US:Obama urges kids to stay in school, appeals to responsibility
Tue Sep 8 05:11:02 EST 2009
Mon Sep 7 19:11:02 UTC 2009
WASHINGTON, Sept 7 AFP - President Barack Obama planned to urge children to study hard and make the most of their educations in a back-to-school address that some conservatives worried had a political cast.
"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," Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery on Tuesday.
The president was scheduled to make the back-to-school speech at a high school in Arlington, Virginia, and it was to be aired in schools throughout the country.
Some school districts decided not to air the speech, others said they would leave the decision to teachers and school principals, and some offered opt-outs for children whose parents do not want them to see or hear the address.
"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," Obama warned, adding "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."
Some conservative critics feared that the aim of the speech was to recruit US kids to the liberal cause and brainwash them with socialism.
Their ire was sparked in part by a "Menu of Classroom Activities" which the Department of Education sent to schools around the country when the speech was announced. One of the activities suggested that schoolchildren write about "how they could help the president".
