Obama brags about his daughter to make a point on responsibility
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President Obama seldom departs from his prepared text, but he took a detour today to give a personal example of how to get a promising student, one of his daughters, to internalize excellence.
Speaking at the James C. Wright Middle School, a charter school in Madison, Wis., the president announced more than $4 billion in federal challenge grants dubbed the “Race to the Top,” designed to get schools to perform better.
Obama was again calling for personal responsibility by parents when he asked permission to leave his text and related an anecdote from his family.
“Malia and Sasha are just wonderful kids,” Obama said of his children, “and Michelle is a wonderful mother. But in our own household, with all of the privileges and opportunities we have, there are times when kids slack off. When kids would rather be watching TV or playing a computer game than hitting the books.”
“Part of our job as parents,” he said, “is not just telling kids what to do but to start instilling in them a sense that they want to do it for themselves.”
According to Obama, Malia, who is in the sixth grade, came home with a 73 on her science test. When she had come home with an 80, Obama said he explained that “our goal should be 90% so 73 was a big letdown.”
“I said, ‘What happened?’ ” Obama continued, recounting how she gave several excuses. But she also mapped out a plan to study the material better.
“She came home yesterday with a 95,” the president boasted.
“She said, ‘I just like having knowledge.’ She had started wanting it more than us,” Obama said, urging all parents to set a high bar at home.
-- Michael Muskal
Follow on Twitter @LATimesmuskal
