On September 8th, President Barack Obama addressed students in Arlington, Virginia and asked other schools across the country to broadcast the speech. The president stayed away from politics and instead addressed the need for students to dedicate themselves to their education.
President Obama’s speech began with a small intro and then a story from his own life about the challenges he had to face in order to get a good education. He went on to talk about how everyone is doing their part in a student’s education, now the student has to do theirs. Other things mentioned were more personal experiences, the responsibilities of students, and stories of other kids facing their problems and succeeding. President Obama said, “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 can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.”




The main points hit on were that it is the student’s responsibility to do well in school, and that education is vital for everybody. President Obama stated, “Every single one of you has something 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.”
Students tuned in from all across America to hear President Obama speak about education and many enjoyed it, but many were skeptical in the days leading up. Both politicians and parents were upset when the president announced he was giving a speech. Florida Chairman Jim Greer, called it "Obama's attempt to indoctrinate students." Mr. Greer also said, “As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology,” The White House stuck by their earlier reply that the speech was only going to encourage students to work hard and stay in school.
The RMHS administration did not require teachers to show the President’s speech.