids anyway.

--Now Obama has talked the talk about supporting educators and education...I want to see him walk the walk and start funding some of these sub standard school and demanding quality from teachers, effort from students and support from parents alike.

Awesome decision. If only open-mindedness where more common in these politically silly times.

QUOTE (Joseph & Ana @ Sep 9 2009, 07:58 AM)

Everyone talks of how wonderful it is, and how great it is that the president took time to talk to kids, but you and I both know that if Bush gave the same speech you'd have a problem with it. You wouldn't say how great it was, etc.. I wouldn't say how great it was either. I don't want the POTUS doing it. Thats it, thats all.

No kidding. The usual response would be if Bush really wanted to help kids in school he'd spend billions more and dump NCLB. Telling poor kids they can do it in spite of the obstacles would get a plateful of laughter served with a side dish of snide comments from the Left.

But since the messiah hath spoken, it is expected Obama's comments will really reduce the drop out rate and boost test scores. The Left claims they really don't believe the messiah talk but their actions tell us otherwise.

Once again ALC, you fail at quoting, making your previous attempt to chide someone for their quoting all the more hillarious.

Now to address your actual point. No child left behind was a complete joke. All it did was force teachers to teach to pass a specific standardized test for results. This teaches children nothing. Are you really criticizing the president for trying to inspire kids to stay with their education? Is that really such a horrible "Librul" concept to promote to our youth? Clearly this message fell on deaf ears decades ago when each and every president made the same message....

An unfunded mandate. Bravo!

[HAL 9000 96]

Once again ALC, you fail at quoting, making your previous attempt to chide someone for their quoting all the more hillarious.

Now to address your actual point. No child left behind was a complete joke. All it did was force teachers to teach to pass a specific standardized test for results. This teaches children nothing. Are you really criticizing the president for trying to inspire kids to stay with their education? Is that really such a horrible "Librul" concept to promote to our youth? Clearly this message fell on deaf ears decades ago when each and every president made the same message....

Well, well, well. . . you can write more than a sentence or two and on topic no less.

At least you were honest in confirming some of what I said about the probable liberal response if Bush had given the same speech. Do really believe in that the messiah will inspire kids to stay in school and boost test scores merely with words? Did he inspire your kids or was it another waste of time for any president?

HAL didn't do a very good job on the positive effects of Obama's speech, actually nothing at all after repeated requests. Too much to ask of such a busy man of science. How about you since you've got the quotation function down? BTW, tell me how Obama's education policy calls for eliminating NCLB and starting his own programs for excellence in education.

Damn you don't know how to stop whining.

I will speak on the virtues, positive or negative, when I feel like doing so or if asked in a non-whiny manner to do so.

Besides, for those paying attention, I have already stated it was more of a neutral speech with predictable language. See the graphical analysis I posted earlier.

[zqt3344 21]

HAL 2.0.0.9 you need to get your facts straight for once. Even on your liberal lovefest Obama news network of MSNBC they stated two days ago that Obama had in fact changed his original speech after all this protest a week ago. Open your mind and remember HAL the truth shall set you free, God loves the truth, so by all means seek the truth! So we can set you demented mind free!

HAL, just curious, if this speech was so good and innocent then how the White House yanked the original version of this speech and then put forth this one, obviously Obama is preaching from the bully pulpit and he is quite good at it, open your eyes, Obama is no better than Bush in many respects, just from the far opposite side of the political belief spectrum!

HORRIBLE!!!

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Back to School Event Arlington, Virginia

September 8, 2009

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.

Unless you're privy to the supposed 'original' speech...

Oh wait this is zqtroll...

The whining was first over the speech... then the lesson plans... then the secret original speech. This one is winding down faster than the death panels thing at least.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

ZQT is the Borat of Vj.

[Peikko 1,575]

He's certainly something all right

[alienlovechild 75]

Where did I say that I was against it when Bush made a similar speech? I was actually in school when Bush (senior) made his similar speech. I don't recall the specifics, but I do recall the furor over it. My school showed the speech, and as I recall, not many people paid attention to it. I can't imagine all that many school kids really paid attention to Obama's speech either. I think it's a good idea to tell kids to stay in school and work hard. Those are good qualities to posses, regardless of political affiliation. Now with NCLB, I never said Obama's education policy calls for eliminating it. Read again there for confirmation. All I said was that it was a horribly designed system. It was well intended, but the end result was far from laudable.

There were two presidents named Bush and I talking about the son here. I never claimed you were against Bush the Elder's speech because I didn't mention it but if Bush had delivered the same speech as Obama you'd have plenty to laugh at. The idea of preaching hard work in school (who said it was wrong?) is ok but I don't think it will stick in practice.

Why doesn't Obama dump NCLB if it's so bad? What are Obama's other great alternative ideas for education? I haven't heard talk about anything beyond stay in school and study hard. At least Obama's advice was free.

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

Where did I say that I was against it when Bush made a similar speech? I was actually in school when Bush (senior) made his similar speech. I don't recall the specifics, but I do recall the furor over it. My school showed the speech, and as I recall, not many people paid attention to it. I can't imagine all that many school kids really paid attention to Obama's speech either. I think it's a good idea to tell kids to stay in school and work hard. Those are good qualities to posses, regardless of political affiliation. Now with NCLB, I never said Obama's education policy calls for eliminating it. Read again there for confirmation. All I said was that it was a horribly designed system. It was well intended, but the end result was far from laudable.

There were two presidents named Bush and I talking about the son here. I never claimed you were against Bush the Elder's speech because I didn't mention it but if Bush had delivered the same speech as Obama you'd have plenty to laugh at. The idea of preaching hard work in school (who said it was wrong?) is ok but I don't think it will stick in practice.

Why doesn't Obama dump NCLB if it's so bad? What are Obama's other great alternative ideas for education? I haven't heard talk about anything beyond stay in school and study hard. At least Obama's advice was free.

fixed that for ya

[HAL 9000 96]

Gotta get me a troll account.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gotta get me a troll account.

If you will - I will too...since they seem to be permitted around here.

[meowmeowmeow 1]

i didnt read this thread, but i honestly don't understand what all the hoopla is about....

Just following OT SOP:

"Much Ado About Nothing"

it is. i mean , i definitely have been listening to the news and what not, even though it's ridiculous. and i don't know if people really have nothing else better to talk about or is this really a serious issue that i need to be alarmed about. i went with the latter.

ridiculous.

the media is just trying to distract people from what really matters, as usual.