美国总统奥巴马谈教育重要性.doc

美国总统奥巴马谈教育的重要性 Through education, you can also better yourselves in other ways. You learn how to learn —how to think critically and find solutions to unexpected challenges. I remember we used to ask our teachers, “ Why am I going to need algebra? ” Well, you may not have to solve for X to get a good job or tobea good parent. But you will need to think through tough problems. You ’ ll need to think on your feet. You ’ ll need toknow how to gather facts and evaluate information. So, math teachers, you can tell your students that the president says they need algebra. Education also teaches you the value of discipline — that the greatest e not from instant gratification but from sustained effort and from hard work. This isa lesson that ’s especially true today, inac ulture that prizes flash over substance, that tells us that the goal in life is tobe entertained, that says you can be famous just for being famous. You get ona reality show — don't know what you ’vedone — suddenly you ’ re famous. But that's not going tol ead to lasting, sustained achievement. And finally, with the right education, both at home and at school, you can learn how tobe a better human being. For when you read a great story or you learn about an important moment in history, it helps you imagine what it would be like to walk in somebody else ’s shoes, toknow their struggles. The ess ofour economy will depend