The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today. 

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 longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.   

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. 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 say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with 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 a lot about responsibility.

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. 

But at the end of the day, 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. 

And 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 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. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. 

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a 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 can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train 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 less than the future of this country. 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 science 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, skills and intellect so you can help 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 that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in. 

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. 

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. 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 – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s 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. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. 

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. 

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall. 

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. 

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending 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 kids 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, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

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 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. 

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. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve 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." 

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. 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 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. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or 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. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or 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 less than their best. 

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. 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, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask 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 twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?  

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, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect 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 or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

嗨，各位好，大家今天过得好吗？我现在正和弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿市的Wakefield 高中的学生们在一起。现在全国的学生都在收听这个谈话，从幼儿园到十二年级。很高兴你们今天能和我们在一起。

我知道你们当中很多人，今天是第一天上学。对那些刚上幼儿园、初中或高中的学生来说，今天是你们第一天到新学校。所以，可以理解如果你们感到有点紧张。我猜想一些十二年级的学生因为只有一年就可以毕业了，而感到愉快；无论你们是几年级，一些人可能还很盼望此刻还是暑假，那么你们今天早上就可以多睡一会儿。

我理解这种心情。当我还是一个孩子的时候，我们家曾经在印度尼西亚呆过几年。我妈妈没有钱送我到当地的美国小孩的学校。所以她决定亲自多教我几节课，从星期一到星期五，每天早上四点半开始。

早上要起来这么早，我不太高兴。许多次，我都坐在厨房的桌子旁睡着了。但是，每当我抱怨的时候，我的妈妈总是很严肃的看着我说：“伙计，我也没有野餐吃啊。”（在此，他的妈妈非常幽默，意思是奥巴马想吃野餐而不喜欢桌上的食物——译者注）

所以我明白你们中的一些人还在调整自己开学后的状态。但我今天在这里是因为我很重要的事情要和你讨论。我要和你谈关于你的教育，以及我对你们在这新学年的期待。

关于教育和责任的问题我已经讲了很多。

我也讲过你们的老师的责任去激励你们激发和催促你们去学习。

我也讲过谈过作为父母的责任：保证你们在正常的轨道上成长，督促你们完成家庭作业，以及不要让你们把醒来的时间都消磨在电视机前或者Xbox游戏机前。

我也讲过作为**的责任：设立高标准，支持老师和校长的工作，以及改变那些不能让学生们得到应有的机会的学校。

但是，既是我们在最后有了最有奉献精神的老师，全力支持的家长以及世界上最好的学校，如果你们没有表现出你们应负的责任，这一切都会变得无足轻重。除非你出现在学校，对老师的讲课集中注意力，听从父母，祖父母的教诲。以及努力去实现成功。

这就是我们今天的主题：你们每一个人对自己的教育应负的责任。我想从你对自己的责任开始讲起。

你们每一个人都有自己擅长的事情，你们每一个人都有能够拿出手的一些本领。所以你对自己有责任去发现那是什么。教育可以提供让你发现自己特长的机会。

也许你是一个很好的作者，也许好到了可以写一本书或文章发表在报纸上，但是你如果不完成一篇英语课的写作你就无法知道自己有这项特长；也许你是一个善于创新者或者一个发明家，也许好的足够发明下一代iPhone (苹果公司的超酷时髦手机，译者注）或者新的药物或疫苗，但是你如果不完成一个科学课（包括物理，化学，生物，等）的课题你就无法知道自己有这样的天赋；或许你能够成为一个市长，参议员，或者最高法院的法官，但是你只有参加学生组织或辩论队才能够发现自己的这种潜能。

不论你这一生想做什么，我敢说你将需要接受一定的教育才能完成它。你想成为一个医生，一个老师，一个警官吗？你想成为一个护士，一个建筑家，一个律师，或成为我们武装力量的一员吗？每一项事业都需要你去接受一个好的教育去实现。你不可能在退学后就有一个好的工作在等你。 你需要为一个好的工作付出劳动，训练，并学习。

这不仅仅关系到你自己的生活和前途，你的教育怎么样决定了这个国家的未来。你今天在学校里学习的将要决定这个国家能否适应我们未来要面临的最大挑战。

你需要从科学和数学课里学来的知识和解决问题的能力来治疗像癌症和艾滋病这样的疾病，发展出新的能源技术并保护我们的环境。有需要从历史和社会研究课程里学来的洞察力和辩证分析能力来战胜贫困现象和减少无家可归的人，罪犯和歧视的发生。让我们的国家更公平更自由。你需要从你所有的课程里学来的创新和创造力去创造新的工作机会，以刺激经济的发展。

国家需要你们增进你们的才艺、技术与智慧，往后能帮助我们解决最困难的问题。如果你们不能做到─如果你们辍学－你不只是在放弃你自己－你也放弃了对国家应尽的责任。

我知道要想一直在学校表现优异并不是件容易的事。我知道你们很多人也许正在面临很多人生中的困难，使你们无法专注在课业上。我能理解，我知道那种感受。我的父亲在我两岁的时候就离开了我，我是由我母亲一人抚养长大的，有时候家里连一些账单都无法支付，我们无法时时得到一般孩子所拥有的东西。在那个时候，我曾想念有父亲在的日子，有的时候会感到寂寞，无法适应。

所以当我在学校时，我没有尽到我的本份。也做了些令自己遗憾的事情，也惹了些不该惹的麻烦，当时在我的人生道路上，一不小心就可能会误入歧途。

但我很幸运。我有许多次改过自新的机会，而且能有机会上大学、法学院，能追寻我的梦想。我的太太，第一夫人米雪儿‧欧巴马跟我有着相似的遭遇。她的父母都没读大学，经济也不宽裕，但是他们认真工作，米雪儿也是，所以最后她能有机会去一流的学校。

你们有些人也许没有这么好的条件，也许在生命中没有能给予你支持的长辈。家里的人可能丢了工作，没办法在经济上支持你。或者你可能身在一个让你感到不安全的小区，也有来自朋友的压力，促使你去做你知道不对的事情。

但是不管怎样，你的生活环境、你从哪来、你家庭的经济状况和你家庭所发生的大小事，都不能拿来作为你不写作业和表现差的借口。这都不能作为你顶老师的嘴、旷课或逃学的借口，你不能给自己的不努力找任何的理由。

你现在的位置并不能代表你未来的去向。没有人定了你的命运。在美国，你自己掌握你的命运，你自己创造你的未来。

在美国，跟你们一样年纪的年轻人每天都在这样努力着。

年轻的朋友，像是来自德州的洁丝敏‧佩雷斯（Jazmin Perez），洁丝敏刚去上学时连英文都不会说。在她的家乡包括她的父母很少有人能上大学。但她很努力，取得了好成绩，最后获得了布朗大学(Brown University)的奖学金，现在在研究所念公共卫生学，即将要成为一名医生。

我还想到了来自加州落斯拉图斯(Los Altos)的安东尼‧舒尔兹(Andoni Schulz)，他从三岁就在跟脑癌奋斗。他经历了各种治疗方法与手术，甚至影响到他的记忆能力，所以他必须花更长的时间，比别人多好几百个小时的努力来完成他学校的功课。但是他从来没有跟不上，今年秋季他将顺利上大学。

还有来自我的家乡芝加哥伊利诺伊州(Illinois)的香泰儿‧史提夫(Shantell Steve)。虽然身在环境较差的小区中，又不断的更换寄养家庭，她还是想办法在当地的健康中心找到了一份工作，并开展了一项帮助年轻人远离帮派的辅导课程。她将以优异的成绩从高中毕业后上大学。

洁斯敏、安东尼和香泰儿和在座的各位没有任何不同。他们在人生中和你们一样也碰到了许多考验。但是他们并没有放弃，他们选择取得更高的学历，并为自己设定一些目标。我期望你们每个人也能和他们一样。

这也是今天我为什么在这里呼吁大家，在自己未来学习的路上设定一些目标─ 并尽全力达到目标。这些阶段性的目标可以很简单，比如完成你所有的作业、专心上课、一天花时间读一本书。也许你想选择参加一些课外活动、或是做小区的义工。也许你会站出来帮助因为外在与个性因素而被欺负的学生，因为你和我一样坚信，所有的孩子都应该有一个安全的读书与学习的环境。或着是你选择把自己照顾好、调整好自己的状态更好的学习。除此之外，我希望你们都能勤洗手，如果身体感到不舒服要在家休息，在今年的秋季与冬季，一同避免更多的人得到感冒。

不管你决定做什么，我希望你都能努力，在那个领域真正的下一番功夫。

我知道有的时候，你会在电视上看到能轻松赚大钱或是功成名就的管道 ─绕舌、打篮球或是做电视明星，但很可能你无法从事以上任何一种事业。

实际上，要想成功是很艰难的。你不会喜欢所有的科目，你不会跟每个老师都合得来。现在不会每样功课都与你的生活有关。你也不一定能在第一次做什么事情就能成功。

那没关系。在世界上有很多有成就的人经历了很多挫折。J.K 罗琳的第一本哈利波特曾遭到出版社拒绝了十二次。麦可‧乔丹在高中时曾被篮球队退出，在他的职业生涯当中曾输了几百场比赛，没投进上千球。但他说过：「在我人生当中我失败、失败不断的失败。这就是为什么我现在能成功。」

这些人之所以能成功，就是因为他们知道不能让这些挫折框住了自己 ─ 你要能从中学习。你要能在下一次做的更好。如果你犯了错，这不代表你是个问题制造者。这只是说你要更努力而表现的更好。如果你成绩不好，这不代表你笨，只是需要多花点时间读书。

没有人一生下来就什么都会，你能做好是因为经过了努力。你不会在第一次进行哪项运动就成为高手。你不会在第一次唱歌时就每个音都唱的准。你必须不断的练习。这跟你学校的功课是一样的。一个数学题你可能要做几次才能做对，一个问题你可能要读几遍才能理解，或是你可能要打上几份草稿后才能把作业交出去。

不要害怕问问题。不要害怕寻求帮助，我每天都会有问题要请别人帮助。寻求帮助不是懦弱的表现，那是坚强的表现。那代表你有承认你不知道某些事情的勇气。所以，找一个你信赖的长辈 ─ 父母、祖父母或老师；教练或辅导老师 ─ 向他们寻求帮助，确保你在达成你目标的道路上。

就算你面临困境、就算你感到挫折，你觉得其他人已经放弃了你 ─ 但你可千万别放弃你自己，你放弃了你自己，等于你放弃了你的国家。

美国成功的故事不是在讲那些碰到困难就逃避的人。是在讲那些坚持走下去、努力不懈的人，那些热爱国家而绝不会不尽自己全力的人。

那个故事是，250年前，坐在你们现在坐的位置上的学生，发动了一场革命，建立了美国。75 年前坐在你们位置上的学生，克服了经济大萧条又在世界大战中取得了胜利；并为公民权奋斗，和成功将人类送上月球。20年前在这个位置上的学生创立了 Google、Twitter和Facebook，改变了人与人联系的方式。

所以今天，我想要问你们，你们未来的成就将会是什么？你会解决什么问题？你会有什么新发明？在20、30或百年后，那时的总统会表扬你对国家做了什么样的贡献？

你的家庭、老师还有我，在尽我们的全力确保你能接受所需的教育来回答这些问题。我在为你们教室的修补、书籍、设备以及计算机的购置做努力。但你们也需要尽自己的本份。所以我期望你们今年能认真起来。我期望你们不管做什么能全力以赴。我期望你们每个人都能有所成就。所以不要让我们失望了 ─ 不要让你的家庭和你的国家，还有你自己失望了。让我们感到骄傲。我相信你们能做的到。

谢谢你们，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。