Twin Cities area students and school administrators who watched President Barack Obama’s talk to schoolchildren Tuesday gave him good marks presenting a powerful message of personal responsibility.

“I’m thrilled with it,” said Dennis Duquette, superintendent of Regional School Unit 16, comprised of the towns of Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls. “He emphasized that everyone can succeed. Teachers talk about that all the time.”But coming from the president, “it adds credibility to education,” he said Wednesday.

Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls school administrators decided to allow teachers who wanted to have students watch the speech show it in classrooms. Between 30 to 50 percent of students did, Duquette said. They used it to teach about social studies, language arts and “pride in America,” he said.

At Lewiston’s Farwell Elementary School, Principal Linda St. Andre watched as did about half the school.

“When the president takes time out of his day to talk to kids, that is a powerful message. He did a really nice job,” she said.

Obama told students he’s talked about the responsibility of government, teachers and parents to help them do well.
But the best teachers, schools and parents won’t matter “unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities,” Obama said to students. “Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.”

“It was well said,” St. Andre said. When youngsters hear a president talk to them, “it stays with you,” she said.

A couple of parents called saying they didn’t want their children participating. “We honored that,” St. Andre said.

In other Lewiston schools, most students did not watch the speech, Superintendent Leon Levesque said. The decision was up to teachers, he said.

“There was not much interest. It was timed for noon. It conflicted with many school activities, particularly lunch. And there was very little notice.”

More students would have watched if schools knew earlier the speech was coming, Levesque said. The first many heard about it was from Obama critics. That’s unfortunate, Levesque said, recalling how President Reagan spoke to students, and how the elder President Bush spoke to students in Lewiston.

Auburn Superintendent Tom Morrill said some students elected not to watch Obama’s talk. “They were given that choice,” he said.

At Edward Little High School, government teacher John Daly’s third period class did.

“I haven’t heard a thing from parents,” he said. Obama’s message was “nothing to be afraid of,” he said, praising it for helping teachers and parents motivate students. The speech “was perfect for a government class,” he said.

Daly praised examples Obama used of students succeeding despite hardships, including one boy who has bounced from foster home to foster home, and another who had brain cancer that diminished his memory.

After the viewing, one student said she hears the ‘work hard’ message from teachers and parents all the time, Daly said. “She said, ‘It’s different coming from the president.'”

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To read Obama’s back-to-school speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

To watch the speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/A-Message-of-Hope-and-Responsibility-for-Americas-Students/