奥巴马年秋季开学致辞美国中小学生中英对照，美国各地从小学预备班到中学年级的学生，我知道今天是你们很多人开学的日子，你们可以想见我不太情愿那么早起床，我谈到过教师激励学生并督促他们学习的责任。
2016奥巴马的秋季开学演讲稿
奥巴马2016年秋季开学致辞美国中小学生（中英对照）
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN A 美国总统奥巴马对全美中小学生的ADDRESS TO AMERICA’Wakefield High School, Arlington,
Virginia
弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡韦克菲尔德高
September 8, 2016
Hello, everybody! Thank you. 中 2016年9月8日 大家好！谢谢你们。谢谢你们。讲话谢谢你们大家。好，大家请就坐。你们今天都好吗？（掌声）蒂姆斯派seat. How is everybody doing today? 塞（Tim Spicer）好吗？（掌声）我(Applause.) How about Tim Spicer? 现在与弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡韦克菲(Applause.) I am here with students 尔德高中的学生们在一起。美国各地Wakefield High School in Arlington, 从小学预备班到中学12年级的学生Virginia. And we’ve got students
tuning in from all acroAmerica, 正在收听收看。我很高兴大家今天都能参与。我还要感谢韦克菲尔德高中from kindergarten through 12th 出色的组织安排。请为你们自己热烈鼓掌。（掌声）
join us today. And I want to thank
Wakefield for being such an
outstanding host. Give yourselves a
big round of applause. (Applause.)
I know that for many of you, 我知道，今天是你们很多人is the first day of school. And for 开学的日子。对于进入小学预备those of you in kindergarten, or 班、初中或高中的学生，今天是
starting middle or high school, it’你们来到新学校的第一天，心里可能有点紧张，这是可以理解的。it’s understandable if you’re a 我能想象有些毕业班学生现在感nervous. I imagine there are some
seniors out there who are feeling 觉很不错——（掌声）——还有一年就毕业了。不论在哪个年级，pretty good right now -- (applause) 你们有些人可能希望暑假更长一点，今天早上还能多睡一小会儿。 matter what grade you’you are probably wishing it were summer and you could’ve stayed in just a little bit longer this
I know that feeling. When I was
young, my family lived overseas. I 我了解这种感觉。我小时候，我们家生活在海外。我在印度尼lived in Indonesia for a few years. 西亚住了几年。我妈妈没有钱送my mother, she didn’我上其他美国孩子上的学校，但to send me where all the American 她认为必须让我接受美式教育。went to school, but she thought it 因此，她决定从周一到周五自己important for me to keep up with an 给我补课。不过她还要上班，所American education. So she decided 以只能在清晨四点半给我上课。 teach me extra lessons herself, through Friday. But because she had go to work, the only time she could it was at 4:30 in the morning.
Now, as you might imagine, I wasnt too happy about getting up that 你们可以想见，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在early. And a lot of times, I’餐桌上就睡着了。但每当我抱怨
asleep right there at the kitchen 的时候，我妈妈都会那样地看我table. But whenever I’d complain, 一眼，然后说：“小子，这对我mother would just give me one of 也并不轻松。”（笑声） looks and she’d say, “This is no
picnic for me either, buster.”
(Laughter.)
So I know that some of you are
still adjusting to being back at 我知道你们有些人还在适应开学后的生活。但我今天来到这school. But I’里是因为有重要的事情要和你们have something important to discu说。我来这里是要和你们谈谈你with you. I’们的教育问题，以及在这个新学talk with you about your education 年对你们所有人的期望。 what’s expected of all of you in new school year.
Now, I’ve given a lot of 我做过很多次有关教育问题about education. And I’ve talked 的演讲。我多次谈到过责任问题。 responsibility a lot.
I’ve talked about teachers’ 我谈到过教师激励学生并督responsibility for inspiring 促他们学习的责任。
and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents我谈到过家长的责任，要确
responsibility for making sure you
stay on track, and you get your 保你们走正路，完成家庭作业，不要整天坐在电视前或玩Xbox游homework done, and don’t spend 戏。
waking hour in front of the TV or the Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your
government’s responsibility for
setting high standards, and 我多次谈到过政府的责任，要制定高标准，支持教师和校长的工作，彻底改善不能为学生提supporting teachers and principals, 供应有机会的、教育质量差的学and turning around schools that aren校。
t working, where students aren’t
getting the opportunities that they
deserve.
然而，即使我们拥有最敬业have the most dedicated teachers, 的教师，最尽力的家长和全世界most supportive parents, the best 最好的学校——如果你们大家不schools in the world -- and none of 履行你们的责任，不到校上课，will make a difference, none of it 不专心听讲，不听家长、祖父祖母和其他大人的话，不付出取得成功所必须的勤奋努力，那么这to those schools, unleyou pay 一切都毫无用处，都无关紧要。attention to those teachers, unle这就是我今天讲话的重点：你们you listen to your parents and 每个人对自己的教育应尽的责grandparents and other adults and 任。
That’s what I want to focus on
the responsibility each of you has your education.
I want to start with the 我首先要讲讲你们对自己应尽的责任。你们每个人都有自己的长处。你们每个人都能做出自that you’re good at. Every single 己的贡献。你们对自己应尽的责of you has something to offer. And 任是发现自己的能力所在。而教育能够提供这样的机会。 discover what that is. That’s the
opportunity an education can
你或许能成为一名出色的作 家——甚至可能写书或在报纸上book or articles in a newspaper -- 发表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文课的作文后才会发现自that English paper -- that English 己的才华。你或许能成为一名创clapaper that’新者或发明家——甚至可能设计出新一代iPhone或研制出新型药物或疫苗——但你可能要在完成come up with the next iPhone or the 科学课的实验后才会发现自己的才华。你或许能成为一名市长或参议员或最高法院的大法官——for your science class. Maybe you
could be a mayor or a senator or a 但你可能要在参加学生会的工作或辩论队后才会发现自己的才Supreme Court justice -- but you 华。 government or the debate team.
不论你的生活志向是什么，with your life, I guarantee that you我敢肯定你必须上学读书才能实ll need an education to do it. You 现它。你想当医生、教师或警官to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a 吗？你想当护士、建筑师、律师police officer? You want to be a 或军人吗？你必须接受良好的教育，才能从事上述任何一种职业。of our military? You’re going to 你不能指望辍学后能碰上个好工作。你必须接受培训，为之努力，为之学习。
of school and just drop into a good
job. You’work for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important 这并非只对你个人的人生和 your own life and your own future. 未来意义重大。可以毫不夸大地you make of your education will 说，教育给你带来的益处将决定这个国家的未来。美国的未来取country. The future of America 决于你们。你们今日在校学习的on you. What you’re learning in 知识将决定我们作为一个国家是否能够迎接我们未来所面临的最nation can meet our greatest
challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and 你们将需要利用你们通过自严峻挑战。 problem-solving skills you learn in 然科学和数学课程所学到的知识science and math to cure diseases 和解决问题的能力来治愈癌症、cancer and AIDS, and to develop new 艾滋病及其他疾病，开发新的能
energy technologies and protect our 源技术和保护我们的环境。你们environment. You’ll need the 将需要利用你们在历史学和社会and critical-thinking skills you 学课堂上所获得的知识和独立思in history and social studies to 考能力来抗击贫困和解决无家可poverty and homelessness, crime and 归问题，打击犯罪和消除歧视，discrimination, and make our nation 使我们的国家更公平、更自由。more fair and more free. You’你们将需要利用你们在所有课堂the creativity and ingenuity you 上培养的创造力和智慧来创办新公司，增加就业机会，振兴我们new companies that will create new
jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you 我们需要你们每个人发挥你的经济。 们的聪明才智和技能，以便帮助老一辈人解决我们面临的最棘手old folks solve our most difficult 问题。如果你们不这样做，如果problems. If you don’你们辍学，你们不仅仅是自暴自you quit on school -- you’re not 弃，也是抛弃自己的国家。 quitting on yourself, you’re on your country.
Now, I know it’我自然知道要做到学业优秀并非总是易事。我知道你们许多you have challenges in your lives
right now that can make it hard to
focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what it’我明白这一点。我有亲身感人在生活中面临挑战，难以集中精力从事学业。
My father left my family when I was 受。两岁时，我父亲离家而去，years old, and I was raised by a 我是由一位单亲母亲抚养成人的，母亲不得不工作，并时常为at times to pay the bills and wasn’支付生活费用而苦苦挣扎，但有t always able to give us the things 时仍无法为我们提供其他孩子享有的东西。有时，我渴望生活中when I missed having a father in my 能有一位父亲。有时我感到孤独，life. There were times when I was
lonely and I felt like I didn’in.
So I wasn’我并非总是像我应该做到的感到自己不适应社会。 I should have been on school, and I 那样专心学习，我也曾做过我如some things I’今不能引以为豪的一些事情，我got in more trouble than I should 曾惹过不应该惹的麻烦。我的人生原本会轻易陷入更糟糕的境turn for the worse.
但是，我当年际遇不错。我地。 有过许多第二次机会，我有幸能上大学，上法学院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我们的第一夫our First Lady Michelle Obama, she 人米歇尔奥巴马，也有着类似的a similar story. Neither of her 经历。她的父母都未曾上过大学，家里很穷。但他们非常勤奋，她didn’也是如此，因此她得以进入一些美国最好的学校。
in this country.
advantages. Maybe you don’t have 你们中有一些人可能没有那些有利条件。或许你们生活中没有成年人为你们提供你们所需要的支持。或许你们家中有人失业，经济非常拮据。或许你们生活在there’s not enough money to go 使你们感觉不安全的社区，或有Maybe you live in a neighborhood 朋友逼迫你们去做你们知道不对you don’的事情。
who are pressuring you to do things know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the 然而说到底，你们生活的环circumstances of your life -- what 境、你们的肤色、你们的原籍、look like, where you come from, how 你们的经济收入、你们家中的境much money you have, what you’况等等，这一切都不能成为你们going on at home -- none of that is 不用功或不努力的理由。你们没excuse for neglecting your homework 有理由不服从你们的老师、逃学、having a bad attitude in school. That或辍学。没有理由不付出努力。 teacher, or cutting class, or not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’你们目前的状况并不决定着have to determine where you’ll end 你们的未来。没有人决定你们的No one’s written your destiny for 命运，在美国，你们决定自己的because here in America, you write
your own destiny. You make your own 命运。你们掌握自己的未来。
future.
That’s what young people like are doing every day, all across
America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, 来自得州罗马城的贾兹敏这就是像你们这样的年轻人每天都在做的事情，全美各地都是如此。 from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t 佩雷斯（Jazmin Perez）就是一English when she first started 个例证，她刚开始上学时并不会Neither of her parents had gone to 说英文。她的父母都没有上过大学。然而，她非常勤奋，成绩优秀，获得了布朗大学的奖学金，Brown University -- is now in 她如今正在读研究生，攻读公共school, studying public health, on 卫生专业，不久将成为贾兹敏佩way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni 我想起了加州洛斯阿尔托斯雷斯博士。 城的安多尼舒尔茨（Andoni who’s fought brain cancer since he Schultz），他从三岁开始就一直three. He’与脑癌进行抗争，他不得不忍受of treatments and surgeries, one of 各类治疗和手术带来的痛苦，其中一项手术曾影响了他的记忆，因此他花在功课上的时间比一般人长得多，要多出数百个小时。never fell behind. He’s headed to
college this fall.
然而，他从未落后。他今年秋季将迈进大学。
And then there’s Shantell 我还想起家乡伊利诺伊州芝from my hometown of Chicago, 加哥市的尚特尔史蒂夫
Even when bouncing from foster home （Shantell Steve）。她曾在芝foster home in the toughest 加哥最困难的社区生活，寄养于neighborhoods in the city, she 多个不同的家庭，但她最终在一to get a job at a local health care 家地方医疗中心找到工作，并开始了一项帮助年轻人远离流氓团people out of gangs, and she’s on 伙的计划，她即将以优异成绩从to graduate high school with honors 中学毕业，紧接着将上大学。 and go on to college.
贾兹敏、安多尼和尚特尔与aren’t any different from any of 你们中间的每个人没什么两样。They face challenges in their lives 跟你们一样，他们在生活中面临just like you do. In some cases they种种挑战。在某些情况下，他们ve got it a lot worse off than many 的处境比起你们许多人更差。但you. But they refused to give up. 他们拒绝放弃。他们决定要为自chose to take responsibility for 己的一生、自己的教育负起责任，lives, for their education, and set 为自己设定各项奋斗目标。我期goals for themselves. And I expect 待你们大家都会这样做。 of you to do the same.
That’s why today I’m calling 因此，我今天呼吁你们每一个人为自己的教育设定目标，并your education -- and do everything 尽自己的最大努力来实现这些目you can to meet them. Your goal can 标。你的目标可以是一件十分简单的事情，例如完成家庭作业、上课专心听讲、或每天花一点时
or spending some time each day 间读一本书。也许你会决定要参a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get 加课外活动或在你的社区提供志involved in an extracurricular
activity, or volunteer in your
community. Maybe you’ll decide to 愿服务。也许你会决定挺身而出保护那些因为身份或长相而受人戏弄或欺负的孩子，原因是你和stand up for kids who are being 我一样认为所有的年轻人都应该享有一个适合读书和学习的安全how they look, because you believe, 环境。也许你会决定更好地照料like I do, that all young people 自己，以便有更充沛的精力来学deserve a safe environment to study 习。顺便提一下，除了这些事情and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to 外，我希望大家要勤洗手，身体感到不舒服的时候要呆在家里不去上学，这样我们能防止人们在今年秋冬季节染上流感。 are washing your hands a lot, and you stay home from school when you dont feel well, so we can keep people
但无论你决定做什么，我希望你保证去做。我希望你脚踏实to really work at it.
I know that sometimes you get 我知道有时候你会从电视上地地去做。 sense from TV that you can be rich 得到这样的印象：你不用做任何successful without any hard work -- 艰苦的工作就能发财致富并取得that your ticket to succeis 成功，唱小调、打篮球或成为真rapping or basketball or being a 人秀明星是走向成功的途径。但
reality TV star. Chances are you’实际情况是：你可能不会成为其中的一员。
The truth is, being successful事实上，取得成功不是轻而hard. You won’t love every subject 易举的事情。你不会喜欢你学习that you study. You won’的每一门课目。你不会与你的每every teacher that you have. Not 一位老师都很投契。不是所有的homework assignment will seem 家庭作业似乎都与你眼前的生活completely relevant to your life 完全有关。你第一次尝试做每件at this minute. And you won’t
necessarily succeed at everything first time you try.
That’s okay. Some of the most 这些都没关系。世界上最成事的时候，不一定成功。 successful people in the world are 功的人士中有一些是遭遇失败最ones who’ve had the most failures. 多的人。作者JK罗琳（J.K. J.K. Rowling’s -- who wrote Harry Rowling）所写的系列小说《哈利波特》（Harry Potter）第一部was rejected 12 times before it was 在获得出版之前被退稿12次。迈finally published. Michael Jordan 克尔乔丹（Michael Jordan）曾cut from his high school basketball 被他的高中篮球队除名。在乔丹team. He lost hundreds of games and 的篮球生涯中，他输过数百场比赛，有成千上万个球没有投中。career. But he once said, “I have 但他曾说过：“在我的一生中，failed over and over and over again 我失败了一次又一次、一次又一my life. And that’s why I succeed.次。这就是我成功的原因。”
These people succeeded because 这些人士获得成功，因为他
they understood that you can’t let 们懂得：你不能让失败来限制你，而必须让失败来开导你。你必须to let your failures teach you. You 让失败向你展示下次如何以不同的方式去做这件事情。因此，如果你遇到麻烦，那并不表示你是get into trouble, that doesn’麻烦的制造者，而意味着你需要you’更加努力去把它做对。如果你有need to try harder to act right. If 一门课分数低，那不表示你比别get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you人笨，而只表示你需要花更多的时间学习。
spend more time studying.
No one’things. You become good at things
through hard work. You’re not a
varsity athlete the first time you 没有一个人天生擅长做各种事情。你通过勤奋而变得擅长于各种事情。第一次从事新的体育项目时，你不可能是一位主力队play a new sport. You don’t hit 员。第一次唱一首歌曲时，你不可能唱准每个音。你必须练习。You’ve got to practice. The same 同样的道理适用于你的学业。你principle applies to your 可能要把一道数学题做几次才把它做对。你可能要把一些材料阅few times before you get it right. 读几遍才能理解。在交出一篇优might have to read something a few 美的作文之前，你肯定需要打几times before you understand it. You 遍草稿。
a paper before it’s good enough to in
Don’t be afraid to ask 不要害怕提问。不要在需要Don’帮助时害怕请求别人帮助。我天you need it. I do that every day.
Asking for help isn’t a sign of
weakness, it’s a sign of strength 天请求别人的帮助。请求帮助不是软弱的表现，它是力量的标志，因为它表明你有勇气承认自己对某些事情不懂，这样做会使你学to admit when you don’t know 到新的东西。因此，请确定一位something, and that then allows you 你信任的成年人，例如家长、祖父母或老师、教练或辅导员，请that you trust -- a parent, a 他们帮助你遵循既定计划实现你的目标。
stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re 即使当你苦苦挣扎、灰心丧even when you’re discouraged, and 气、感到其他人对你不抱希望时，也不要对你自己丧失信心，因为on you, don’t ever give up on 当你自暴自弃时，你也抛弃了自己的国家。
you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t 书写美国历史的不是在困难people who quit when things got 时刻退缩的人，而是坚持不懈、It’s about people who kept going, 加倍努力的人，他们对国家的爱tried harder, who loved their 促使他们全力以赴。
too much to do anything lethan best.
It’s the story of students who 书写美国历史的是250年前坐在你们的位置上的学生，他们on to wage a revolution and they
founded this nation. Young people. 后来进行了独立战争并创建了这个国家。还有75年前坐在你们的Students who sat where you sit 75 位置上的年轻人和学生，他们走出了大萧条并打赢了一场世界大a world war; who fought for civil
rights and put a man on the moon. 战；他们为民权而奋斗并把宇航员送上了月球。至于20年前坐在Students who sat where you sit 20 你们的位置上的学生，他们创办ago who founded Google and Twitter 了谷歌（Google）、叽喳网Facebook and changed the way we
communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask all of 而今天，我要问问你们大家，（Twitter）和脸谱网（Facebook），改变了我们交流沟通的方式。 what’s your contribution going to 你们将做出什么贡献？你们将解决什么问题？你们将有什么发现？20年、50年或100年后来到这里讲话的总统将会怎样评价你们大家为这个国家所做的一切？ of you did for this country?
Now, your families, your 你们的家人、你们的老师和我正在竭尽全力保证你们接受必we can to make sure you have the
education you need to answer these 要的教育，以便回答上述问题。我正在努力工作，以便你们的教questions. I’m working hard to fix 室得到修缮，你们能够得到学习所需的课本、设备和电脑。但你and the equipment and the computers 们也必须尽自己的努力。因此，
you need to learn. But you’我希望你们大家从今年起认真对待这个问题。我希望你们尽最大you to get serious this year. I 努力做好每一件事。我希望你们you to put your best effort into
everything you do. I expect great 每个人都有出色的表现。不要让我们失望。不要让你们的家人或things from each of you. So don’t 你们的国家失望。而最重要的是，us down. Don’不要辜负你们自己，而要让我们or your country down. Most of all, don都能[为你们]感到骄傲。 t let yourself down. Make us all
Thank you very much, everybody.
God bleyou. God bleAmerica.
Thank you. (Applause.)
非常感谢你们大家。愿主保佑你们。愿主保佑美国。谢谢你们。（掌声）
2016奥巴马开学演讲稿
The White House
Office of the PreSecretary
For Immediate Release
September 14, 2016
Remarks by the President in Back to School Speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1:05 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT:Thank you!Hello!(Applause.)Thank you.Thank you.Well, hello, Philadelphia!(Applause.)And hello, Masterman.It is wonderful to see all of you.What a terrific introduction by Kelly.Give Kelly a big round of applause.(Applause.)I was saying backstage that when I was in high school, I could not have done that.(Laughter.)I would have muffed it up somehow.So we are so proud of you and everything that you’ve done.And to all the students here, I’m thrilled to be here.
We’ve got a couple introductions I want to make.First of all, you’ve got the outstanding governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, in the house.(Applause.)The mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, is here.(Applause.)Congressman Chaka Fattah is here.(Applause.)Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is here.(Applause.)Your own principal, Marge Neff, is here.(Applause.)The school superintendent, Arlene Ackerman, is here and doing a great job.(Applause.)And the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is here.(Applause.)
And I am here.(Applause.)And I am thrilled to be here.I am just so excited.I’ve heard such great things about what all of you are doing, both the students and the teachers and the staff here. Today is about welcoming all of you, and all of America’s students, back to school, even though I know you’ve been in school for a little bit now.And I can’t think of a better place to do it than at Masterman. (Applause.)Because you are one of the best schools in Philadelphia.You are a leader in helping students succeed in the classroom.Just last week, you were recognized by a National Blue Ribbon -- as a National Blue Ribbon School because of your record of achievement.And that is a testament to everybody here –- to the students, to the parents, to the teachers, to the school leaders.It’s an example of excellence that I hope communities acroAmerica can embrace.
Over the past few weeks, Michelle and I have been getting Sasha and Malia ready for school.And they’re excited about it.I’ll bet they had the same feelings that you do -- you’re a little sad to see the summer go, but you’re also excited about the possibilities of a new year.The possibilities of building new friendships and strengthening old ones, of joining a school club, or trying out for a team.The possibilities of growing into a better student and a better person and making not just your family proud but making yourself proud.
But I know some of you may also be a little nervous about starting a new school year.Maybe you’re making the jump from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school, and you’re worried about what that’s going to be like.Maybe you’re starting a new school.You’re not1
sure how you’ll like it, trying to figure out how you’re going to fit in.Or maybe you’re a senior, and you’re anxious about the whole college process; about where to apply and whether you can afford to go to college.
And beyond all those concerns, I know a lot of you are also feeling the strain of some difficult times.You know what’s going on in the news and you also know what’s going on in some of your own families.You’ve read about the war in Afghanistan.You hear about the recession that we’ve been through.And sometimes maybe you’re seeing the worries in your parents’ faces or sense it in their voice. So a lot of you as a consequence, because we’re going through a tough time a country, are having to act a lot older than you are.You got to be strong for your family while your brother or sister is serving overseas, or you’ve got to look after younger siblings while your mom is working that second shift.Or maybe some of you who are little bit older, you’re taking on a part-time job while your dad’s out of work.
And that’s a lot to handle.It’s more than you should have to handle.And it may make you wonder at times what your own future will look like, whether you’re going to be able to succeed in school, whether you should maybe set your sights a little lower, scale back your dreams.
But I came to Masterman to tell all of you what I think you’re hearing from your principal and your superintendent, and from your parents and your teachers:Nobody gets to write your destiny but you.Your future is in your hands.Your life is what you make of it.And nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is beyond your reach, so long as you’re willing to dream big, so long as you’re willing to work hard.So long as you’re willing to stay focused on your education, there is not a single thing that any of you cannot accomplish, not a single thing.I believe that.
And that last part is absolutely essential, that part about really working hard in school, because an education has never been more important than it is today.I’m sure there are going to be times in the months ahead when you’re staying up late doing your homework or cramming for a test, or you’re dragging yourself out of bed on a rainy morning and you’re thinking, oh, boy, I wish maybe it was a snow day.(Laughter.)
But let me tell you, what you’re doing is worth it.There is nothing more important than what you’re doing right now.Nothing is going to have as great an impact on your succein life as your education, how you’re doing in school.
More and more, the kinds of opportunities that are open to you are going to be determined by how far you go in school.The farther you go in school, the farther you’re going to go in life.And at a time when other countries are competing with us like never before, when students around the world in Beijing, China, or Bangalore, India, are working harder than ever, and doing better than ever, your succein school is not just going to determine your success, it’s going to determine America’s succein the 21st century.
So you’ve got an obligation to yourselves, and America has an obligation to you, to make sure you’re getting the best education possible.And making sure you get that kind of education is going to2
take all of us working hard and all of us working hand in hand.
It takes all of us in government -- from the governor to the mayor to the superintendent to the President -- all of us doing our part to prepare our students, all of them, for succein the classroom and in college and in a career.It’s going to take an outstanding principal, like Principal Neff, and outstanding teachers like the ones you have here at Masterman -- teachers who are going above and beyond the call of duty for their students.And it’s going to take parents who are committed to your education.
Now, that’s what we have to do for you.That’s our responsibility.That’s our job.But you’ve got a job, too.You’ve got to show up to school on time.You’ve got to pay attention in your class.You’ve got to do your homework.You’ve got to study for exams.You’ve got to stay out of trouble.You’ve got to instill a sense of excellence in everything that you do.That kind of discipline, that kind of drive, that kind of hard work, is absolutely essential for success.
And I can speak from experience here because unlike Kelly, I can’t say I always had this discipline.See, I can tell she was always disciplined.I wasn’t always disciplined.I wasn’t always the best student when I was younger.I made my share of mistakes.I still remember a conversation I had with my mother in high school.I was kind of a goof-off.And I was about the age of some of the folks here.And my grades were slipping.I hadn’t started my college applications.I was acting, as my mother put it, sort of casual about my future.I was doing good enough.I was smart enough that I could kind of get by.But I wasn’t really applying myself.
And so I suspect this is a conversation that will sound familiar to some students and some parents here today.She decided to sit me down and said I had to change my attitude.My attitude was what I imagine every teenager’s attitude is when your parents have a conversation with you like that.I was like, you know, I don’t need to hear all this.I’m doing okay, I’m not flunking out. So I started to say that, and she just cut me right off.She said, you can’t just sit around waiting for luck to see you through.She said, you can get into any school you want in the country if you just put in a little bit of effort.She gave me a hard look and she said, you remember what that’s like?Effort?(Laughter.)Some of you have had that conversation.(Laughter.)And it was pretty jolting hearing my mother say that.
But eventually her words had the intended effect, because I got serious about my studies.And I started to make an effort in everything that I did.And I began to see my grades and my prospects improve. And I know that if hard work could make the difference for me, then it can make a difference for all of you.And I know that there may be some people who are skeptical about that.Sometimes you may wonder if some people just aren’t better at certain things.You know, well, I’m not good at math or I’m just not really interested in my science classes.
And it is true that we each have our own gifts, we each have our own talents that we have to discover and nurture.Not everybody is going to catch on in certain subjects as easily as others.
But just because you’re not the best at something today doesn’t mean you can’t be tomorrow.Even
if you don’t think of yourself as a math person or a science person, you can still excel in those subjects if you’re willing to make the effort.And you may find out you have talents you never dreamed of.
Because one of the things I’ve discovered is excelling -- whether it’s in school or in life -- isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else.That’s not really the secret to success.It’s about working harder than everybody else.So don’t avoid new challenges -- seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to ask for help.Your teachers and family are there to guide you.They want to know if you’re not catching on to something because they know that if you keep on working at it, you’re going to catch on.
Don’t feel discouraged; don’t give up if you don’t succeed at something the first time.Try again, and learn from your mistakes.Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well; be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.
Now, I’m sort of preaching to the choir here because I know that’s the kind of culture of excellence that you promote at Masterman.But I’m not just speaking to all of you, I’m speaking to kids all acrothe country.And I want them to all here that same message:That’s the kind of excellence we’ve got to promote in all of America’s schools.
That’s one of the reasons why I’m announcing our second Commencement Challenge.Some of you may have heard of this.If your school is the winner, if you show us how teachers and students and parents are all working together to prepare your kids and your school for college and a career, if you show us how you’re giving back to your community and your country, then I will congratulate you in person by speaking at your commencement.
Last year I was in Michigan at Kalamazoo and had just a wonderful time.Although I got to admit, their graduating clawas about 700 kids and my hands were really sore at the end of it because I was shaking all of them.(Laughter.)
But the truth is, an education is about more than getting into a good college.It’s about more than getting a good job when you graduate.It’s about giving each and every one of us the chance to fulfill our promise, and to be the best version of ourselves we can be.And part of that means treating others the way we want to be treated -- with kindneand respect.So that’s something else that I want to communicate to students not just here at Masterman but all acrothe country.
Sometimes kids can be mean to other kids.Let’s face it.We don’t always treat each other with respect and kindness.That’s true for adults as well, by the way.
And sometimes that’s especially true in middle school or high school, because being a teenager isn’t easy.It’s a time when you’re wrestling with a lot of things.When I was in my teens, I was wrestling with all sorts of questions about who I was.I had a white mother and a black father, and my father wasn’t around; he had left when I was two.And so there were all kinds of issues that I was dealing with.Some of you may be working through your own questions right now and coming to terms with what makes you different.
美国总统奥巴马9月8日开学演讲稿
美国总统奥巴马9月8日开学演讲稿
Your education,your future
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 bit longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. And 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 she'd say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuwith 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 about responsibility a lot.
I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.
I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unleall of you fulfill your responsibilities, unleyou show up to those schools, unleyou pay attention to those teachers, unleyou listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. 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 that you're good at.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 great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English clapaper that's assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your 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 cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to train for it and work 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 lethan the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. 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 scienc
e 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 and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks 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 it's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was… I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money. 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 -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is 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, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be s
omething as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some 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 young people 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, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.But 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 that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to succeis through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you're not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject that you study. You won't click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That's okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones
who've had the most failures. J.K. Rowling's -- who wrote Harry Potter -- her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. 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's why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you -- you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. 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 all 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. The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to 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 because it shows you have the courage to admit when yo
u don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a 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 lethan their best.
It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. Young people. 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 and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.So today, I want to ask all of 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 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
Now, 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 and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of 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 down or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.
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