In The Classroom: Presidential inspiration

Eighth-graders in Jason Babiar’s social studies class at Thurston Middle School listened as attentively as they could to a DVD of President Obama’s back-to-school speech Sept. 18.

The class was hearing the 15-minute speech 10 days after it was broadcast live to the nation’s schools. Parent protests and logistical problems delayed the speech from being heard in Laguna Beach district schools.

Only one student had been “opted out” by parental request at Thurston, Principal Joanne Culverhouse said.

Babiar told the students he was pleased to be able to present the speech in a taped format, so he could highlight certain sections for the students.

He noted that much of the speech was addressed to students in schools where getting an education was difficult, in contrast to Thurston, named a California Distinguished School last year.

“A lot of the speech doesn’t relate to us because we have a safe school and teachers who care,” Babiar said, adding that Obama’s own school experience was very different because he lived in Indonesia and his family couldn’t afford to send him to a good school, so his mother made him get up at 4 a.m. to study.

“It wasn’t easy but he worked hard, went to Harvard and became president.”

In the speech, Obama tells the students that, like many of them, he felt like he didn’t fit in and had to overcome that to be successful.

Babiar highlighted the fact that the U.S. president was urging young people to complete their education, set goals and accomplish them not just for themselves but in order to help the country.

“When leaders want to oppress, the first thing that’s taken away is education,” Babiar said. “In the South during slavery, they didn’t allow black people to learn to read. The Nazis took books away. If people want to suppress people, they take public education away.

“I’ll be referring to this [message] all year.”

Babiar also likened Obama’s public speaking skills to those of Thomas Jefferson, whom the students are studying as one of the nation’s founding fathers.

The students themselves seemed to respond to the personal tone of Obama’s speech, in which he urges them to “get serious this year,” “let your failures teach you,” and ends with “don’t let us down.”

“I liked the part about not giving up on yourself even if people give up on you,” said Kayla Bernard.

Deion Martin said the message he took away was that, “You can’t be successful without trying.”

Almost the entire class raised their hands when Babiar asked who had a Facebook account, after Obama noted in his speech that students just like those he was addressing, sitting in a classroom 20 years ago, had created Google and Facebook.

“The president is saying, ‘don’t take education for granted,’” Babiar said. “Obama’s speech isn’t a radical new idea. It’s not the message, but who is delivering it “” the president.”