English subtitles for clip: File:The President's Back to School Speech.webm

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Speaker:
Good afternoon, everyone.

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Today, I'd like to
welcome to the J.R.

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Masterman Laboratory and
Demonstration School,

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President Barack Obama.

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(applause)

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It is a great honor for
me to be here today,

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speaking for the students of my
school, my city, and my country.

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When I first learned that I
would be the one to introduce

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Barack Obama to our school,
I thought to myself:

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Wow, I'm so lucky to
have this privilege.

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What a great year to be
student body president.

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(laughter)

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However, the truth is,
I'm not here by luck.

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I'm here because I
had determination,

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because I had aspirations,
because I had unwavering

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support from my family,
my friends, and my school.

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They have all helped me to grow
and develop into who I am now.

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This school -- this community,
has taught me to work, share,

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learn and laugh with others.

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The teachers and staff have
given me and all of the students

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here the opportunity to
progress academically,

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emotionally and independently.

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It is this sense of community,
the sense of belonging that is

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bestowed upon all the students
who have passed their years at

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Masterman that has
bread me for success.

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And I will settle for
nothing short of it.

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I encourage every student to
take on this same mentality.

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And now, it is my great
pleasure to introduce to you,

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someone who has achieved the
success that we all hope for,

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and gone beyond to change the
very nation in which we live.

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Ladies and gentlemen, please
welcome the President of the

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United States, Mr. Barack Obama.

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(applause)

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President Obama:
Thank you!

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Hello!

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(applause)

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Well, hello, Philadelphia!

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(applause)

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And hello, Masterman.

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It is wonderful
to see all of you.

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What a terrific
introduction by Kelly.

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Give Kelly a big
round of applause.

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(applause)

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I was saying backstage that
when I was in high school,

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I could not have done that.

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(laughter)

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I would have
muffed it up somehow.

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So we are so proud of you and
everything that you've done.

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And to all the students here,
I'm thrilled to be here.

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We've got a couple
introductions I want to make.

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First of all, you've got
the outstanding governor

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of Pennsylvania, Ed
Rendell, in the house.

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(applause)

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The mayor of Philadelphia,
Michael Nutter, is here.

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(applause)

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Congressman Chaka
Fattah is here.

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(applause)

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Congresswoman Allyson
Schwartz is here.

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(applause)

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Your own principal,
Marge Neff, is here.

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(applause)

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The school superintendent,
Arlene Ackerman,

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is here and doing a great job.

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(applause)

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And the Secretary of Education,
Arne Duncan, is here.

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(applause)

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And I am here.

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(applause)

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And I am thrilled to be here.

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I am just so excited.

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I've heard such great things
about what all of you are doing,

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both the students and the
teachers and the staff here.

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Today is about
welcoming all of you,

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and all of America's
students, back to school,

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even though I know you've been
in school for a little bit now.

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And I can't think of a better
place to do it than at Masterman.

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(applause)

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Because you are one of the
best schools in Philadelphia.

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You are a leader in
helping students succeed

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in the classroom.

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Just last week, you were
recognized by a National Blue

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Ribbon -- as a National Blue
Ribbon School because of your

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record of achievement.

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And that is a testament to
everybody here -- to the

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students, to the parents, to the
teachers, to the school leaders.

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It's an example of excellence
that I hope communities across

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America can embrace.

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Over the past few weeks,
Michelle and I have been

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getting Sasha and
Malia ready for school.

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And they're excited about it.

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I'll bet they had the same
feelings that you do -- you're a

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little sad to see the summer go,
but you're also excited about

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the possibilities of a new year.

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The possibilities of
building new friendships

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and strengthening old ones,
of joining a school club,

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or trying out for a team.

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The possibilities of growing
into a better student and a

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better person and making not
just your family proud but

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making yourself proud.

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But I know some of you may
also be a little nervous about

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starting a new school year.

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Maybe you're making the jump
from elementary to middle

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school, or from middle
school to high school,

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and you're worried about what
that's going to be like.

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Maybe you're starting
a new school.

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You're not sure
how you'll like it,

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trying to figure out how
you're going to fit in.

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Or maybe you're a senior, and
you're anxious about the whole

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college process; about where to
apply and whether you can afford

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to go to college.

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And beyond all those concerns,
I know a lot of you are also

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feeling the strain of
some difficult times.

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You know what's going on in the
news and you also know what's

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going on in some of
your own families.

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You've read about the
war in Afghanistan.

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You hear about the recession
that we've been through.

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And sometimes maybe you're
seeing the worries in your

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parents' faces or sense
it in their voice.

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So a lot of you
as a consequence,

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because we're going through
a tough time as a country,

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are having to act a
lot older than you are.

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You got to be strong for your
family while your brother or

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sister is serving overseas, or
you've got to look after younger

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siblings while your mom is
working that second shift.

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Or maybe some of you who
are little bit older,

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you're taking on a part-time job
while your dad's out of work.

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And that's a lot to handle.

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It's more than you
should have to handle.

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And it may make you wonder at
times what your own future will

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look like, whether you're going
to be able to succeed in school,

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whether you should maybe set
your sights a little lower,

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scale back your dreams.

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But I came to Masterman to tell
all of you what I think you're

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hearing from your principal
and your superintendent,

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and from your parents and your
teachers: Nobody gets to write

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your destiny but you.

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Your future is in your hands.

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Your life is what
you make of it.

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And nothing -- absolutely
nothing -- is beyond your reach,

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so long as you're
willing to dream big,

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so long as you're
willing to work hard.

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So long as you're willing to
stay focused on your education,

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there is not a single thing that
any of you cannot accomplish,

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not a single thing.

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I believe that.

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And that last part is
absolutely essential,

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that part about really
working hard in school,

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because an education has
never been more important

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than it is today.

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I'm sure there are going to be
times in the months ahead when

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you're staying up late doing
your homework or cramming for

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a test, or you're dragging
yourself out of bed on a rainy

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morning and you're
thinking, oh, boy,

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I wish maybe it was a snow day.

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(laughter)

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But let me tell you, what
you're doing is worth it.

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There is nothing more
important than what

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you're doing right now.

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Nothing is going to have as
great an impact on your success

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in life as your education,
how you're doing in school.

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More and more, the kinds of
opportunities that are open to

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you are going to be determined
by how far you go in school.

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The farther you go in school,
the farther you're going to

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go in life.

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And at a time when other
countries are competing with us

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like never before, when students
around the world in Beijing,

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China, or Bangalore, India,
are working harder than ever,

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and doing better than ever, your
success in school is not just

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going to determine your success,
it's going to determine

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America's success
in the 21st century.

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So you've got an
obligation to yourselves,

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and America has an
obligation to you,

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to make sure you're getting
the best education possible.

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And making sure you get that
kind of education is going to

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take all of us working hard and
all of us working hand in hand.

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It takes all of us in government
-- from the governor to the

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mayor to the superintendent to
the President -- all of us doing

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our part to prepare our
students, all of them,

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for success in the classroom
and in college and in a career.

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It's going to take an
outstanding principal,

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like Principal Neff, and
outstanding teachers like the

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ones you have here at Masterman
-- teachers who are going above

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and beyond the call of
duty for their students.

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And it's going to take
parents who are committed

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to your education.

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Now, that's what we
have to do for you.

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That's our responsibility.

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That's our job.

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But you've got a job, too.

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You've got to show
up to school on time.

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You've got to pay
attention in your class.

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You've got to do your homework.

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You've got to study for exams.

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You've got to stay
out of trouble.

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You've got to instill
a sense of excellence

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in everything that you do.

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That kind of discipline,
that kind of drive,

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that kind of hard work,
is absolutely essential

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for success.

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And I can speak from experience
here because unlike Kelly,

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I can't say I always
had this discipline.

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See, I can tell she
was always disciplined.

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I wasn't always disciplined.

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I wasn't always the best
student when I was younger.

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I made my share of mistakes.

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I still remember a
conversation I had

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with my mother in high school.

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I was kind of a goof-off.

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And I was about the age
of some of the folks here.

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And my grades were slipping.

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I hadn't started my
college applications.

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I was acting, as
my mother put it,

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sort of casual about my future.

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I was doing good enough.

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I was smart enough that
I could kind of get by.

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But I wasn't really
applying myself.

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And so I suspect this is a
conversation that will sound

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familiar to some students
and some parents here today.

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She decided to sit me
down and said I had to

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change my attitude.

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My attitude was what I imagine
every teenager's attitude is

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when your parents have a
conversation with you like that.

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I was like, you know, I
don't need to hear all this.

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I'm doing okay, I'm
not flunking out.

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So I started to say that, and
she just cut me right off.

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She said, you can't just sit
around waiting for luck to

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see you through.

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She said, you can get into any
school you want in the country

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if you just put in a
little bit of effort.

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She gave me a hard
look and she said,

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you remember what
that's like? Effort?

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(laughter)

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Some of you have
had that conversation.

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(laughter)

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And it was pretty
jolting hearing my

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mother say that.

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But eventually her words
had the intended effect,

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because I got serious
about my studies.

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And I started to make an effort
in everything that I did.

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And I began to see my grades
and my prospects improve.

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And I know that if hard work
could make the difference for

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me, then it can make a
difference for all of you.

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And I know that there
may be some people who

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are skeptical about that.

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Sometimes you may wonder
if some people just aren't

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better at certain things.

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You know, well, I'm not good
at math or I'm just not really

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interested in my
science classes.

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And it is true that we
each have our own gifts,

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we each have our own
talents that we have

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to discover and nurture.

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Not everybody is going to catch
on in certain subjects as easily

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as others.

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But just because you're not the
best at something today doesn't

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mean you can't be tomorrow.

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Even if you don't think of
yourself as a math person or a

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science person, you can still
excel in those subjects if

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you're willing to
make the effort.

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And you may find out you have
talents you never dreamed of.

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Because one of the things I've
discovered is excelling --

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whether it's in school or in
life -- isn't mainly about being

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smarter than everybody else.

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That's not really the
secret to success.

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It's about working harder
than everybody else.

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So don't avoid new
challenges -- seek them out,

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step out of your comfort zone,
don't be afraid to ask for help.

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Your teachers and family
are there to guide you.

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They want to know if you're not
catching on to something because

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they know that if you
keep on working at it,

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you're going to catch on.

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Don't feel discouraged; don't
give up if you don't succeed at

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something the first time.

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Try again, and learn
from your mistakes.

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Don't feel threatened if
your friends are doing well;

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be proud of them, and see what
lessons you can draw from what

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they're doing right.

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Now, I'm sort of preaching
to the choir here because I

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know that's the kind of
culture of excellence that

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you promote at Masterman.

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But I'm not just
speaking to all of you,

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I'm speaking to kids
all across the country.

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And I want them to all here that
same message: That's the kind of

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excellence we've got to promote
in all of America's schools.

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That's one of the reasons why
I'm announcing our second

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Commencement Challenge.

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Some of you may
have heard of this.

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If your school is the winner,
if you show us how teachers

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and students and parents are all
working together to prepare your

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00:15:42,934 --> 00:15:46,604
kids and your school for
college and a career,

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if you show us how you're giving
back to your community and your

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country, then I will
congratulate you in

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00:15:52,133 --> 00:15:55,803
person by speaking
at your commencement.

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00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:01,930
Last year I was in Michigan
at Kalamazoo and had just a

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wonderful time.

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Although I got to admit, their
graduating class was about 700

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kids and my hands were really
sore at the end of it because

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I was shaking all of them.

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00:16:12,867 --> 00:16:17,597
But the truth is, an education
is about more than getting into

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a good college.

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00:16:18,867 --> 00:16:22,267
It's about more than getting
a good job when you graduate.

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00:16:22,266 --> 00:16:24,766
It's about giving each and every
one of us the chance to fulfill

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00:16:24,767 --> 00:16:29,367
our promise, and to be the best
version of ourselves we can be.

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00:16:29,367 --> 00:16:33,397
And part of that means treating
others the way we want to be

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treated -- with
kindness and respect.

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00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:38,930
So that's something else that I
want to communicate to students

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00:16:38,934 --> 00:16:43,504
not just here at Masterman
but all across the country.

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Sometimes kids can be
mean to other kids.

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Let's face it.

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We don't always treat each other
with respect and kindness.

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That's true for adults
as well, by the way.

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And sometimes that's especially
true in middle school or high

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school, because being
a teenager isn't easy.

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00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,570
It's a time when you're
wrestling with a lot of things.

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00:17:08,567 --> 00:17:11,737
When I was in my teens, I was
wrestling with all sorts of

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00:17:11,734 --> 00:17:14,234
questions about who I was.

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00:17:14,233 --> 00:17:16,403
I had a white mother
and a black father,

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and my father wasn't around;
he had left when I was two.

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And so there were all kinds of
issues that I was dealing with.

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Some of you may be working
through your own questions right

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00:17:26,066 --> 00:17:30,766
now and coming to terms with
what makes you different.

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00:17:30,767 --> 00:17:33,437
And I know that figuring out
all of that can be even more

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00:17:33,433 --> 00:17:36,563
difficult when you've got
bullies in a class who try

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00:17:36,567 --> 00:17:40,497
to use those differences to
pick on you or poke fun at you,

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00:17:40,500 --> 00:17:43,530
to make you feel
bad about yourself.

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00:17:43,533 --> 00:17:47,033
And in some places, the
problem is even more serious.

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00:17:47,033 --> 00:17:49,233
There are neighborhoods
in my hometown of Chicago,

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00:17:49,233 --> 00:17:52,203
and there are neighborhoods
right here in Philadelphia

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00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:57,430
where kids are doing
each other serious harm.

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So, what I want to
say to every kid,

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00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:05,300
every young person -- what I
want all of you -- if you take

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00:18:05,300 --> 00:18:08,670
away one thing from my speech, I
want you to take away the notion

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00:18:08,667 --> 00:18:14,167
that life is precious, and part
of what makes it so wonderful

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00:18:14,166 --> 00:18:18,196
is its diversity, that
all of us are different.

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00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:19,970
And we shouldn't be
embarrassed by the things

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00:18:19,967 --> 00:18:21,237
that make us different.

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00:18:21,233 --> 00:18:25,503
We should be proud of them,
because it's the thing that

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00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:27,670
makes us different that
makes us who we are,

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00:18:27,667 --> 00:18:29,767
that makes us unique.

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00:18:29,767 --> 00:18:33,397
And the strength and character
of this country has always come

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00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:39,330
from our ability to recognize
-- no matter who we are,

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00:18:39,333 --> 00:18:42,033
no matter where we come from,
no matter what we look like,

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00:18:42,033 --> 00:18:45,533
no matter what abilities
we have -- to recognize

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00:18:45,533 --> 00:18:48,233
ourselves in each other.

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00:18:48,233 --> 00:18:51,333
I was reminded of that idea the
other day when I read a letter

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00:18:51,333 --> 00:18:53,533
from Tamerria Robinson.

348
00:18:53,533 --> 00:18:56,203
She's a 12-year-old
girl in Georgia.

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00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,030
And she told me about how hard
she works and about all the

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00:18:59,033 --> 00:19:02,063
community service she
does with her brother.

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00:19:02,066 --> 00:19:05,596
And she wrote, "I try to
achieve my dreams and help

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00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:07,870
others do the same."

353
00:19:07,867 --> 00:19:12,537
"That," she said, "is how
the world should work."

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00:19:12,533 --> 00:19:14,603
That's a pretty good motto.

355
00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:18,800
I work hard to achieve my goals
and then I try to help others to

356
00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:21,800
achieve their goals.

357
00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,330
And I agree with Tamerria.

358
00:19:23,333 --> 00:19:27,533
That's how the
world should work.

359
00:19:27,533 --> 00:19:30,063
But it's only going to work that
way if all of you get in good

360
00:19:30,066 --> 00:19:32,866
habits while you're in school.

361
00:19:32,867 --> 00:19:34,997
So, yes, each of us
need to work hard.

362
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,400
We all have to take
responsibilities for

363
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:37,870
our own education.

364
00:19:37,867 --> 00:19:40,197
We need to take responsibility
for our own lives.

365
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,300
But what makes us who we are
is that here, in this country,

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00:19:44,300 --> 00:19:47,530
in the United States of America,
we don't just reach for our own

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00:19:47,533 --> 00:19:51,133
dreams, we try to help
others do the same.

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00:19:51,133 --> 00:19:53,433
This is a country that gives all
its daughters and all of its

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00:19:53,433 --> 00:19:57,433
sons a fair chance, a chance to
make the most of their lives

370
00:19:57,433 --> 00:20:00,403
and fulfill their
God-given potential.

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00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,170
And I'm absolutely confident
that if all of our students --

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00:20:03,166 --> 00:20:06,766
here at Masterman and across
this country -- keep doing their

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00:20:06,767 --> 00:20:09,537
part, if you guys work hard
and you're focused on your

374
00:20:09,533 --> 00:20:12,863
education, you keep fighting
for your dreams and then you

375
00:20:12,867 --> 00:20:17,097
help each other reach
each other's dreams,

376
00:20:17,100 --> 00:20:19,470
then you're not only going
to succeed this year,

377
00:20:19,467 --> 00:20:22,197
you're going to succeed
for the rest of your lives.

378
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,630
And that means America will
succeed in the 21st century.

379
00:20:25,633 --> 00:20:29,103
So my main message to all of
you here today: I couldn't be

380
00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:30,500
prouder of you.

381
00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:32,200
Keep it up.

382
00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:35,600
All of you I know are going to
do great things in the future.

383
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:39,070
And maybe some time
in the 21st century,

384
00:20:39,066 --> 00:20:40,736
it's going to be one of
you that's standing up

385
00:20:40,734 --> 00:20:43,764
here speaking to a group of kids
as President of the United States.

386
00:20:43,767 --> 00:20:44,337
Thank you.

387
00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:47,163
God bless you, and God bless
the United States of America.

388
00:20:47,166 --> 00:20:47,766
Thank you.

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00:20:47,767 --> 00:20:48,437
(applause)