【正文】
used to ask our teachers, “Why am I going to need algebra?” Well, you may not have to solve for X to get a good job or to be a good parent. But you will need to think through tough problems. You’ll need to think on your feet. You’ll need to know how to gather facts and evaluate information. So, math teachers, you can tell your students that the president says they need algebra. ? Education also teaches you the value of discipline — that the greatest rewards e not from instant gratification but from sustained effort and from hard work. This is a lesson that’s especially true today, in a culture that prizes flash over substance, that tells us that the goal in life is to be entertained, that says you can be famous just for being famous. You get on a reality show — don‘t know what you’ve done — suddenly you’re famous. But that‘s not going to lead to lasting, sustained achievement. And finally, with the right education, both at home and at school, you can learn how to be a better human being. For when you read a great story or you learn about an important moment in history, it helps you imagine what it would be like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to know their struggles. The success of our economy will depend on your skills, but the success of our munity will depend on your ability to follow the Golden Rule — to treat others as you would like to be treated. ? 通過教育,你們還能夠在其他方面完善自己。你們可學會如何 —— 如何批判性地思考,并對難以預料的挑戰(zhàn)找到應對方案。我記得我們曾經(jīng)問我們的老師:“我為什么需要學代數(shù)?”也許你不必因為能求得 X的值才能找到一份好工作,或者做一個好父(母)親,但你必須認真思索困難的問題。你需要獨力思考。你需要知道如何搜集材料,對信息進行判斷。所以,數(shù)學老師們,你們可以告訴學生說,總統(tǒng)說他們需要代數(shù)。教育也教你認識嚴于律己的價值最大的回報不是來自一時的滿足,而是來自持久不懈的努力,來自勤奮地工作。這一課在今天尤其不可缺少。追求浮華不講實質(zhì)的文化告訴我們,生活的目標是尋求娛樂,你可以只為出名而出名。你上了真人秀 —— 而不知道你成就了什么 —— 突然之間你就出了名。但這不會帶來永遠、持久的成就。最后,你若在家里和在學校,都有良好的教育,你便能夠?qū)W到如何做一個更完善的人。因為當你讀到一個感人的故事,或者你了解到歷史上某個重大的事件,這會幫助你,設身處地體驗別人的感受,了解他們的奮斗經(jīng)歷。我國經(jīng)濟的成功將取決于你們的技能,但是我國社會的成功將仰賴你們是否能夠遵守這條金科玉律:將心比心,待人如待己。