SOTU Inspiration

During the President’s final State of the Union address last Tuesday, my family and I invented what we thought was an amusing game. We have a DVR-equipped television, so we entertained ourselves by pausing the action on the faces of audience members when the camera would cut away from Barack Obama to pan the crowd for reactions. Then, like a bad episode of Mystery Science Theater, we would give voice to these expressions (quite honestly, there were moments when I felt the camera operators themselves were playing this game, looking for the most dramatic, sarcastic, poignant, or ironic contortions).

But when Obama mentioned issues related to education – which he did at several points throughout the 58 minute address – we turned to each other and said, “I’ve got nothing.” We couldn’t poke fun, because each expression seemed genuine in its support, excitement, or approval of positive change in this arena. As professionals in the field of education, PCACAC members can take comfort in knowing that genuine smiles accompanied the statements that Obama made about access to opportunity, higher graduation rates, job-readiness, and cost of attendance, among others.

As we ready ourselves to attend this year’s regional conference in Ocean City, I thought it might be interesting to highlight some of the President’s points about education. Perhaps one of these has inspired a session at PCACAC, which in turn might inspire you!

- Janet Weller, Associate Director of College Counseling, Roland Park Country School (MD)

“Real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, and together, we’ve increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, and boosted graduates in fields like engineering.”

“We should build on our progress by providing pre-K for all, offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one, and we should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids.”

“We have to make college affordable for every American. No hardworking student should be stuck in the red. We’ve already reduced student loan payments to 10% of a borrower’s income. Now, we’ve actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing two years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I’m going to keep fighting to get that started this year.”

“They’re out there, those voices (of unarmed truth and unconditional love). They don’t get a lot of attention; they don't seek a lot of fanfare; but they’re busy doing the work this country needs doing. I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I see you, the American people. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I see our future unfolding… I see it in the Dreamer who stays up late at night to finish her science project, and the teacher who comes in early, and maybe with some extra supplies that she bought herself, because she knows that that young girl might someday cure a disease.”