1、弗吉尼亚州，阿林顿市，2009 年 9 月 8 日 嗨，大家好！你们今天过得怎么样？我现在和弗吉尼亚州阿林顿郡韦克菲尔德高中的学生们在一起，全国各地也有从幼儿园到高三的众多学生们通过电视关注这里，我很高兴你们能共同分享这一时刻。我知道，对你们中的许多人来说，今天是开学的第一天，你们中的有一些刚刚进入幼儿园或升上初高中，对你们来说，这是在新学校的第一天，因此，假如你们感到有些紧张，那也是很正常的。我想也会有许多毕业班的学生们正自信满满地准备最后一年的冲刺。不过，我想无论你有多大、在读哪个年级，许多人都打心底里希望现在还在放暑假，以及今天不用那么早起床。我可以理解这份心情。小时候，我们家在印度尼西
2、亚住过几年，而我妈妈没钱送我去其他美国孩子们上学的地方去读书，因此她决定自己给我上课时间是每周一到周五的凌晨 4 点半。显然，我不怎么喜欢那么早就爬起来，很多时候，我就这么在厨房的桌子前睡着了。每当我埋怨的时候，我妈总会用同一副表情看着我说：“小鬼，你以为教你我就很轻松？”所以，我可以理解你们中的许多人对于开学还需要时间来调整和适应，但今天我站在这里，是为了和你们谈一些重要的事情。我要和你们谈一谈你们每个人的教育，以及在新的学年里，你们应当做些什么。我做过许多关于教育的讲话，也常常用到“责任”这个词。 我谈到过教师们有责任激励和启迪你们，督促你们学习。 我谈到过家长们有责任看管你们认真学习、完
3、成作业，不要成天只会看电视或打游戏机。 我也很多次谈到过政府有责任设定高标准严要求、协助老师和校长们的工作，改变在有些学校里学生得不到应有的学习机会的现状。但哪怕这一切都达到最好，哪怕我们有最尽职的教师、最好的家长、和最优秀的学校，假如你们不去履行自己的责任的话，那么这一切努力都会白费。除非你每天准时去上学、除非你认真地听老师讲课、除非你把父母、长辈和其他大人们说的话放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否则这一切都会失去意义。而这就是我今天讲话的主题：对于自己的教育，你们中每一个人的责任。首先，我想谈谈你们对于自己有什么责任。你们中的每一个人都会有自己擅长的东西，每一个人都是有用之材，而发
4、现自己的才能是什么，就是你们要对自己担起的责任。教育给你们提供了发现自己才能的机会。或许你能写出优美的文字甚至有一天能让那些文字出现在书籍和报刊上但假如不在英语课上经常练习写作，你不会发现自己有这样的天赋；或许你能成为一个发明家、创造家甚至设计出像今天的 iPhone 一样流行的产品，或研制出新的药物与疫苗但假如不在自然科学课程上做上几次实验，你不会知道自己有这样的天赋；或许你能成为一名议员或最高法院法官，但假如你不去加入什么学生会或参加几次辩论赛，你也不会发现自己的才能。而且，我可以向你保证，不管你将来想要做什么，你都需要相应的教育。你想当名医生、当名教师或当名警官？你想成为护士、成为建筑设
5、计师、律师或军人？无论你选择哪一种职业，良好的教育都必不可少，这世上不存在不把书念完就能拿到好工作的美梦，任何工作，都需要你的汗水、训练与学习。不仅仅对于你们个人的未来有重要意义，你们的教育如何也会对这个国家、乃至世界的未来产生重要影响。今天你们在学校中学习的内容，将会决定我们整个国家在未来迎接重大挑战时的表现。 你们需要在数理科学课程上学习的知识和技能，去治疗癌症、艾滋那样的疾病，和解决我们面临的能源问题与环境问题；你们需要在历史社科课程上培养出的观察力与判断力，来减轻和消除无家可归与贫困、犯罪问题和各种歧视，让这个国家变得更加公平和自由；你们需要在各类课程中逐渐累积和发展出来的创新意识和思
6、维，去创业和建立新的公司与企业，来制造就业机会和推动经济的增长。我们需要你们中的每一个人都培养和发展自己的天赋、技能和才智，来解决我们所面对的最困难的问题。假如你不这么做假如你放弃学习那么你不仅是放弃了自己，也是放弃了你的国家。当然，我明白，读好书并不总是件容易的事。我知道你们中的许多人在生活中面临着各种各样的问题，很难把精力集中在专心读书之上。我知道你们的感受。我父亲在我两岁时就离开了家庭，是母亲一人将我们拉扯大，有时她付不起帐单，有时我们得不到其他孩子们都有的东西，有时我会想，假如父亲在该多好，有时我会感到孤独无助，与周围的环境格格不入。因此我并不总是能专心学习，我做过许多自己觉得丢脸的事
7、情，也惹出过许多不该惹的麻烦，我的生活岌岌可危，随时可能急转直下。但我很幸运。我在许多事上都得到了重来的机会，我得到了去大学读法学院、实现自己梦想的机会。我的妻子现在得叫她第一夫人米歇尔奥巴马了也有着相似的人生故事，她的父母都没读过大学，也没有什么财产，但他们和她都辛勤工作，好让她本_文_来_源_于_我_的_学_习_网 http:/Www.GZU521.Com 有机会去这个国家最优秀的学校读书。你们中有些人可能没有这些有利条件，或许你的生活中没有能为你提供帮助和支持的长辈，或许你的某个家长没有工作、经济拮据，或许你住的社区不那么安全，或许你认识一些会对你产生不良影响的朋友，等等。但归根结底，你
8、的生活状况你的长相、出身、经济条件、家庭氛围都不是疏忽学业和态度恶劣的借口，这些不是你去跟老师顶嘴、逃课、或是辍学的借口，这些不是你不好好读书的借口。你的未来，并不取决于你现在的生活有多好或多坏。没有人为你编排好你的命运，在美国，你的命运由你自己书写，你的未来由你自己掌握。而在这片土地上的每个地方，千千万万和你一样的年轻人正是这样在书写着自己的命运。 例如德克萨斯州罗马市的贾斯敏佩雷兹（Jazmin Perez）。刚进学校时，她根本不会说英语，她住的地方几乎没人上过大学，她的父母也没有受过高等教育，但她努力学习，取得了优异的成绩，靠奖学金进入了布朗大学，如今正在攻读公共卫生专业的博士学位。我还
9、想起了加利福尼亚州洛斯拉图斯市的安多尼舒尔兹（Andoni Schultz），他从三岁起就开始与脑癌病魔做斗争，他熬过了一次次治疗与手术其中一次影响了他的记忆，因此他得花出比常人多几百个小时的时间来完成学业，但他从不曾落下自己的功课。这个秋天，他要开始在大学读书了。又比如在我的家乡，伊利诺斯州芝加哥市，身为孤儿的香特尔史蒂夫（Shantell Steve）换过多次收养家庭，从小在治安很差的地区长大，但她努力争取到了在当地保健站工作的机会、发起了一个让青少年远离犯罪团伙的项目，很快，她也将以优异的成绩从中学毕业，去大学深造。贾斯敏、安多尼和香特尔与你们并没有什么不同。和你们一样，他们也在生活中遭
10、遇各种各样的困难与问题，但他们拒绝放弃，他们选择为自己的教育担起责任、给自己定下奋斗的目标。我希望你们中的每一个人，都能做得到这些。因此，在今天，我号召你们每一个人都为自己的教育定下一个目标并在之后，尽自己的一切努力去实现它。你的目标可以很简单，像是完成作业、认真听讲或每天阅读或许你打算参加一些课外活动，或在社区做些志愿工作；或许你决定为那些因为长相或出身等等原因而受嘲弄或欺负的孩子做主、维护他们的权益，因为你和我一样，认为每个孩子都应该能有一个安全的学习环境；或许你认为该学着更好的照顾自己，来为将来的学习做准备当然，除此之外，我希望你们都多多洗手、感到身体不舒服的时候要多在家休息，免得大家在
11、秋冬感冒高发季节都得流感。不管你决定做什么，我都希望你能坚持到底，希望你能真的下定决心。我知道有些时候，电视上播放的节目会让你产生这样那样的错觉，似乎你不需要付出多大的努力就能腰缠万贯、功成名就你会认为只要会唱 rap、会打篮球或参加个什么真人秀节目就能坐享其成，但现实是，你几乎没有可能走上其中任何一条道路。因为，成功是件难事。你不可能对要读的每门课程都兴趣盎然，你不可能和每名带课教师都相处顺利，你也不可能每次都遇上看起来和现实生活有关的作业。而且，并不是每件事，你都能在头一次尝试时获得成功。 但那没有关系。因为在这个世界上，最最成功的人们往往也经历过最多的失败。J.K.罗琳的第一本哈利波特被
12、出版商拒绝了十二次才最终出版；迈克尔乔丹上高中时被学校的篮球队刷了下来，在他的职业生涯里，他输了几百场比赛、投失过几千次射篮，知道他是怎么说的吗？“我一生不停地失败、失败再失败，这就是我现在成功的原因。”他们的成功，源于他们明白人不能让失败左右自己而是要从中吸取经验。从失败中，你可以明白下一次自己可以做出怎样的改变；假如你惹了什么麻烦，那并不说明你就是个捣蛋贵，而是在提醒你，在将来要对自己有更严格的要求；假如你考了个低分，那并不说明你就比别人笨，而是在告诉你，自己得在学习上花更多的时间。没有哪一个人一生出来就擅长做什么事情的，只有努力才能培养出技能。任何人都不是在第一次接触一项体育运动时就成为
13、校队的代表，任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌时就找准每一个音，一切都需要熟能生巧。对于学业也是一样，你或许要反复运算才能解出一道数学题的正确答案，你或许需要读一段文字好几遍才能理解它的意思，你或许得把论文改上好几次才能符合提交的标准。这都是很正常的。 不要害怕提问。不要不敢向他人求助。我每天都在这么做。求助并不是软弱的表现，恰恰相反，它说明你有勇气承认自己的不足、并愿意去学习新的知识。所以，有不懂时，就向大人们求助吧找个你信得过的对象，例如父母、长辈、老师、教练或辅导员让他们帮助你向目标前进。你要记住，哪怕你表现不好、哪怕你失去信心、哪怕你觉得身边的人都已经放弃了你永远不要自己放弃自己。因为当你放
14、弃自己的时候，你也放弃了自己的国家。美国不是一个人们遭遇困难就轻易放弃的国度，在这个国家，人们坚持到底、人们加倍努力，为了他们所热爱的国度，每一个人都尽着自己最大的努力，不会给自己留任何余地。250 年前，有一群和你们一样的学生，他们之后奋起努力、用一场革命最终造就了这个国家；75 年前，有一群和你们一样的学生，他们之后战胜了大萧条、赢得了二战；就在 20 年前，和你们一样的学生们，他们后来创立了Google、Twitter 和 Facebook，改变了我们人与人之间沟通的方式。因此，今天我想要问你们，你们会做出什么样的贡献？你们将解决什么样的难题？你们能发现什么样的事物？二十、五十或百年之后
15、，假如那时的美国总统也来做一次开学演讲的话，他会怎样描述你们对这个国家所做的一切？ 你们的家长、你们的老师和我，每一个人都在尽最大的努力，确保你们都能得到应有的教育来回答这些问题。例如我正在努力为你们提供更安全的教室、更多的书籍、更先进的设施与计算机。但你们也要担起自己的责任。因此我要求你们在今年能够认真起来，我要求你们尽心地去做自己着手的每一件事，我要求你们每一个人都有所成就。请不要让我们失望不要让你的家人、你的国家和你自己失望。你们要成为我们骄傲，我知道，你们一定可以做到。 谢谢大家，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。 本文来自学习网()，原文地址：http:/ Prepared Remarks
16、 of President Barack Obama Back to School EventPrepared Remarks of President Barack ObamaBack to School EventArlington, VirginiaSeptember 8, 2009The President: Hello everyone hows everybody doing today? Im here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And weve got students tuni
17、ng in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Im 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, its your first day in a new school, so its understandable if
18、 youre 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 youre in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you couldve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.I know t
19、hat feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didnt 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 wasnt too happy about getting u
20、p that early. A lot of times, Id fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever Id 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 Im here today because I h
21、ave something important to discuss with you. Im here because I want to talk with you about your education and whats expected of all of you in this new school year. Now Ive given a lot of speeches about education. And Ive talked a lot about responsibility.Ive talked about your teachers responsibility
22、 for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. Ive talked about your parents responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and dont spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox. Ive talked a lot about your governments responsibility for setting high sta
23、ndards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that arent working where students arent 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 wil
24、l 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 thats what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you
25、 has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something youre good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. Thats the opportunity an education can provi
26、de. 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
27、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 youl
28、l 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? Youre going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cant drop out of school and just drop into a good jo
29、b. Youve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.And this isnt 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 youre learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can me
30、et our greatest challenges in the future. Youll 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. Youll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in hist
31、ory and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. Youll 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
32、 you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you dont do that if you quit on school youre not just quitting on yourself, youre quitting on your country. Now I know its not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenge
33、s in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.I get it. I know what thats 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 wasnt always able to give us things the other kids had. The
34、re were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didnt fit in. So I wasnt always as focused as I should have been. I did some things Im not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for t
35、he 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 didnt have much. But they worked hard, and sh
36、e worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you dont have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and theres not enough money to go around. Maybe you li
37、ve in a neighborhood where you dont feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know arent 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 youve got going on at home thats no excuse for neg
38、lecting your homework or having a bad attitude. Thats no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. Thats no excuse for not trying. Where you are right now doesnt have to determine where youll end up. No ones written your destiny for you. Here in America, y
39、ou write your own destiny. You make your own future. Thats what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didnt speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her
40、 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.Im thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, whos fought brain cancer since he was th
41、ree. Hes 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 hes headed to college this fall. And then theres Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Eve
42、n 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 shes on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell arent any differ
43、ent 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. Thats why today, Im calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education
