"What's Your Contribution Going to Be?"

The full text of Obama's education speech scheduled for 9 am eastern time Tuesday.

The powerful conclusion:

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

If you are one of the few unfortunate schoolkids whose parents kept you from watching this speech, I fear that your future contribution will be to utter the following question for years after your non-graduation from high school:

"Do you want fries with that?"