奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講稿3篇
2008年11月4日,美國(guó)各大電視網(wǎng)公布的初步統(tǒng)計(jì)結(jié)果顯示,美國(guó)民主黨總統(tǒng)候選人、伊利諾伊州國(guó)會(huì)參議員貝拉克·奧巴馬在2008年11月4日舉行的總統(tǒng)選舉中擊敗共和黨對(duì)手、亞利桑那州國(guó)會(huì)參議員麥凱恩,當(dāng)選第44任(第56屆)美國(guó)總統(tǒng)已成定局。以下是學(xué)習(xí)啦小編分享給大家的關(guān)于奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講稿,給大家作為參考,希望能給大家?guī)?lái)幫助!
奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講稿1:
Hello, everybody! Thank you. Thank you.Thank you, everybody. All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat. How iseverybody doing today? (Applause.) How about Tim Spicer? (Applause.) I am herewith students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've gotstudents tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12thgrade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today. And I want to thankWakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round ofapplause. (Applause.)
I know that for many of you, today is thefirst day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middleor high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable ifyou're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who arefeeling 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 werestill summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer thismorning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, myfamily lived overseas. I lived in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, shedidn'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. Butbecause she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in themorning.
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't toohappy about getting up that early. And a lot of times, I'd fall asleep rightthere at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would justgive me one of those looks and she'd say, "This is no picnic for meeither, buster." (Laughter.)
So I know that some of you are stilladjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have somethingimportant to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you aboutyour education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now, I've given a lot of speeches abouteducation. And I've talked about responsibility a lot.
I've talked about teachers' responsibilityfor 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 homeworkdone, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with theXbox.
I've talked a lot about your government'sresponsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals,and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't gettingthe opportunities that they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have themost dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in theworld -- and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unlessall of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools,unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parentsand 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 foryour education.
I want to start with the responsibility youhave 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 responsibilityto yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education canprovide.
Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybeeven good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you mightnot know it until you write that English paper -- that English class paperthat's assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybeeven 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 youmight not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with yourlife, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be adoctor, 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 forevery single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just dropinto 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 ownlife and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothingless 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 canmeet our greatest challenges in the future.
You'll need the knowledge andproblem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases likecancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect ourenvironment. You'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain inhistory and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime anddiscrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You'll need thecreativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companiesthat will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to developyour talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solveour 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 wellin school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that canmake it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what it's like. My fatherleft my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom whohad to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always ableto give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missedhaving a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and I felt likeI didn't fit in.
So I wasn't always as focused as I shouldhave been on school, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I got in moretrouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for theworse.
But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot ofsecond chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school andfollow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similarstory. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lotof money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go tothe best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have thoseadvantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the supportthat you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there's notenough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don'tfeel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren'tright.
But at the end of the day, the circumstancesof your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money youhave, what you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse forneglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That's no excusefor 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 todetermine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you, becausehere in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That's what young people like you are doingevery day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma,Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Neither ofher parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, andgot a scholarship to Brown University -- is now in graduate school, studyingpublic health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from LosAltos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's had toendure 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 myhometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to fosterhome in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at alocal 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 tocollege. And Jazmin, Andoni,and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They face challenges intheir lives just like you do. In some cases they've got it a lot worse off thanmany of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility fortheir lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expectall of you to do the same.
That's why today I'm calling on each of youto set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meetthem. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, payingattention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you'lldecide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in yourcommunity. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased orbullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like Ido, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybeyou'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready tolearn. And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing yourhands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so wecan keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
But whatever you resolve to do, I want youto commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes you getthat 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 realityTV star. Chances are you're not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. Youwon't love every subject that you study. You won't click with every teacherthat you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant toyour life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everythingthe first time you try.
That's okay. Some of the most successfulpeople 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 timesbefore it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high schoolbasketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots duringhis career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over againin my life. And that's why I succeed."
These people succeeded because theyunderstood that you can't let your failures define you -- you have to let yourfailures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently thenext 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, thatdoesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more timestudying.
No one's born being good at all things. Youbecome good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the firsttime you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing asong. 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. Youmight have to read something a few times before you understand it. Youdefinitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to handin.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't beafraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for helpisn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have thecourage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you tolearn something new. So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparentor teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track tomeet your goals.
And even when you're struggling, even whenyou're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don'tever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up onyour country.
Thestory of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's aboutpeople who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to doanything less than their best.
It's the story of students who sat whereyou sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded thisnation. Young people. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcamea Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on themoon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google andTwitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask all of you, what'syour contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? Whatdiscoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
Now, your families, your teachers, and Iare doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need toanswer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get youthe books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you've gotto do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expectyou to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things fromeach of you. So don't let us down. Don't let your family down or your countrydown. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.
Thank you very much, everybody. God blessyou.
God bless America. Thank you.
譯文:
阿文弗吉尼亞州,阿林頓市,2009年9月8日
嗨,大家好!你們今天過(guò)得怎么樣?我現(xiàn)在和弗吉尼亞州阿林頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學(xué)生們?cè)谝黄?,全?guó)各地也有從幼兒園到高三的眾多學(xué)生們通過(guò)電視關(guān)注這里,我很高興你們能共分享這一時(shí)刻。
我知道,對(duì)你們中的許多人來(lái)說(shuō),今天是開(kāi)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(duì)你們來(lái)說(shuō),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(huì)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(guò),我想無(wú)論你有多大、在讀哪個(gè)年級(jí),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(shí)候,我們家在印度尼西亞住過(guò)幾年,而我媽媽沒(méi)錢(qián)送我去其他美國(guó)孩子們上學(xué)的地方去讀書(shū),因此她決定自己給我上課——時(shí)間是每周一到周五的凌晨4點(diǎn)半。
顯然,我不怎么喜歡那么早就爬起來(lái),很多時(shí)候,我就這么在廚房的桌子前睡著了。每當(dāng)我埋怨的時(shí)候,我媽總會(huì)用同一副表情看著我說(shuō):“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(duì)于開(kāi)學(xué)還需要時(shí)間來(lái)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(gè)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(guò)許多關(guān)于教育的講話,也常常用到“責(zé)任”這個(gè)詞。
我談到過(guò)教師們有責(zé)任激勵(lì)和啟迪你們,督促你們學(xué)習(xí)。
我談到過(guò)家長(zhǎng)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(huì)看電視或打游戲機(jī)。
我也很多次談到過(guò)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(zhǎng)們的工作,改變?cè)谟行W(xué)校里學(xué)生得不到應(yīng)有的學(xué)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)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(zhǎng)、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(huì)白費(fèi)。——除非你每天準(zhǔn)時(shí)去上學(xué)、除非你認(rèn)真地聽(tīng)老師講課、除非你把父母、長(zhǎng)輩和其他大人們說(shuō)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(huì)失去意義。
而這就是我今天講話的主題:對(duì)于自己的教育,你們中每一個(gè)人的責(zé)任。首先,我想談?wù)勀銈儗?duì)于自己有什么責(zé)任。
你們中的每一個(gè)人都會(huì)有自己擅長(zhǎng)的東西,每一個(gè)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(duì)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(huì)。
或許你能寫(xiě)出優(yōu)美的文字——甚至有一天能讓那些文字出現(xiàn)在書(shū)籍和報(bào)刊上——但假如不在英語(yǔ)課上經(jīng)常練習(xí)寫(xiě)作,你不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己有這樣的天賦;或許你能成為一個(gè)發(fā)明家、創(chuàng)造家——甚至設(shè)計(jì)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(shí)驗(yàn),你不會(huì)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(huì)或參加幾次辯論賽,你也不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才能。
而且,我可以向你保證,不管你將來(lái)想要做什么,你都需要相應(yīng)的教育。——你想當(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(jì)師、律師或軍人?無(wú)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(shū)念完就能拿到好工作的美夢(mèng),任何工作,都需要你的汗水、訓(xùn)練與學(xué)習(xí)。
不僅僅對(duì)于你們個(gè)人的未來(lái)有重要意義,你們的教育如何也會(huì)對(duì)這個(gè)國(guó)家、乃至世界的未來(lái)產(chǎn)生重要影響。今天你們?cè)趯W(xué)校中學(xué)習(xí)的內(nèi)容,將會(huì)決定我們整個(gè)國(guó)家在未來(lái)迎接重大挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)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(shí)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(wèn)題與環(huán)境問(wèn)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(lái)減輕和消除無(wú)家可歸與貧困、犯罪問(wèn)題和各種歧視,讓這個(gè)國(guó)家變得更加公平和自由;你們需要在各類(lèi)課程中逐漸累積和發(fā)展出來(lái)的創(chuàng)新意識(shí)和思維,去創(chuàng)業(yè)和建立新的公司與企業(yè),來(lái)制造就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)和推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)的增長(zhǎng)。
我們需要你們中的每一個(gè)人都培養(yǎng)和發(fā)展自己的天賦、技能和才智,來(lái)解決我們所面對(duì)的最困難的問(wèn)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(guó)家。
當(dāng)然,我明白,讀好書(shū)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(wèn)題,很難把精力集中在專(zhuān)心讀書(shū)之上。
我知道你們的感受。我父親在我兩歲時(shí)就離開(kāi)了家庭,是母親一人將我們拉扯大,有時(shí)她付不起帳單,有時(shí)我們得不到其他孩子們都有的東西,有時(shí)我會(huì)想,假如父親在該多好,有時(shí)我會(huì)感到孤獨(dú)無(wú)助,與周?chē)沫h(huán)境格格不入。
因此我并不總是能專(zhuān)心學(xué)習(xí),我做過(guò)許多自己覺(jué)得丟臉的事情,也惹出過(guò)許多不該惹的麻煩,我的生活岌岌可危,隨時(shí)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(lái)的機(jī)會(huì),我得到了去大學(xué)讀法學(xué)院、實(shí)現(xiàn)自己夢(mèng)想的機(jī)會(huì)。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(méi)讀過(guò)大學(xué),也沒(méi)有什么財(cái)產(chǎn),但他們和她都辛勤工作,好讓她有機(jī)會(huì)去這個(gè)國(guó)家最優(yōu)秀的學(xué)校讀書(shū)。
你們中有些人可能沒(méi)有這些有利條件,或許你的生活中沒(méi)有能為你提供幫助和支持的長(zhǎng)輩,或許你的某個(gè)家長(zhǎng)沒(méi)有工作、經(jīng)濟(jì)拮據(jù),或許你住的社區(qū)不那么安全,或許你認(rèn)識(shí)一些會(huì)對(duì)你產(chǎn)生不良影響的朋友,等等。
但歸根結(jié)底,你的生活狀況——你的長(zhǎng)相、出身、經(jīng)濟(jì)條件、家庭氛圍——都不是疏忽學(xué)業(yè)和態(tài)度惡劣的借口,這些不是你去跟老師頂嘴、逃課、或是輟學(xué)的借口,這些不是你不好好讀書(shū)的借口。
你的未來(lái),并不取決于你現(xiàn)在的生活有多好或多壞。沒(méi)有人為你編排好你的命運(yùn),在美國(guó),你的命運(yùn)由你自己書(shū)寫(xiě),你的未來(lái)由你自己掌握。
而在這片土地上的每個(gè)地方,千千萬(wàn)萬(wàn)和你一樣的年輕人正是這樣在書(shū)寫(xiě)著自己的命運(yùn)。
例如德克薩斯州羅馬市的賈斯敏?佩雷茲(Jazmin Perez)。剛進(jìn)學(xué)校時(shí),她根本不會(huì)說(shuō)英語(yǔ),她住的地方幾乎沒(méi)人上過(guò)大學(xué),她的父母也沒(méi)有受過(guò)高等教育,但她努力學(xué)習(xí),取得了優(yōu)異的成績(jī),靠獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金進(jìn)入了布朗大學(xué),如今正在攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專(zhuān)業(yè)的博士學(xué)位。
我還想起了加利福尼亞州洛斯拉圖斯市的安多尼?舒爾茲(Andoni Schultz),他從三歲起就開(kāi)始與腦癌病魔做斗爭(zhēng),他熬過(guò)了一次次治療與手術(shù)——其中一次影響了他的記憶,因此他得花出比常人多幾百個(gè)小時(shí)的時(shí)間來(lái)完成學(xué)業(yè),但他從不曾落下自己的功課。這個(gè)秋天,他要開(kāi)始在大學(xué)讀書(shū)了。
又比如在我的家鄉(xiāng),伊利諾斯州芝加哥市,身為孤兒的香特爾?史蒂夫(Shantell Steve)換過(guò)多次收養(yǎng)家庭,從小在治安很差的地區(qū)長(zhǎng)大,但她努力爭(zhēng)取到了在當(dāng)?shù)乇=≌竟ぷ鞯臋C(jī)會(huì)、發(fā)起了一個(gè)讓青少年遠(yuǎn)離犯罪團(tuán)伙的項(xiàng)目,很快,她也將以優(yōu)異的成績(jī)從中學(xué)畢業(yè),去大學(xué)深造。
賈斯敏、安多尼和香特爾與你們并沒(méi)有什么不同。和你們一樣,他們也在生活中遭遇各種各樣的困難與問(wèn)題,但他們拒絕放棄,他們選擇為自己的教育擔(dān)起責(zé)任、給自己定下奮斗的目標(biāo)。我希望你們中的每一個(gè)人,都能做得到這些。
因此,在今天,我號(hào)召你們每一個(gè)人都為自己的教育定下一個(gè)目標(biāo)——并在之后,盡自己的一切努力去實(shí)現(xiàn)它。你的目標(biāo)可以很簡(jiǎn)單,像是完成作業(yè)、認(rèn)真聽(tīng)講或每天閱讀——或許你打算參加一些課外活動(dòng),或在社區(qū)做些志愿工作;或許你決定為那些因?yàn)殚L(zhǎng)相或出身等等原因而受嘲弄或欺負(fù)的孩子做主、維護(hù)他們的權(quán)益,因?yàn)槟愫臀乙粯?,認(rèn)為每個(gè)孩子都應(yīng)該能有一個(gè)安全的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境;或許你認(rèn)為該學(xué)著更好的照顧自己,來(lái)為將來(lái)的學(xué)習(xí)做準(zhǔn)備……當(dāng)然,除此之外,我希望你們都多多洗手、感到身體不舒服的時(shí)候要多在家休息,免得大家在秋冬感冒高發(fā)季節(jié)都得流感。
不管你決定做什么,我都希望你能堅(jiān)持到底,希望你能真的下定決心。
我知道有些時(shí)候,電視上播放的節(jié)目會(huì)讓你產(chǎn)生這樣那樣的錯(cuò)覺(jué),似乎你不需要付出多大的努力就能腰纏萬(wàn)貫、功成名就——你會(huì)認(rèn)為只要會(huì)唱rap、會(huì)打籃球或參加個(gè)什么真人秀節(jié)目就能坐享其成,但現(xiàn)實(shí)是,你幾乎沒(méi)有可能走上其中任何一條道路。
因?yàn)?,成功是件難事。你不可能對(duì)要讀的每門(mén)課程都興趣盎然,你不可能和每名帶課教師都相處順利,你也不可能每次都遇上看起來(lái)和現(xiàn)實(shí)生活有關(guān)的作業(yè)。而且,并不是每件事,你都能在頭一次嘗試時(shí)獲得成功。
但那沒(méi)有關(guān)系。因?yàn)樵谶@個(gè)世界上,最最成功的人們往往也經(jīng)歷過(guò)最多的失敗。J.K.羅琳的第一本《哈利·波特》被出版商拒絕了十二次才最終出版;邁克爾·喬丹上高中時(shí)被學(xué)校的籃球隊(duì)刷了下來(lái),在他的職業(yè)生涯里,他輸了幾百場(chǎng)比賽、投失過(guò)幾千次射籃,知道他是怎么說(shuō)的嗎?“我一生不停地失敗、失敗再失敗,這就是我現(xiàn)在成功的原因。”
他們的成功,源于他們明白人不能讓失敗左右自己——而是要從中吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)。從失敗中,你可以明白下一次自己可以做出怎樣的改變;假如你惹了什么麻煩,那并不說(shuō)明你就是個(gè)搗蛋貴,而是在提醒你,在將來(lái)要對(duì)自己有更嚴(yán)格的要求;假如你考了個(gè)低分,那并不說(shuō)明你就比別人笨,而是在告訴你,自己得在學(xué)習(xí)上花更多的時(shí)間。
沒(méi)有哪一個(gè)人一生出來(lái)就擅長(zhǎng)做什么事情的,只有努力才能培養(yǎng)出技能。任何人都不是在第一次接觸一項(xiàng)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)時(shí)就成為校隊(duì)的代表,任何人都不是在第一次唱一首歌時(shí)就找準(zhǔn)每一個(gè)音,一切都需要熟能生巧。對(duì)于學(xué)業(yè)也是一樣,你或許要反復(fù)運(yùn)算才能解出一道數(shù)學(xué)題的正確答案,你或許需要讀一段文字好幾遍才能理解它的意思,你或許得把論文改上好幾次才能符合提交的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這都是很正常的。
不要害怕提問(wèn)。不要不敢向他人求助。——我每天都在這么做。求助并不是軟弱的表現(xiàn),恰恰相反,它說(shuō)明你有勇氣承認(rèn)自己的不足、并愿意去學(xué)習(xí)新的知識(shí)。所以,有不懂時(shí),就向大人們求助吧——找個(gè)你信得過(guò)的對(duì)象,例如父母、長(zhǎng)輩、老師、教練或輔導(dǎo)員——讓他們幫助你向目標(biāo)前進(jìn)。
你要記住,哪怕你表現(xiàn)不好、哪怕你失去信心、哪怕你覺(jué)得身邊的人都已經(jīng)放棄了你——永遠(yuǎn)不要自己放棄自己。因?yàn)楫?dāng)你放棄自己的時(shí)候,你也放棄了自己的國(guó)家。
美國(guó)不是一個(gè)人們?cè)庥隼щy就輕易放棄的國(guó)度,在這個(gè)國(guó)家,人們堅(jiān)持到底、人們加倍努力,為了他們所熱愛(ài)的國(guó)度,每一個(gè)人都盡著自己最大的努力,不會(huì)給自己留任何余地。 250年前,有一群和你們一樣的學(xué)生,他們之后奮起努力、用一場(chǎng)革命最終造就了這個(gè)國(guó)家;75年前,有一群和你們一樣的學(xué)生,他們之后戰(zhàn)勝了大蕭條、贏得了二戰(zhàn);就在20年前,和你們一樣的學(xué)生們,他們后來(lái)創(chuàng)立了Google、Twitter和Facebook,改變了我們?nèi)伺c人之間溝通的方式。
因此,今天我想要問(wèn)你們,你們會(huì)做出什么樣的貢獻(xiàn)?你們將解決什么樣的難題?你們能發(fā)現(xiàn)什么樣的事物?二十、五十或百年之后,假如那時(shí)的美國(guó)總統(tǒng)也來(lái)做一次開(kāi)學(xué)演講的話,他會(huì)怎樣描述你們對(duì)這個(gè)國(guó)家所做的一切?
你們的家長(zhǎng)、你們的老師和我,每一個(gè)人都在盡最大的努力,確保你們都能得到應(yīng)有的教育來(lái)回答這些問(wèn)題。例如我正在努力為你們提供更安全的教室、更多的書(shū)籍、更先進(jìn)的設(shè)施與計(jì)算機(jī)。但你們也要擔(dān)起自己的責(zé)任。因此我要求你們?cè)诮衲昴軌蛘J(rèn)真起來(lái),我要求你們盡心地去做自己著手的每一件事,我要求你們每一個(gè)人都有所成就。請(qǐng)不要讓我們失望——不要讓你的家人、你的國(guó)家和你自己失望。你們要成為我們驕傲,我知道,你們一定可以做到。
謝謝大家,上帝保佑你們,上帝保佑美國(guó)。
奧巴馬開(kāi)學(xué)演講稿2:
大家好!謝謝你們。謝謝你們,大家好,大家請(qǐng)就坐。你們今天都好嗎?蒂姆·斯派塞(TimSpicer)好嗎?我現(xiàn)在與弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓郡韋克菲爾德高中的學(xué)生們?cè)谝黄?。美?guó)各地從小學(xué)預(yù)備班到中學(xué)12年級(jí)的學(xué)生正在收聽(tīng)收看。我很高興大家今天都能參與。我還要感謝韋克菲爾德高中出色的組織安排。請(qǐng)為你們自己熱烈鼓掌。
我知道,今天是你們很多人開(kāi)學(xué)的日子。對(duì)于進(jìn)入小學(xué)預(yù)備班、初中或高中的學(xué)生,今天是你們來(lái)到新學(xué)校的第一天,心里可能有點(diǎn)緊張,這是可以理解的。我能想象有些畢業(yè)班學(xué)生現(xiàn)在感覺(jué)很不錯(cuò)--還有一年就畢業(yè)了。不論在哪個(gè)年級(jí),你們有些人可能希望暑假更長(zhǎng)一點(diǎn),今天早上還能多睡一小會(huì)兒。
我了解這種感覺(jué)。我小時(shí)候,我們家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亞住了幾年。我媽媽沒(méi)有錢(qián)送我上其他美國(guó)孩子上的學(xué)校,但她認(rèn)為必須讓我接受美式教育。因此,她決定從周一到周五自己給我補(bǔ)課。不過(guò)她還要上班,所以只能在清晨四點(diǎn)半給我上課。
你們可以想見(jiàn),我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次,我趴在餐桌上就睡著了。但每當(dāng)我抱怨的時(shí)候,我媽媽都會(huì)那樣地看我一眼,然后說(shuō):“小子,這對(duì)我也并不輕松。”
我知道你們有些人還在適應(yīng)開(kāi)學(xué)后的生活。但我今天來(lái)到這里是因?yàn)橛兄匾氖虑橐湍銈冋f(shuō)。我來(lái)這里是要和你們談?wù)勀銈兊慕逃龁?wèn)題,以及在這個(gè)新學(xué)年對(duì)你們所有人的期望。
我做過(guò)很多次有關(guān)教育問(wèn)題的演講。我多次談到過(guò)責(zé)任問(wèn)題。
我談到過(guò)教師激勵(lì)學(xué)生并督促他們學(xué)習(xí)的責(zé)任。
我談到過(guò)家長(zhǎng)的責(zé)任,要確保你們走正路,完成家庭作業(yè),不要整天坐在電視前或玩Xbox游戲。
我多次談到過(guò)政府的責(zé)任,要制定高標(biāo)準(zhǔn),支持教師和校長(zhǎng)的工作,徹底改善不能為學(xué)生提供應(yīng)有機(jī)會(huì)的、教育質(zhì)量差的學(xué)校。
然而,即使我們擁有最敬業(yè)的教師,最盡力的家長(zhǎng)和全世界最好的學(xué)校--如果你們大家不履行你們的責(zé)任,不到校上課,不專(zhuān)心聽(tīng)講,不聽(tīng)家長(zhǎng)、祖父祖母和其他大人的話,不付出取得成功所必須的勤奮努力,那么這一切都毫無(wú)用處,都無(wú)關(guān)緊要。這就是我今天講話的重點(diǎn):你們每個(gè)人對(duì)自己的教育應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任。
我首先要講講你們對(duì)自己應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任。你們每個(gè)人都有自己的長(zhǎng)處。你們每個(gè)人都能做出自己的貢獻(xiàn)。你們對(duì)自己應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任是發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的能力所在。而教育能夠提供這樣的機(jī)會(huì)。
你或許能成為一名出色的作家--甚至可能寫(xiě)書(shū)或在報(bào)紙上發(fā)表文章--但你可能要在完成那篇英文課的作文后才會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才華。你或許能成為一名創(chuàng)新者或發(fā)明家--甚至可能設(shè)計(jì)出新一代iPhone或研制出新型藥物或疫苗--但你可能要在完成科學(xué)課的實(shí)驗(yàn)后才會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才華。你或許能成為一名或參議員或最高法院的大法官--但你可能要在參加學(xué)生會(huì)的工作或辯論隊(duì)后才會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的才華。
不論你的生活志向是什么,我敢肯定你必須上學(xué)讀書(shū)才能實(shí)現(xiàn)它。你想當(dāng)醫(yī)生、教師或警官嗎?你想當(dāng)護(hù)士、建筑師、律師或軍人嗎?你必須接受良好的教育,才能從事上述任何一種職業(yè)。你不能指望輟學(xué)后能碰上個(gè)好工作。你必須接受培訓(xùn),為之努力,為之學(xué)習(xí)。
這并非只對(duì)你個(gè)人的人生和未來(lái)意義重大??梢院敛豢浯蟮卣f(shuō),教育給你帶來(lái)的益處將決定這個(gè)國(guó)家的未來(lái)。美國(guó)的未來(lái)取決于你們。你們今日在校學(xué)習(xí)的知識(shí)將決定我們作為一個(gè)國(guó)家是否能夠迎接我們未來(lái)所面臨的最嚴(yán)峻挑戰(zhàn)。
你們將需要利用你們通過(guò)自然科學(xué)和數(shù)學(xué)課程所學(xué)到的知識(shí)和解決問(wèn)題的能力來(lái)治愈癌癥、艾滋病及其他疾病,開(kāi)發(fā)新的能源技術(shù)和保護(hù)我們的環(huán)境。你們將需要利用你們?cè)跉v史學(xué)和社會(huì)學(xué)課堂上所獲得的知識(shí)和獨(dú)立思考能力來(lái)抗擊貧困和解決無(wú)家可歸問(wèn)題,打擊犯罪和消除歧視,使我們的國(guó)家更公平、更自由。你們將需要利用你們?cè)谒姓n堂上培養(yǎng)的創(chuàng)造力和智慧來(lái)創(chuàng)辦新公司,增加就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì),振興我們的經(jīng)濟(jì)。
我們需要你們每個(gè)人發(fā)揮你們的聰明才智和技能,以便幫助老一輩人解決我們面臨的最棘手問(wèn)題。如果你們不這樣做,如果你們輟學(xué),你們不僅僅是自暴自棄,也是拋棄自己的國(guó)家。
我自然知道要做到學(xué)業(yè)優(yōu)秀并非總是易事。我知道你們?cè)S多人在生活中面臨挑戰(zhàn),難以集中精力從事學(xué)業(yè)。
我明白這一點(diǎn)。我有親身感受。兩歲時(shí),我父親離家而去,我是由一位單親母親撫養(yǎng)成人的,母親不得不工作,并時(shí)常為支付生活費(fèi)用而苦苦掙扎,但有時(shí)仍無(wú)法為我們提供其他孩子享有的東西。有時(shí),我渴望生活中能有一位父親。有時(shí)我感到孤獨(dú),感到自己不適應(yīng)社會(huì)。
我并非總是像我應(yīng)該做到的那樣專(zhuān)心學(xué)習(xí),我也曾做過(guò)我如今不能引以為豪的一些事情,我曾惹過(guò)不應(yīng)該惹的麻煩。我的人生原本會(huì)輕易陷入更糟糕的境地。
但是,我當(dāng)年際遇不錯(cuò)。我有過(guò)許多第二次機(jī)會(huì),我有幸能上大學(xué),上法學(xué)院,追求自己的理想。我的妻子,我們的第一夫人米歇爾。奧巴馬,也有著類(lèi)似的經(jīng)歷。她的父母都未曾上過(guò)大學(xué),家里很窮。但他們非常勤奮,她也是如此,因此她得以進(jìn)入一些美國(guó)最好的學(xué)校。
你們中有一些人可能沒(méi)有那些有利條件?;蛟S你們生活中沒(méi)有成年人為你們提供你們所需要的支持?;蛟S你們家中有人失業(yè),經(jīng)濟(jì)非常拮據(jù)。或許你們生活在使你們感覺(jué)不安全的社區(qū),或有朋友逼迫你們?nèi)プ瞿銈冎啦粚?duì)的事情。
然而說(shuō)到底,你們生活的環(huán)境、你們的膚色、你們的原籍、你們的經(jīng)濟(jì)收入、你們家中的境況等等,這一切都不能成為你們不用功或不努力的理由。你們沒(méi)有理由不服從你們的老師、逃學(xué)、或輟學(xué)。沒(méi)有理由不付出努力。
你們目前的狀況并不決定著你們的未來(lái)。沒(méi)有人決定你們的命運(yùn),在美國(guó),你們決定自己的命運(yùn)。你們掌握自己的未來(lái)。
這就是像你們這樣的年輕人每天都在做的事情,全美各地都是如此。
來(lái)自得州羅馬城的賈茲敏。佩雷斯(JazminPerez)就是一個(gè)例證,她剛開(kāi)始上學(xué)時(shí)并不會(huì)說(shuō)英文。她的父母都沒(méi)有上過(guò)大學(xué)。然而,她非常勤奮,成績(jī)優(yōu)秀,獲得了布朗大學(xué)的獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金,她如今正在讀研究生,攻讀公共衛(wèi)生專(zhuān)業(yè),不久將成為賈茲敏。佩雷斯博士。
我想起了加州洛斯阿爾托斯城的安多尼。舒爾茨(AndoniSchultz),他從三歲開(kāi)始就一直與腦癌進(jìn)行抗?fàn)?,他不得不忍受各?lèi)治療和手術(shù)帶來(lái)的痛苦,其中一項(xiàng)手術(shù)曾影響了他的記憶,因此他花在功課上的時(shí)間比一般人長(zhǎng)得多,要多出數(shù)百個(gè)小時(shí)。然而,他從未落后。他今年秋季將邁進(jìn)大學(xué)。
我還想起家鄉(xiāng)伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的尚特爾。史蒂夫(ShantellSteve)。她曾在芝加哥最困難的社區(qū)生活,寄養(yǎng)于多個(gè)不同的家庭,但她最終在一家地方醫(yī)療中心找到工作,并開(kāi)始了一項(xiàng)幫助年輕人遠(yuǎn)離流氓團(tuán)伙的計(jì)劃,她即將以優(yōu)異成績(jī)從中學(xué)畢業(yè),緊接著將上大學(xué)。
賈茲敏、安多尼和尚特爾與你們中間的每個(gè)人沒(méi)什么兩樣。跟你們一樣,他們?cè)谏钪忻媾R種種挑戰(zhàn)。在某些情況下,他們的處境比起你們?cè)S多人更差。但他們拒絕放棄。他們決定要為自己的一生、自己的教育負(fù)起責(zé)任,為自己設(shè)定各項(xiàng)奮斗目標(biāo)。我期待你們大家都會(huì)這樣做。
因此,我今天呼吁你們每一個(gè)人為自己的教育設(shè)定目標(biāo),并盡自己的最大努力來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)這些目標(biāo)。你的目標(biāo)可以是一件十分簡(jiǎn)單的事情,例如完成家庭作業(yè)、上課專(zhuān)心聽(tīng)講、或每天花一點(diǎn)時(shí)間讀一本書(shū)。也許你會(huì)決定要參加課外活動(dòng)或在你的社區(qū)提供志愿服務(wù)。也許你會(huì)決定挺身而出保護(hù)那些因?yàn)樯矸莼蜷L(zhǎng)相而受人戲弄或欺負(fù)的孩子,原因是你和我一樣認(rèn)為所有的年輕人都應(yīng)該享有一個(gè)適合讀書(shū)和學(xué)習(xí)的安全環(huán)境。也許你會(huì)決定更好地照料自己,以便有更充沛的精力來(lái)學(xué)習(xí)。順便提一下,除了這些事情外,我希望大家要勤洗手,身體感到不舒服的時(shí)候要呆在家里不去上學(xué),這樣我們能防止人們?cè)诮衲昵锒竟?jié)染上流感。
但無(wú)論你決定做什么,我希望你保證去做。我希望你腳踏實(shí)地地去做。
我知道有時(shí)候你會(huì)從電視上得到這樣的印象:你不用做任何艱苦的工作就能發(fā)財(cái)致富并取得成功,唱小調(diào)、打籃球或成為真人秀明星是走向成功的途徑。但實(shí)際情況是:你可能不會(huì)成為其中的一員。
事實(shí)上,取得成功不是輕而易舉的事情。你不會(huì)喜歡你學(xué)習(xí)的每一門(mén)課目。你不會(huì)與你的每一位老師都很投契。不是所有的家庭作業(yè)似乎都與你眼前的生活完全有關(guān)。你第一次嘗試做每件事的時(shí)候,不一定成功。
這些都沒(méi)關(guān)系。世界上最成功的人士中有一些是遭遇失敗最多的人。作者J.K.羅琳(J.K.Rowling)所寫(xiě)的系列小說(shuō)《哈利。波特》(HarryPotter)第一部在獲得出版之前被退稿12次。邁克爾。喬丹(MichaelJordan)曾被他的高中籃球隊(duì)除名。在喬丹的籃球生涯中,他輸過(guò)數(shù)百場(chǎng)比賽,有成千上萬(wàn)個(gè)球沒(méi)有投中。但他曾說(shuō)過(guò):“在我的一生中,我失敗了一次又一次、一次又一次。這就是我成功的原因。”
這些人士獲得成功,因?yàn)樗麄兌茫耗悴荒茏屖?lái)限制你,而必須讓失敗來(lái)開(kāi)導(dǎo)你。你必須讓失敗向你展示下次如何以不同的方式去做這件事情。因此,如果你遇到麻煩,那并不表示你是麻煩的制造者,而意味著你需要更加努力去把它做對(duì)。如果你有一門(mén)課分?jǐn)?shù)低,那不表示你比別人笨,而只表示你需要花更多的時(shí)間學(xué)習(xí)。
沒(méi)有一個(gè)人天生擅長(zhǎng)做各種事情。你通過(guò)勤奮而變得擅長(zhǎng)于各種事情。第一次從事新的體育項(xiàng)目時(shí),你不可能是一位主力隊(duì)員。第一次唱一首歌曲時(shí),你不可能唱準(zhǔn)每個(gè)音。你必須練習(xí)。同樣的道理適用于你的學(xué)業(yè)。你可能要把一道數(shù)學(xué)題做幾次才把它做對(duì)。你可能要把一些材料閱讀幾遍才能理解。在交出一篇優(yōu)美的作文之前,你肯定需要打幾遍草稿。
不要害怕提問(wèn)。不要在需要幫助時(shí)害怕請(qǐng)求別人幫助。我天天請(qǐng)求別人的幫助。請(qǐng)求幫助不是軟弱的表現(xiàn),它是力量的標(biāo)志,因?yàn)樗砻髂阌杏職獬姓J(rèn)自己對(duì)某些事情不懂,這樣做會(huì)使你學(xué)到新的東西。因此,請(qǐng)確定一位你信任的成年人,例如家長(zhǎng)、祖父母或老師、教練或輔導(dǎo)員,請(qǐng)他們幫助你遵循既定計(jì)劃實(shí)現(xiàn)你的目標(biāo)。
即使當(dāng)你苦苦掙扎、灰心喪氣、感到其他人對(duì)你不抱希望時(shí),也不要對(duì)你自己?jiǎn)适判模驗(yàn)楫?dāng)你自暴自棄時(shí),你也拋棄了自己的國(guó)家。
書(shū)寫(xiě)美國(guó)歷史的不是在困難時(shí)刻退縮的人,而是堅(jiān)持不懈、加倍努力的人,他們對(duì)國(guó)家的愛(ài)促使他們?nèi)σ愿啊?/p>
書(shū)寫(xiě)美國(guó)歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學(xué)生,他們后來(lái)進(jìn)行了獨(dú)立戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)并創(chuàng)建了這個(gè)國(guó)家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學(xué)生,他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場(chǎng)世界大戰(zhàn);他們?yōu)槊駲?quán)而奮斗并把宇航員送上了月球。至于20年前坐在你們的位置上的學(xué)生,他們創(chuàng)辦了谷歌(Google)、嘰喳網(wǎng)(Twitter)和臉譜網(wǎng)(Facebook),改變了我們交流溝通的方式。
而今天,我要問(wèn)問(wèn)你們大家,你們將做出什么貢獻(xiàn)?你們將解決什么問(wèn)題?你們將有什么發(fā)現(xiàn)?20年、50年或100年后來(lái)到這里講話的總統(tǒng)將會(huì)怎樣評(píng)價(jià)你們大家為這個(gè)國(guó)家所做的一切?
你們的家人、你們的老師和我正在竭盡全力保證你們接受必要的教育,以便回答上述問(wèn)題。我正在努力工作,以便你們的教室得到修繕,你們能夠得到學(xué)習(xí)所需的課本、設(shè)備和電腦。但你們也必須盡自己的努力。因此,我希望你們大家從今年起認(rèn)真對(duì)待這個(gè)問(wèn)題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個(gè)人都有出色的表現(xiàn)。不要讓我們失望。不要讓你們的家人或你們的國(guó)家失望。而最重要的是,不要辜負(fù)你們自己,而要讓我們都能為你們感到驕傲。
非常感謝你們大家。愿主保佑你們。愿主保佑美國(guó)。謝謝你們。