OPINION: Obama's recent school speech important for students to hear

President Barack Obama received a letter shortly after his inauguration from Clyde Montel Peterson III, who was a student last year at Henry Timrod Elementary School in Florence.

The first black president’s election to the White House was historic and inspired Peterson to study Obama’s path to success. The Sneed Middle School seventh-grader came to the right conclusion. Obama rose to great heights, Peterson wrote, “by staying in school and learning all we can.”

The president wrote Peterson a letter in return: “Each day, I am inspired by the encouraging messages of hope and determination I have received from students across the country. America needs young people like you who are studying hard, working together and dreaming big dreams.”

Obama branched even further than a letter to a Florence 12-year-old Tuesday when he delivered a pep talk to students nationwide from a classroom in Arlington, Va. The former senator from Illinois encouraged students to take personal responsibility for their success.

“Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer,” Obama said. “And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.”

We were struck by Obama’s fatherly tone and glad school officials in the Pee Dee offered access to his speech in the classroom. Sadly, many school districts in North Carolina didn’t provide access to the speech because parents were divided over its content.

Conservatives were concerned at first about Obama trying to sell children his political agenda. They worried about an accompanying lesson plan that was scrapped. It encouraged students to “help the president.”

Obama released a copy of his speech earlier Monday, diffusing the controversy.

Former First Lady Laura Bush said: “There is a place for the president of the U.S. to speak to schoolchildren, to encourage schoolchildren.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said: “It’s a good speech, I recommend it to everybody if you have any doubts.”

Here’s why it was good. Obama, as the most powerful black in American history, was able to reach into the soul of the most vulnerable of school children: young black boys. They are much more likely to drop out than their white counterparts.

Here’s the moral of the story: If Obama can make it to the White House, they can, too.

“Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it,” Obama told students. “The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject that you study. You won’t click with every teacher that you have.

“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.”

In his letter to Peterson, Obama struck a tone of unity he achieved in his speech.

“America’s future will be determined by our willingness to shoulder each other’s burdens, take great risks and move forward as one people and one nation.”

No president has ever given a young child a better piece of advice.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).