Obama School Speech: Nothing is Beyond Your Reach

President Barack Obama took to the nation's airwaves to tell America's schoolchildren that nothing is beyond their reach as long as they dream big, work hard and focus on learning.
      
Obama made that point Tuesday at Philadelphia's Masterman school when he delivered his second back-to-school pep talk.

"Nobody gets to write your destiny but you,'' Obama said. "Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is beyond your reach. So long as you're willing to dream big. So long as you're willing to work hard. So long as you're willing to stay focused on your education,'' he said.
      
After the White House announced last year's speech, some conservatives accused Obama of trying to foist a political agenda on children. Some parents threatened to pull their children from class rather than have them hear directly from the president.
      
A similar outcry was largely missing this year.
      
In his speech, the president urged students to stay in school, study hard and take responsibility for their education. Obama long has said an educated work force will help the U.S. compete globally in the 21st century.
      
He hit that note again, telling students that nothing will affect their success in life as much as their education.

"The kinds of opportunities that are open to you will be determined by how far you go in school,'' Obama said. "In other words, the farther you go in school, the farther you'll go in life.''
      
Raised by a single mother who often rose before dawn to tutor him before they went to work and school, Obama said government, educators and parents have a responsibility to prepare students for classroom success. But students have responsibilities too, he said.

"Here's your job: Showing up to school on time. Paying attention in class. Doing your homework. Studying for exams. Staying out of trouble,'' Obama says. "That kind of discipline and drive -- the kind of hard work -- is absolutely essential for success.''
      
Obama said he knows that's true because he didn't always have the drive. He used his earlier-in-life slacking-off as a motivating
example.
      
In the speech, he recalled a conversation with his mother about his slipping grades, how he hadn't started filling out college applications and how he was being "casual'' about his future. He started to tell her he didn't need to hear that, but Obama says she cut him off, gave him a hard stare and asked if he remembered what it was like to put in a little effort. Obama said hearing that from his mother jolted him.

"But eventually, her words had their intended effect,'' he said. "I got serious about my studies. I made an effort. And I began to see my grades -- and my prospects -- improve. And I know that if hard work could make the difference for me, it can make the difference for you too.''

Obama went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard University, two of the nation's best schools. He served in the Illinois state Senate and the U.S. Senate before being elected president in 2008.

In the speech, Obama also announced the second Commencement Challenge, a nationwide contest in which schools compete to land him as their graduation speaker.