Pep talk. Period.

Ok, so I just finished listening to President Obama's address to the nation's schoolchildren and found it--despite all of the??hoopla--to be pretty harmless. Mind you, I did not take the time to glance at the accompanying lesson plans (Rick did, though). But the speech itself was a pep talk. Period. Stay in school. Don't give up on yourself. Ask for help when you need it. Let your failures show you what to do right the next time. Take responsibility. Set goals for yourself. You can't be rich and successful without working hard. Do your homework. Stand up for kids being bullied. (He even threw in a wash-your-hands-to-prevent-the-flu mention.) My personal favorite: "Where you are right now does not have to determine where you end up." For the cynics among us, yes, it sounds corny. But it's the no-excuses mentality that Obama has espoused before and that he has the personal credibility to deliver. I have no problem with our President saying these things to schoolchildren. I saw no hidden motive. And as a former high school teacher fighting beltway cynicism, I hope kids take his message to heart.