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I was surprised by the ferocious controversy surrounding President Obama’s speech to students today. (Here’s the text and video of the address.) In my idealistic world, I actually thought a “work hard and do your best” message from the president was a good way to start the school year. I liked how President Obama could speak from his own experience and act as a role model, especially for many of our minority students who lag behind in test scores, graduation rates, and income levels. Regardless of the adult static around the issue, what did Lowell kids hear the president say? I happen to live with Lowell students, both of whom saw the address today in social studies and history classes respectively. My younger child, a 13-year-old who has always been a conscientious student, found Obama’s speech “interesting and inspiring.” The point that most stuck with her: “even if you come from a bad neighborhood, you should try your hardest and you can succeed.” My son, a junior at LHS who finished Obama’s Audacity of Hope for a summer reading assignment, had a more pragmatic reaction: “He must be a really strict parent, and I felt kind of sorry for his daughters,” he said, adding that it was “cool” how Obama challenged us to think what a president 50 years from now would say about our contribution.

Of course, the perspectives of my white, middle-class children do not represent the majority of Lowell’s students, many of whom are below the federal poverty level and learn English as their second language. That’s why Obama’s message on education is so important. Here’s one part, in particular, I hope resonates with our young people: “…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 you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying… Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.” Now that’s worth repeating; let’s hope they heard it.