WASHINGTON — In a pep talk to the nation's students as they settle back into school, President Barack Obama will tell them that nothing is beyond their reach as long as they're willing to dream big, work hard and stay focused on learning.
Obama will deliver that message Tuesday during his second back-to-school address, this time from a Philadelphia school.
"Nobody gets to write your destiny but you," Obama says in the speech, which the White House released a day early so people could read the president's remarks beforehand and judge the contents for themselves.
"Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing — absolutely nothing — is beyond your reach. So long as you're willing to dream big. So long as you're willing to work hard. So long as you're willing to stay focused on your education," he says.
After the White House announced last year's speech, some conservatives accused the president of trying to foist a political agenda on children. Some parents said they'd pull their children from class to keep them from hearing Obama's remarks.
But that type of outcry is largely missing this year.
In both speeches, Obama urged students to stay in school, study hard and take responsibility