1 . I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of our country depends on you. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to build our country. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.

The circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home — none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your future for you, because here in our country, you write your own future. You make your own future. Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

3 . You’re chatting with a friend and want to recommend a good book.     1     It feels like it’s on the tip of your tongue, but the harder you try to remember, the more you can’t. We’ve all been there, and everyone knows how hard it is to remember all of that information in your head. Luckily, there are some things you can do to improve your memory.

·Repeat important information out loud.     2     When you repeat something out loud, you aren’t technically memorizing it. You’re actually creating a pattern and sound that will make the information easier to remember in the future.

·    3     Turn the TV off while you study and get off the phone while you’re driving. When you do different activities at the same time, your attention is divided, which will make it hard to process the information necessary to remember what you’re doing.

·Take notes and write things down. Taking notes will help you memorize the information, even if you never look at your notes again!     4     So you’re better off sticking to pen and paper if you really want to remember your friend’s birthday or an important meeting.

·Take a short walk. There’s a lot of scientific evidence that taking a walk will jog your memory. If you are trying to remember something, spend a few minutes walking around your neighborhood to see if it helps.     5     At best, you’ll remember the name of that life-changing book from grade school!