President Barack Obama will set high expectations for America’s schoolchildren in a back-to-school speech this morning, urging them to work hard, set goals and stay in school.
“If you quit school, you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country,” he is expected to say, according to prepared remarks released Monday.
“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.”
Despite fears voiced by Republicans that the speech would be heavy on politics, it is devoid of any references to a political agenda.
The president’s talk to kids turned into a political brawl because the country is so divided, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
“We are so polarized as a country at this point. It used to be that the president was the chief of state — a unifying figure. Not anymore,” he said. “If the situation was reversed, the Democrats would’ve done the same thing.”
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush gave a nationally televised speech to students, urging them to study hard and refrain from using drugs.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan spoke to high school students and took their questions. He talked about his position on taxes, racial discrimination and foreign policy, among other things.
In Obama’s text, he refers to his own childhood, noting he got into trouble, was sometimes unfocused, missed having a father and felt like he didn’t fit in.
While Obama acknowledges in the speech that there are many kids who are poor, lack adult support and live in unsafe neighborhoods, he says he won’t accept those challenges as a reason for giving up.
“That’s no excuse for not trying,” he is expected to say. “Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.”
And failing on your road to success should be expected, reads the text of his speech, which mentions that J.K. Rowling’s first “Harry Potter” book was rejected 12 times and Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
“These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you. You have to let them teach you,” he plans to say.
Obama is slated to deliver his speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. It will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and the Internet, starting at 10 a.m.
Concerns for agenda
The speech drew criticism days before it was delivered.
Some conservatives said Obama might attempt to showcase a left-wing political agenda, and some parents said they wouldn’t let their children hear it at home or at school.
Part of the problem stemmed from the Education Department’s recommendations that students write letters about what they could do to “help the president.”
Later, this was changed to recommending students write about how they can achieve their short- and long-term goals.
Karen Crummy: 303-954-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com
What he’ll say:
Excerpts from President Barack Obama’s address to students at 10 a.m. today
