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NEWS : STORIES
President Barack Obama welcomed America's schoolchildren back to the classroom on Tuesday (September 8) with a televised speech urging them to work hard and stay in school. While those words of wisdom from the president might seem innocuous, before
Obama, however, avoided the mention of any political topics such as health care or the economic stimulus in the speech, given at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. The text of the president's comments were posted on the White House Web site on Monday, so parents of students from kindergarten to 12th grade could preview it. Opening with remarks about how the first day of school can be nerve-racking and how, as a child, he disliked the extra instruction his mother gave him at the kitchen table, Obama stuck to a positive, encouraging message about the benefits of education. "Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility," the president said. "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." At the end of the day, though, Obama said, "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." Telling them that they all have something they're good at, Obama said each student's responsibility was to find that strength and follow 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," Obama warned, reiterating a message he gave during the presidential campaign. "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. J.K. Rowling's first 'Harry Potter' book was rejected 12 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.' " In the week leading up to the speech, a number of conservative commentators, radio hosts, school administrators, congress members and parents spoke out against the address, saying the speech could disrupt an already-hectic first day of school and that the effort smacked of partisan electioneering among the country's future voters. Part of the concern was centered on an early version of the accompanying lesson plan devised by the Education Department, in which children were asked what they could do to help the president. After conservatives balked at the plan, the White House admitted it was not worded well and instead encouraged students to write letters about how they can "achieve their short-term and long-term educational goals." Despite claims from Oklahoma Republican State Senator Steve Russell last week that the speech gave the appearance of "creating a cult of personality," Obama is not the first president to give such a talk. President George H.W. Bush delivered a nationally televised speech in 1991 with a similar tone. And in 1988, Republican President Ronald Reagan gave what CNN called more "politically charged" remarks, in which he derided taxes, to students nationwide. While the White House tried to tame the anger over the speech, some school districts and parents provided other options for students during the event, or did not show it at all. Much less controversial is the president's appearance on Tuesday night's half-hour "Get Schooled: You Have the Right," which will air across all of Viacom's U.S. networks at 8 p.m. ET. The show will spotlight NBA star LeBron James, Kelly Clarkson and the president, highlighting the educational challenges and breakthroughs the three faced in rising to the top, while documenting the experiences of successful young adults who work behind the scenes to support them. The three subjects are presidential speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, music video director Jason Halbert and marketing executive Latesha Williams. "Schooled," which will air on two dozen Viacom networks (including BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Spike TV, Logo and Nickelodeon), is the first effort in a five-year national initiative co-developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and MTV parent company Viacom to spotlight the challenges facing America's public schools. Jesse McCartney and Monica will perform at a Los Angeles block party for more than 400 Los Angeles-area public school students, parents, teachers and school administrators as a kickoff to the "Get Schooled" initiative. For more information, go to GetSchooled.com. This report is provided by MTV News
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