【正文】 多學(xué)生們通過電視關(guān)注這里，我很高興你們能共同分享這一時刻。我知道，對你們中的許多人來說，今天是開學(xué)的第一天，你們中的有一些剛剛進(jìn)入幼兒園或升上初高中，對你們來說，這是在新學(xué)校的第一天，因此，假如你們感到有些緊張，那也是很正常的。我想也會有許多畢業(yè)班的學(xué)生們正自信滿滿地準(zhǔn)備最后一年的沖刺。不過，我想無論你有多大、在讀哪個年級，許多人都打心底里希望現(xiàn)在還在放暑假，以及今天不用那么早起床。我可以理解這份心情。小時候，我們家在印度尼西亞住過幾年，而我媽媽沒錢送我去其他美國孩子們上學(xué)的地方去讀書，因此她決定自己給我上課——時間是每周一到周五的凌晨4點半。顯然，我不怎么喜歡那么早就爬起來，很多時候，我就這么在廚房的桌子前睡著了。每當(dāng)我埋怨的時候，我媽總會用同一副表情看著我說：“小鬼，你以為教你我就很輕松？” 所以，我可以理解你們中的許多人對于開學(xué)還需要時間來調(diào)整和適應(yīng)，但今天我站在這里，是為了和你們談一些重要的事情。我要和你們談一談你們每個人的教育，以及在新的學(xué)年里，你們應(yīng)當(dāng)做些什么。我做過許多關(guān)于教育的講話，也常常用到“責(zé)任”這個詞。我談到過教師們有責(zé)任激勵和啟迪你們，督促你們學(xué)習(xí)。我談到過家長們有責(zé)任看管你們認(rèn)真學(xué)習(xí)、完成作業(yè)，不要成天只會看電視或打游戲機(jī)。我也很多次談到過政府有責(zé)任設(shè)定高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)嚴(yán)要求、協(xié)助老師和校長們的工作，改變在有些學(xué)校里學(xué)生得不到應(yīng)有的學(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會的現(xiàn)狀。但哪怕這一切都達(dá)到最好，哪怕我們有最盡職的教師、最好的家長、和最優(yōu)秀的學(xué)校，假如你們不去履行自己的責(zé)任的話，那么這一切努力都會白費(fèi)?！悄忝刻鞙?zhǔn)時去上學(xué)、除非你認(rèn)真地聽老師講課、除非你把父母、長輩和其他大人們說的話放在心上、除非你肯付出成功所必需的努力，否則這一切都會失去意義。而這就是我今天講話的主題：對于自己的教育，你們中每一個人的責(zé)任。首先，我想談?wù)勀銈儗τ谧约河惺裁簇?zé)任。你們中的每一個人都會有自己擅長的東西，每一個人都是有用之材，而發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能是什么，就是你們要對自己擔(dān)起的責(zé)任。教育給你們提供了發(fā)現(xiàn)自己才能的機(jī)會?；蛟S你能寫出優(yōu)美的文字——甚至有一天能讓那些文字出現(xiàn)在書籍和報刊上——但假如不在英語課上經(jīng)常練習(xí)寫作，你不會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一個發(fā)明家、創(chuàng)造家——甚至設(shè)計出像今天的iPhone一樣流行的產(chǎn)品，或研制出新的藥物與疫苗——但假如不在自然科學(xué)課程上做上幾次實驗，你不會知道自己有這樣的天賦；或許你能成為一名議員或最高法院法官，但假如你不去加入什么學(xué)生會或參加幾次辯論賽，你也不會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能。而且，我可以向你保證，不管你將來想要做什么，你都需要相應(yīng)的教育?！阆氘?dāng)名醫(yī)生、當(dāng)名教師或當(dāng)名警官？你想成為護(hù)士、成為建筑設(shè)計師、律師或軍人？無論你選擇哪一種職業(yè)，良好的教育都必不可少，這世上不存在不把書念完就能拿到好工作的美夢，任何工作，都需要你的汗水、訓(xùn)練與學(xué)習(xí)。不僅僅對于你們個人的未來有重要意義，你們的教育如何也會對這個國家、乃至世界的未來產(chǎn)生重要影響。今天你們在學(xué)校中學(xué)習(xí)的內(nèi)容，將會決定我們整個國家在未來迎接重大挑戰(zhàn)時的表現(xiàn)。你們需要在數(shù)理科學(xué)課程上學(xué)習(xí)的知識和技能，去治療癌癥、艾滋那樣的疾病，和解決我們面臨的能源問題與環(huán)境問題；你們需要在歷史社科課程上培養(yǎng)出的觀察力與判斷力，來減輕和消除無家可歸與貧困、犯罪問題和各種歧視，讓這個國家變得更加公平和自由；你們需要在各類課程中逐漸累積和發(fā)展出來的創(chuàng)新意識和思維，去創(chuàng)業(yè)和建立新的公司與企業(yè)，來制造就業(yè)機(jī)會和推動經(jīng)濟(jì)的增長。我們需要你們中的每一個人都培養(yǎng)和發(fā)展自己的天賦、技能和才智，來解決我們所面對的最困難的問題。假如你不這么做——假如你放棄學(xué)習(xí)——那么你不僅是放棄了自己，也是放棄了你的國家。當(dāng)然，我明白，讀好書并不總是件容易的事。我知道你們中的許多人在生活中面臨著各種各樣的問題，很難把精力集中在專心讀書之上。我知道你們的感受。我父親在我兩歲時就離開了家庭，是母親一人將我們拉扯大，有時她付不起帳單，有時我們得不到其他孩子們都有的東西，有時我會想，假如父親在該多好，有時我會感到孤獨無助，與周圍的環(huán)境格格不入。因此我并不總是能專心學(xué)習(xí)，我做過許多自己覺得丟臉的事情，也惹出過許多不該惹的麻煩，我的生活岌岌可危，隨時可能急轉(zhuǎn)直下。但我很幸運(yùn)。我在許多事上都得到了重來的機(jī)會，我得到了去大學(xué)讀法學(xué)院、實現(xiàn)自己夢想的機(jī)會。我的妻子——現(xiàn)在得叫她第一夫人米歇爾奧巴馬了——也有著相似的人生故事，她的父母都沒讀過大學(xué)，也沒有什么財產(chǎn)，但他們和她都辛勤工作，好讓她[本_文_來_源_于_我_的_學(xué)_習(xí)_網(wǎng) for me either, buster.“(Laughter.)So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at I39。m here today because I have something important to discuss with 39。m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what39。s expected of all of you in this new school , I39。ve given a lot of speeches about I39。ve talked about responsibility a 39。ve talked about teachers39。 responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to 39。ve talked about your parents39。 responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don39。t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the 39。ve talked a lot about your government39。s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren39。t working, where students aren39。t getting the opportunities that they at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the worldand none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to 39。s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your want to start with the responsibility you have to single one of you has something that you39。re good single one of you has something to you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that 39。s the opportunity an education can you could be a great writermaybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaperbut you might not know it until you write that English paperthat English class paper that39。s assigned to you could be an innovator or an inventormaybe even good enough to e up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccinebut you might not know it until you do your project for your science you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justicebut you might not know that until you join student government or the debate no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you39。ll need an education to do 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? You39。re going to need a good education for every single one of those cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good 39。ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for this isn39。t just important for your own life and your own you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this future of America depends on you39。re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the 39。ll need the knowledge and problemsolving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our 39。ll need the insights and criticalthinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more 39。ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new panies that will create new jobs and boost our need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult you don39。t do thatif you quit on schoolyou39。re not just quitting on yourself, you39。re quitting on your , I know it39。s not always easy to do well in know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your get know what it39。s father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn39。t always able to give us the things that other kids were times when I missed having a father in my were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn39。t fit I wasn39。t always as focused as I should have been on sc