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校长推荐学习材料之二十三----《奥巴马2013年秋季开学对高中生的开学演讲》


2013-09-09 17:26:05   来源:校办公室   撰稿:互联网   摄影摄像:    ;  评论:0 点击:

各位同学好!谢谢!谢谢每一位同学!好,现在请每一位同学就座。今天大家都过得怎么样?(欢呼)  蒂姆·斯培塞(校长,演讲主持人——译注),开始吧?(欢呼)我现在正和弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿市的韦克菲尔德高中的同学们在一起。全美国从幼儿园到高中毕业班都在收听收看。我很高兴同大家分享这一时刻。我还要特别感谢好客的东道主,韦克菲尔德高中。来,给你们自己一个欢呼。(欢呼)

 

我知道,对你们当中的许多人而言,今天是开学日,你们中有一些人刚入学或刚升学,这是上新学校的第一天,所以,假如你们感到有点儿紧张,那也很正常。我想那些毕业班的同学此时此刻自我感觉一定非常好——(欢呼)——因为再有一年他们就功德圆满、修成正果了。不过,我想,不管是哪个年级的,也许有的同学希望现在还是在过暑假,今天早晨可以在床上再赖一小会儿。

 

我知道这种感觉。我小时候曾移居海外,在印度尼西亚住过几年。妈妈没钱送我上美国孩子念书的学校。但她相信,接受美国教育对我至关重要。于是她决定星期一至五自己给我补课。但她又得去打工,所以只能每天凌晨 4:30 开始教我。

 

当然,我也不喜欢那么早就爬起来,有好多次,我竟在餐桌上睡着了。我一撅起嘴来嘟囔,妈妈就会赏我一个脸子,说:“儍孩子,你以为我教你有多好玩?”(笑声)

 

所以,我理解你们许多同学还需要时间来调整,来适应开学。但我今天来到这里,是为了和你们讨论一些重要的事情。我要和你们讨论你们的教育问题,以及在新的学年里,你们都应当做些什么。

 

我做过许多次有关教育问题的讲话。我特别强调责任。

 

我讲过老师们有责任鼓励和启发你们,督促你们学习。

 

我讲过家长们有责任确保你们能在学习的状态,按部就班,完成家庭作业,不要把很多时光都花在电视和游戏机上。

 

我也多次谈到过政府有责任制定严格的教学标准,支持老师和校长们的工作,扭转某些学校工作失调、学生失学的现象。

 

但是,即使把一切做到最好,即使有最尽职的老师、鼎力支持的家长和最优越的教学设施,如果你们不恪尽自己那一份责任,一切也都会归于徒劳——除非你们能每天按时上学、注意听讲、把师长们的谆谆告诫铭记在心、付出成功所必需的努力,否则,一切都无济于事!这就是今天我要锁定的主题:对于你们所受的教育,你们每一个人都有责任,而且责无旁贷!

 

我先从你们对于自己都有什么责任讲起。

 

你们每一个人都有自己的专长。每一个人都会有所作为和贡献。发现自己——发现自己的潜质或潜能——首先就是你们自己的责任!教育给了你们发现自己的机会。

 

或许你会成为一位足以著书立说的大作家和记者,但是如果不在作文课上经常练习写作,你就永远不会意识到这一点。或许你会成为一位革新能手或发明家,让人们享用你开发的新一代手机,或救死扶伤的新药和疫苗,但如果你不上理科课、搞搞项目,就不会发现自己这方面的天赋。你将来还可能是一位市长、参议员或大法官,但若不参加学生会工作或辩论团队,就很可能毫无觉察、自我埋没,让机遇擦肩而过。

 

我可以向你们保证,不管你将来想要做什么工作和现在生活条件怎样,你都需要接受相应的教育,来实现自己的理想。你想成为一位医生、教师或警官?还是想成为一位护士、建筑师、律师或是军人?无论你选择哪一种职业,接受良好的教育都是必由之路,别无选择。不完成学业就得不到一份称心的工作。无论做什么,你都需要接受培训,都需要勤奋工作,都需要努力学习。

 

你们所受到的教育不仅会决定你们自己的生活和前途,更重要的是将会决定国家的未来。美国的将来依靠你们。你们今天在校学习的内容,决定着我们国家,将来能否应对各种重大挑战。

 

你们需要通过理科课程的学习,获取知识和解决问题的技能,治疗癌症和艾滋病,开发新能源技术和保护人类的生存环境。你们需要从文科学习中培养洞察力和批判性思维,消灭贫困、愚昧、犯罪和歧视现象,使我们的国家更加公平和自由。你们需要在各门课程的学习中,厚积薄发,开发自己的创新能力和独门绝技,创业并组建公司,扩大就业机会,振兴我们的经济。

 

我们需要你们每一个人都充分开发自己的聪明才智,以帮助我们老一代人,解决我们最困难的问题。如果你不去做,如果你辍学,你的自弃,不仅是在抛弃自己,更是在抛弃你的祖国。

 

我也知道在校学习并非总是轻车熟道、一帆风顺。我很了解你们在生活中面临着很多困难和挑战,使你们难以潜心学业。

 

我深有体会。我两岁时,父亲离开了我们,我由单身母亲抚育成人。她不得不去拼命打工、奋斗,有时连帐单都无力支付,别人家的孩子有的东西,她常常买不起给我们。在我幼小的心灵里,虽说有母爱恩深似海,却仍然留有一大片空白和缺憾——多少次我怀念起父爱如山,多少次我深感孤独无助,与周边环境格格不入。

 

我没有象应当做的那样,在校始终全心就读,也做过不该做的事情,招到过不应有的麻烦。如果没有这些弯路,我的人生道路还可以更加顺畅。

 

但是,我毕竟很幸运。我得到过很多第二次机会,得以重整旗鼓,后来还有机会上了大学和法学院,去追求自己的梦想。我的夫人,我们的第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马,也有过类似的坎坷经历。她的双亲都没进过大学,他们也很穷。但是他们都努力工作,她也很勤奋,所以她就能到我国最高学府深造。

 

你们当中有些同学可能更加困难,可能在你们的生活中,没有成人能给出你们所需要的那些支持。你们家庭中可能会有人失业,经济拮据。可能你们生活在不够安全的邻里环境,或受到过行为不端朋友的影响。

 

但无论如何,你的生活现状——你的外表、出身、家境——都不是你忽视家庭作业或在校表现不好的借口。你们没有顶撞老师、旷课或辍学的借口。你们没有不努力学习的借口。

 

你将来的地位和前途不取决于现在的处境。没有人能改写你的命运,只有你才会写下你自己的历史和命运,因为这是在美国。你的将来就在你自己的把握之中。

 

全美国象你们一样的年轻人,都在这样地书写着自己的历史和命运。

 

象德州罗马市的加兹敏·佩雷斯,她刚上学时连英语都不会讲。她的双亲也都没进过大学。但她刻苦学习,成绩优异,赢得了布朗大学的奖学金,现在又进了研究生院,主修公共卫生,正在脚踏实地、一步一步地实现着自我——倍受尊敬的加兹敏·佩雷斯医学博士。

 

我还在想着加州洛斯阿托的安多尼·舒尔兹。他从 3 岁起就得与脑癌殊死抗争,他不得不忍受着各种疗程和手术的煎熬,其中一项手术还严重损害了他的记忆力,以致他做功课要花去比别人多得多的时间——多花长达几百个小时。但他从不落人后。今年秋季他将升入大学。

 

此外还有来自伊州芝加哥的、我的小同乡姗特尔·斯蒂夫。作为孤儿,她多次被辗转更换托养家庭,而且社区治安不靖,但她努力争取到了在当地保健站工作的机会,还发起了一个让青少年远离犯罪团伙的公益活动。她在校品学兼优,即将荣升大学。

 

加兹敏、安多尼、姗特尔,和你们没有什么不同。他们在生命中面对的挑战就象你们所面对的一样。他们的境遇常常比你们很多同学更糟。但是他们拒绝屈服和放弃。他们选择了担当,对他们的生命负责,对他们所受的教育负责,他们还为自己设定了奋斗目标。我期待你们也都同样去做。

 

因此,今天我也要号召你们每一位同学,为自己的教育规划设定奋斗目标——并且尽最大努力去做好每一件事,去实现这些目标。你们的目标可以很简单,象完成家庭作业、上课注意听讲、每天花些时间读本书。或许你们还想参加课外活动、作个社区志愿者。或许你们想保护弱小,为那些受嘲弄或挨欺负的孩子主持公道,因为你们也都和我一样,认为每个孩子都应该有一个安全的学习环境。或许你们认为应当更好地照顾自己,以便能更好地学习。这些目标都很有意义。顺便说,我也希望你们大家都多洗手,不舒服的时候就要多在家休息,预防秋冬季流感。

 

不管你们决定做什么,我都希望你们能负责任地、实实在在地去做。

 

我知道,有时候电视节目会给你们带来一种错觉,似乎无需努力也能成功或致富——以为只要饶舌、打球或作个电视真人秀明星就能一步登天。但在现实生活中,那些神话几乎无法复制。

 

事实上,成功更象是一项艰巨的系统工程。你不会对每门课程都情有独锺,也难以与每一位老师都合作默契,每次布置给你的家庭作业未必都能正中下怀、恰到好处。而且,并不是做每件事,你都能一步到位。所有这一切,环环相扣,都离成功太远太远。

 

世界上一些最成功的人往往都有过最惨痛的挫折和教训。《哈里·波特》的作者 J. K. 罗琳的处女作在最终出版之前,退稿竟达 12 次之多。“飞人”迈克尔·乔丹在高中球队时就被刷掉过。在他的职业生涯中,几百场比赛败北,几千次投篮失误。他说过,“我屡败屡战,这就是我成功的秘诀。”

 

成功人士之所以成功,就是因为他们懂得,不能让失败左右自己,但你必须让这些失败教会你,下一次应当怎样改进?所以,如果你闯了祸,并不说明你天生就是捣蛋鬼,而是表明你应当更严格地要求自己。如果没考好,也并非是自己笨,而是意味着你得多花些时间学习才能追上来。

 

人非生而知之,更何谈全能?只有努力才会学有专长。涉足新的体育项目时,你绝不会一开始就驾轻就熟;啼声初试,也不可能把歌唱得字正腔圆。都需要多练习。做功课也如是。解数学题你可能得好几次才能算出正确的答案。阅读时可能得反反复复才能看懂它。一篇佳作在能拿得出手之前,肯定你还得再三润色。

 

勤学还要好问,不要羞于启齿。需要时就不要怕求助于人。每天我都会不耻下问和求助于人。求助并非示弱,它恰恰是自强的标志,显示你有勇气承认自己的不足。虚怀若谷,自能有容乃大,让你学到新东西,与时俱进。所以,找一位你信得过的师长——父母、祖父母、老师、教练或辅导员,求助于他们,使自己在通往目标的正轨上阔步前进。

 

即使是在和逆境拼搏,即使是失落彷徨、有被抛弃的感觉,你都绝不要抛弃自己。你抛弃了自己,你也就抛弃了你的祖国。

 

美国的历史绝不是懦夫知难而退的败绩,而是全民锐意进取、勇攀高峰的凯歌。美国人民是那样地爱国,大家无不全力以赴。

 

美国历史,就是 250 年前坐在你们座位的那些学生,后来革命建国的故事。年轻人,75 年前坐在你们座位上的那些学生,后来战胜了大萧条,赢得了二战。他们争取过民权,还把人类送上了月球。20 年前坐在你们座位上的那些学生,后来创建了 GoogleTwitterFacebook,改变了我们相互沟通的方式。

 

所以,今天我也要问你们每一位同学,你们将来要贡献什么?你们将要解决什么难题?你们将会有什么发明发现?20 年后、50 年后、100 年后,一位总统来到这里演讲,他会怎样评价你们为美国所做的一切?

 

为了你们能够圆满地回答上述问题,为了确保你们得到所需要的教育,你们的家庭、你们的老师和我,都在努力地做着每一件工作,修缮教室,准备教学用的书籍、设备和计算机,等等。但是,你们也要担负起你们的那些责任。所以,我期待着你们,要严肃认真地对待新学年。我期待着你们全力以赴地做好每一件事情。我期待着你们每一位同学的成功。请不要让我们失望,不要让你们的家庭失望,不要让你们的国家失望。更不要让你们自己失望。让我们都引以为荣、无比骄傲。

 

多谢大家,多谢每一位同学。上帝保佑你们。上帝保佑美国。谢谢。(欢呼)

 

 

附:英文原文

 

Wakefield High School 
Arlington, Virginia 

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat. How is everybody doing today? (Applause.) How about Tim Spicer? (Applause.) I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today. And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause. (Applause.) 


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, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now -- (applause) -- with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning. 


I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning. 




Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster." (Laughter.) 

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year. 



Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked about responsibility a lot. 

I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn. 

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox. 



I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve. 

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world -- and 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 succeed. That's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. 

I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide. 



Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class paper that's assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your 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 you'll 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? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it. 

And this isn't 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. The future of America depends on you. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. 



You'll 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. You'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You'll 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 you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that -- if you quit on school -- you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country. 



Now, I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. 

I get it. I know what it's like. My 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 wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in. 



So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. 

But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country. 


Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't 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 you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying. 

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. 

That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. 

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University -- is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez. 

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's had to endure 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. He's headed to college this fall. 

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases they've got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. 

That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter. 


But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. 

I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you're not going to be any of those things. 

The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject that you study. You won't click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try. 



That's okay. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. J.K. Rowling's -- who wrote Harry Potter -- her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed." 

These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you -- you have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time. So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying. 

No one's born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in. 

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new. So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals. 

And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. 



The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. 


It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. Young people. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.


So today, I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? 

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down. Don't let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud. 



Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you. (Applause.) 

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