Obama's Speech to Students

[Vekseid]

President Obama's Message for America's Students

Annoyingly, my first searches were filled with various scam attempts to get people to look for it elsewhere. So I figured I'd post the White House's.

[Le RandomBloke]

Where was he when I dropped out of school? Granted, I'm not American either, but than man sure is charismatic!

[OneOfAKiind]

I'll admit he made some good points, and he is a good speaker. and I support encouraging working hard in school and furthering education because it IS important. It is possible to succeed despite circumstances and maybe giving this speech will bring around some good things -- it does take the individual to succeed, no matter how hard the teachers and parents try. But I just can't like him.

[RubySlippers]

The only point I disagreed with is you have to keep trying if you have trouble in a subject. I got that message and failed Algebra in High School one year and half the second year when I had to try again. Same with geometry. I'm very good in basic mathematics and subjects like accounting. But you know telling a child that when the child KNOWS they can't do it is bad. I'm glad my parents put me into a private school I took consumer mathematics and accounting and met my math requirements easily. I just needed to focus on what I did well in.

Oddly though my strong subjects used math just not the kind that the state tested for, they were leaving me behind.

I think a better message would have been find what your strong in and thenuse that to become a success, and that may not require a college degree. I think a young person becoming a law-abiding citizen, in a trade like lets say a barber is a good thing. Someone to respect and look up to. And if say a young person becomes a person with an advanced education that is good but no less or more worthy of respect.

[Oniya]

There's a big difference between trying again and beating your head against a wall.  Also, trying again doesn't mean that you have to use the same method of learning each time (which is what 'repeating' a subject/grade often entails).  With math being traditionally a very abstract subject, consumer math turned it into something concrete.  I'd bet that something like drafting or architecture would work where geometry didn't.

[RubySlippers]

Well I'm out of high school and like I said give me accounting ledgers and get out of the way, I can pop those off very well. With geometry I got some of the basic when a tutor brough out Euclids own book on it, I can get the basics just don't expect me to build a house.  :D

That is the problem with NCLB in the US it makes the horrible assuption all children can learn these subjects equally and in Florida the government wants to RAISE the standards again in mathematics. I know its another topic just to say the sppech didn't encourage accepting these differences in learning and adding a push for vocational education as well.

Another flaw. But overall a nice speech.

[Silk]

I wonder if we will have a role reversal by having the charismatic obama (blair) play second fiddle to cameron (bush)

[Trieste]

Speeches like this are cool. I'm all for them. Except...

... when all the students I know have had to work harder to afford stuff.

... when the school bookstore of a state college is allowed to raise its book prices.

... when this raise comes on TOP of a $1500/student hike in fees.

... when I'm left wondering for weeks if I'm going to be able to afford to stay in school.

... when one of the first things to be slashed from budgets and stimulus bills is educational funding. (Where do you think the doctors of tomorrow are going to come from, Mister Healthcare? India, at this rate.)

I challenge you, Mister President, to put your money where your mouth is. Otherwise you're just another asshole making demands on my precious time.

[kylie]

     I've been kind of ambivalent about this one.  I didn't have major academic difficulties in most of high school, so it's kind of hard for me to relate. 

     While it may make just the difference for some students on a borderline...  This really strikes me as a "work like hell and save yourself" speech.  I imagine it was supposed to be a "safe" speech since it's somewhat paternalistic...  Still, it's a reach to convince many lower-income students in the US to act "like" immigrants who have been socialized by more than one speech to work like crazy -- if those are actually representative of their ethnic communities.  In any case, showing that a few people can do something against the odds is not the same as changing the odds.  Particularly at a time when the economy is tighter and Black and Latino families are disproportionately suffering even more than before. 

     While I'm not strangled at the university level and I have more content than quality concerns, it is getting tighter there too.  Overall, something like what Trieste said...  We need an economy that makes education affordable, employable, and (for higher ed and some tuition high schools) attractive as more than a place to hide on borrowed money during a recession.

[kylie]

     
     As for political response, there is something both amusing and ridiculous about some conservatives fearing that a talk on homework by the president would corrupt the nation's fragile youth!  Which makes the following understandable.  Note, however that it says "Draft."  From the Guardian roundup of White House emails. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/07/barack-obama-usa

To: David Axelrod <davidaxelrod@barackobama.com>
Subject: Re: Speech to the nation's school students, for broadcast Tue 11am — draft

Thanks for this. However, in view of all the fury about this speech on Fox News etc — all these conservative parents claiming they're going to keep their kids at home that day, for fear that they'll be victims of "socialist indoctrination" – I think we're really going to need to lose that passage about nationalising the means of production. And probably also the bit about replacing Congress with a system of workers' collectives. OH NO HANG ON A MINUTE! Taking a closer look, I see it's a tame little homily about why it's important to always do your homework, and the American right is full of delusional idiots. My mistake.

Exasperatedly, Barack

I have a sour and worrisome prediction.  At this rate, soon some venerable right-wing firebrand will try to get claims that Obama must be a pedophile into popular circulation.  Communist, African, wishful target of firearms brought to town halls, and Pied Piper have all been tried.  Isn't it just a matter of time? 

And if the administration survives that, next they'll create a story that he's into bondage or polyamory.  Not that those should be cause for alarm, but people are not educated on these matters.  So just imagine it, piled on top of existing "Black Communist agent with ties to dark, primitive witchcraft continent"-style spin.  Would they finally get around to the calls for impeachment hearings, with that?  I am being half sarcastic.  But I am in some disbelief at the range of thinly-veiled hate drivel that is being fielded.
   

[Cythieus]

This is my first post.

I think that the speech was no big deal, honestly I think he had some important things to say and I don't think he was trying to indoctrinate or force children to come to his side. Even if he had, by the time Children reach school age, their parents have already done more damage to them than this short little video could have.

[Jude]

First for the political angle:  this is a conservative speech.  It's basically, "pull yourself up from your bootstraps."  It's kind of sad when our Dem President is saying this stuff and people try and make it controversial.

Secondly, "get your act together" is the sort of speech parents should be giving, and I am willing to bet most do.  I didn't see him make any promises or offers to the students of America.  I don't think the speech was bad per se, I just would've liked to see more covered from a compassionate angle of assistance.  Higher education is an absolute fucking joke in this country.  It's such a scam.

[Cythieus]

First for the political angle:  this is a conservative speech.  It's basically, "pull yourself up from your bootstraps."  It's kind of sad when our Dem President is saying this stuff and people try and make it controversial.

That's what this has come down to, people are actually refuting old positions and trying to turn them around only months after they once supported them.

Secondly, "get your act together" is the sort of speech parents should be giving, and I am willing to bet most do.  I didn't see him make any promises or offers to the students of America.  I don't think the speech was bad per se, I just would've liked to see more covered from a compassionate angle of assistance.  Higher education is an absolute fucking joke in this country.  It's such a scam.

Higher education is a scam, it doesn't make sense to make students retake most of their high school classes and waste two year's worth of money. We should do it more like England.

[Oniya]

Finishing high school would do a lot of kids a lot of good, though, and up through that, it's still state supported.