Newspaper Column
By Bill Cirone, Santa Barbara County Superintendent
of Schools
In his annual Back-to-School message to students,
President Barack Obama talked about the need for students to buckle down and
get to work. He acknowledged that for many students that’s a tall order, and
underscored how important this generation of students is for the country.
“I know that you’ve got a lot to deal with outside of
school,” he said. “Issues that used to stay confined to hallways or locker
rooms now find their way into your Facebook feeds and Twitter accounts. And some
of your families might be feeling the strain of this economy. You might have
picked up an after-school job to help out, or maybe you’re babysitting for a
younger sibling because Mom or Dad is working an extra shift,” he added.
He talked about the fact that students are growing up
faster and interacting with the wider world in a way that most adults did not
have to do at such an early age. “I don’t want to be another adult who stands
up to lecture you like you’re just kids,” he said. “Because you’re not just
kids. You’re this country’s future. Whether we fall behind or race ahead in the
coming years is up to you. And I want talk to you about meeting that
responsibility.”
The president told the students that they need to start
with being the best student they can be — not always getting a perfect score on
every assignment or getting straight A’s all the time, though he told them
that’s a good goal to strive for. “It means you have to work as hard as you
know how.”
He said school is for discovering new passions and
acquiring the skills to pursue those passions in the future. He also challenged
the students to set high goals. “I want all of you to set a goal to continue
your education after high school. And if that means college for you, just
getting in isn’t enough. You’ve got to finish.”
I love what the president said about teachers: “Teachers
are the men and women who might be working harder than anybody,” he said.
“Whether you go to a big school or a small one, whether you attend a public,
private, or charter school — your teachers are giving up their weekends and
waking up at dawn. They’re cramming their days full of classes and
extra-curriculars. Then they’re going home, eating some dinner, and staying up
past midnight to grade your papers,” he said.
“And they don’t
do it for a fancy office or a big salary. They do it for you. They live for
those moments when something clicks, when you amaze them with your intellect
and they see the kind of person you can become. They know that you’ll be the
citizens and leaders who take us into tomorrow. They know that you’re the
future.”
President Obama ended by underscoring his main point: “I
have no doubt that America’s best days are ahead of us because I know the
potential that lies inside each one of you. Soon enough, you’ll be the ones
leading our businesses and our government; you’ll be the ones charting the
course of our unwritten history. All of that starts this year. Right now. So I
want you all to make the most of this year ahead of you. Your country is
depending on you. Set your sights high. Have a great school year. And let’s get
to work.”
Regardless
of personal politics, I believe we can all agree that is exactly the message we
want all our students to hear.
