President Obama Nails It!

     President Obama delivered a speech Tuesday to our nation’s school children that had most teachers responding with a big “AMEN!” His main focus was telling students to take charge and take responsibility for their own education. For us teachers, that’s a nice switch from the message we often get that WE’RE responsible for everything.
     This is a good paragraph that summarizes the whole speech:
     “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 unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you 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.”
     Obama went on basically to tell students not to make any excuses and to remember how important education will be to their futures. It was great motivational material, just delivered in too much of an intellectual manner. I would like to see the same speech given by a hell-fire and brimstone preacher-type person with some yelling, foot stomping, fist pounding and a few tears. Basically, just some more emotion. So, I'm nitpicking about his style, but the President's words were wonderful.
     I also really liked this paragraph:
     “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 you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.”
     That advice, I think, especially applies to students in low income areas like ours. Many of our students have raised themselves or been raised by siblings without enough adult supervision. From that, these kids tend to have developed an independence that in some ways can be a big benefit. Sometimes this independence leads them to question why things are they way they are. This independence also motivates them to want to figure out things on their own, which is a worthwhile skill to have.
     Too many students, though, let this independence work against them. They don’t ask questions (or at least the right questions), they don’t ask for help, and they view accepting instructions as equal to accepting orders, and, “Nobody gives me orders.” They want to do things on their own, which is good, but too often want to go a step too far and do things their own way. They’ll be like, “It says to draw a square 4” x 4”. So what if I draw it 4 cm by 4 cm, it’s still a square.” These students don't think deeply enough to understand there's usually a good reason for needing to precisely follow directions.
     The President wrapped up with a conclusion very similar to his opening. “I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn,” he said. “But you've got to do your part, too.”
     To help solve one of my biggest irritations, I just wish he could have added, “And don’t go to any of your classes without a pencil or pen and paper to write on.”