So you’ve got an obligation¹ to yourselves, and America has an obligation to you, to make sure you’re getting the best education possible.  And making sure you get that kind of education is going to take all of us working hard and all of us working hand in hand.

It takes all of us in government -- from the governor to the mayor to the superintendent² to the President -- all of us doing our part to prepare our students, all of them, for success in the classroom and in college and in a career.  It’s going to take an outstanding principal, like Principal Neff, and outstanding teachers like the ones you have here at Masterman -- teachers who are going above and beyond the call of duty for their students.  And it’s going to take parents who are committed to your education.
    
Now, that’s what we have to do for you.  That’s our responsibility.  That’s our job.  But you’ve got a job, too.  You’ve got to show up to school on time.  You’ve got to pay attention in your class.  You’ve got to do your homework.  You’ve got to study for exams.  You’ve got to stay out of trouble.  You’ve got to instill（逐渐灌输） a sense of excellence⁴ in everything that you do.  That kind of discipline, that kind of drive, that kind of hard work, is absolutely essential for success.

And I can speak from experience here because unlike Kelly, I can’t say I always had this discipline.  See, I can tell she was always disciplined.  I wasn’t always disciplined.  I wasn’t always the best student when I was younger.  I made my share of mistakes.  I still remember a conversation I had with my mother in high school.  I was kind of a goof-off（屡犯错误的人） .  And I was about the age of some of the folks here.  And my grades were slipping.  I hadn’t started my college applications.  I was acting⁵, as my mother put it, sort of casual about my future.  I was doing good enough.  I was smart enough that I could kind of get by.  But I wasn’t really applying myself.

And so I suspect this is a conversation that will sound familiar to some students and some parents here today.  She decided⁶ to sit me down and said I had to change my attitude.  My attitude was what I imagine every teenager’s attitude is when your parents have a conversation with you like that.  I was like, you know, I don’t need to hear all this.  I’m doing okay, I’m not flunking⁷（不及格，失败） out.

So I started to say that, and she just cut me right off.  She said, you can’t just sit around waiting for luck to see you through.  She said, you can get into any school you want in the country if you just put in a little bit of effort.  She gave me a hard look and she said, you remember what that’s like?  Effort?  (Laughter.)  Some of you have had that conversation.  (Laughter.)  And it was pretty jolting⁸ hearing my mother say that.

But eventually her words had the intended effect, because I got serious about my studies.  And I started to make an effort in everything that I did.  And I began to see my grades and my prospects⁹ improve.

And I know that if hard work could make the difference for me, then it can make a difference for all of you.  And I know that there may be some people who are skeptical¹⁰ about that.  Sometimes you may wonder if some people just aren’t better at certain things.  You know, well, I’m not good at math or I’m just not really interested in my science classes.

And it is true that we each have our own gifts, we each have our own talents that we have to discover and nurture¹¹（养育，教养） .  Not everybody is going to catch on in certain subjects as easily as others.

But just because you’re not the best at something today doesn’t mean you can’t be tomorrow.  Even if you don’t think of yourself as a math person or a science person, you can still excel³ in those subjects if you’re willing to make the effort.  And you may find out you have talents you never dreamed of.

Because one of the things I’ve discovered is excelling¹²（胜过） -- whether it’s in school or in life -- isn’t mainly about being smarter than everybody else.  That’s not really the secret to success.  It’s about working harder than everybody else.  So don’t avoid new challenges -- seek them out, step out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Your teachers and family are there to guide you.  They want to know if you’re not catching¹³ on to something because they know that if you keep on working at it, you’re going to catch on.

Don’t feel discouraged; don’t give up if you don’t succeed at something the first time.  Try again, and learn from your mistakes.  Don’t feel threatened if your friends are doing well; be proud of them, and see what lessons you can draw from what they’re doing right.

Now, I’m sort of preaching¹⁴ to the choir¹⁵ here because I know that’s the kind of culture of excellence that you promote at Masterman.  But I’m not just speaking to all of you, I’m speaking to kids all across the country.  And I want them to all here that same message:  That’s the kind of excellence we’ve got to promote in all of America’s schools.

That’s one of the reasons why I’m announcing our second Commencement Challenge.  Some of you may have heard of this.  If your school is the winner, if you show us how teachers and students and parents are all working together to prepare your kids and your school for college and a career, if you show us how you’re giving back to your community and your country, then I will congratulate you in person by speaking at your commencement.