Obama to School Kids: Success Requires Hard Work

As I watched President Obama address our nation's school kids today, one piece of advice stood out: "No one's born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work."

I've been working really hard with my daughters to help them learn this lesson. As President Obama said, "If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying."

This attitude is what Stanford researcher Dr. Carol Dweck describes as "growth mentality." Her research has shown that students do much better when they believe that doing well is a function of hard work as opposed to innate talent.

Parents, too, have a responsibility in keeping their children on track. In that spirit, I hope that parents use the opportunity to reinforce the messages that their kids heard today. Tonight, try asking this question to your child: "Do you think some people are just smarter than others or do you think people get smart because they work hard?" Listen to the answer and consider how you can talk with your child to help him or her understand how critical hard work is.

I know a university student in China. She's a senior at one of the nation's most prestigious universities and I know that she's gotten there through a lot of hard work. I recently asked her: "Why do you work so hard?"

"Because I want China to be strong and prosperous," she responded. She saw a direct connection between her work in school and the future of her nation.

We Americans are typically motivated more by self-interest and our desire to contribute to our family and community than by our desire to make the nation prosperous. The task for us parents is to help our children see the link between the hard work today and their opportunity to pursue their dreams tomorrow.

When I ask my nine year-old daughter "Why do you work hard?" I hope she'll respond: "Because when I grow up I want to be able to do lots of things for myself and the world. Maybe I'll want to invent something new like a medicine that saves people. Or maybe I can make a car that doesn't pollute. Or maybe I can help homeless people. And I want to make money and enjoy knowing lots of things."

Thanks, President Obama, for carrying this message to America's schoolchildren. We parents are listening, too.

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President Obama offered a heartfelt pep talk to the nation's students today and HuffPost wants to hear reactions from students and teachers alike. Press the "Particpate" button below to share your thoughts.

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Obama School Speech

 

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Comments

[MysticMichael]

So let me see if I've got this straight:

The President was speaking to schoolchildren yesterday, advocating the traditional virtues of hard work, personal responsibility, and respect for authority. The Right stands in firm opposition to the President's message. Therefore logically, it must be the case that the Right ACTUALLY OPPOSES the traditional virtues of hard work, personal responsibility, and respect for authority.

And if that is the case, then it must logically follow that the Right actually favors the OPPOSITE of these virtues - namely slothfulness, personal irresponsibility, and rebellion against authority. If that's what they REALLY believe, then why don't they just come right out and say so for a change?

C'mon right wingers! Just get it off your chests already. I guarantee you'll feel better...

MM

[VentiMocha09]

I believe the message sent by President Obama was well delivered and very much needed, for children and adults. The sad part of the matter is that so many chose to not allow their children to hear the message and in the process sent a message to their children that the President of the United States has nothing good to say. He is our president, he is obviously a highly intelligent man, and he is a father who cares deeply about the future of his children and others. Some people care not to see these attributes. Unfortunately, all they see is the color of his skin. I don't ever recall such an uproar over a president addressing school children in the past. EVER. SAD indeed! Great post. I pray others feel the same way.

[Endersdragon]

Did any other President ask students what they could do for him? Did any other President ask students how they inspire him. Did any other President have teachers wanting to throw a pizza party for him (just go to Democratic Underground for proof of that). I donno, maybe its not all about race. Maybe some people don't like Obama for Obama, like half the nation now does.