US-Präsident Obama hielt vorgestern an der Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, eine Rede zum Schulanfang, die man im Video in voller Länge sehen kann. (Die Rede selbst beginnt im Video nach 2:30 Min.)

In der Rede stellte Obama die Bedeutung von Bildung in den Mittelpunkt. Zu Beginn verweist er u.a. auf seine Kindheit (3:46 Min):

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 longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t 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 wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. 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 say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

Später sprach er über Verantwortung (5:02 Min):

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

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

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

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t 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 will 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.

Vokabeltipps:
responsibility: Verantwortung
grade: (AmE) Klasse
principal: (AmE) Schulleiter

Dass die Rede in den USA bei Konservativen auf Kritik stieß, kann man hier lesen. Warum die Rede möglicherweise auch bei Microsoft auf Kritik stoßen könnte, kann man hier lesen. Die gesamte Rede kann man hier mitlesen.

P.S. Durch einen Doppelklick auf die englischen Begriffe kann man im gesamten Englisch-Blog englische Worterklärungen finden.

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