呼籲國會支援教師招募計劃

呼籲國會支援教師招募計劃

Hi, week, I spent some time traveling across Iowa talking with folks about rebuilding an economy where if you work hard, you and your family can get ahead.

嗨，大家好。在這個星期，我花時間走訪了愛荷華州，與大家談論的是重建一種只要你努力工作，你和你的家庭就一定能取得成功的經濟體制。

And along the way, I stopped in at Cascade High School to thank the teachers there for doing such a great job—and wish them luck as they head back to the classroom for this school year.

而在旅途的過程中，我在卡斯卡德高中停下腳步，感謝那些從事着偉大工作的教師們，並祝願他們在這一學年能重返教室。

There's nothing more important to our country's future than the education we give our kids. And there's no one more important to that education than the person at the front of the classroom.

對我們國家的未來而言，沒有什麼比爲孩子們提供良好的教育更重要。而且在教育上也沒有任何人能比站在講臺前的那個人更重要。

Teachers matter. Most work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies—just to make a difference.

教師們至關重要。他們大多不知疲倦的工作、工資卻一般般，有時候還不得不自掏腰包購買教學用品—他們這樣做爲的只是帶來改變。

They give everything for our kids—and in return, we should invest in them.

他們爲我們的孩子們付出了所有，而反過來，我們也應該對他們進行投入。

But here's the thing: this year, several thousand fewer educators will be going back to school.

但擺在我們面前的事實卻是：今年僅有數千名教育工作者將重返校園。

Since 2009, we've lost more than 300,000 education jobs, in part, because of budget cuts at the state and local level.

自2009年以來，我們總共失去了30多萬個教育工作崗位，其部分原因就是全國和地方的預算削減。

Think about what that means for our country.

大家可以想想這對我們國家意味着什麼。

At a time when the rest of the world is racing to out-educate America; these cuts force our kids into crowded classrooms, cancel programs for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and shorten the school week and the school year.

追憶往昔，世界曾對我們一流的教育望塵莫及，而預算削減卻迫使我們的孩子們的教室更加擁擠，學前教師和幼兒教師項目被取消，每週學習時間和學年時間被縮短。

That's the opposite of what we should be doing as a country.

這不是我們作爲一個國家應當的所作所爲。

States should be making education a priority in their budgets, even in tough fiscal times.

即便是在緊張的財政時期，各州也應該把教育放在預算的頭等重要位置。

And Congress should be willing to help out—because this affects all of us.

而國會更應該慷慨解囊，因爲這關乎到我們所有人。

That's why part of the jobs bill that I sent to Congress last September included support for states to prevent further layoffs and to rehire teachers who'd lost their jobs.

正因爲此，去年9月我提交國會的一份就業法案中包括爲各州提供避免教師進一步失業並重新招募已經失業的教師的支援。

But here we are—a year later with tens of thousands more educators laid off—and Congress still hasn't done anything about it.

但現在的境況卻是，一年以後成千上萬的教師面臨失業的窘境，而國會依然無動於衷。

In fact, the economic plan that almost every Republican in Congress voted for would make the situation even worse.

實際上，國會的每一個共和黨人所支援的經濟計劃只會使目前的境況雪上加霜。

It would actually cut funding for education—which means fewer kids in Head Start, fewer teachers in our classrooms, and fewer college students with access to financial aid—all to pay for a massive new tax cut for millionaires and billionaires.

這一項目在實質上將進一步削減教育基金，這將意味着受益於《領先計劃》的孩子們會更少，學校的教師們會更少，能獲得經濟援助的大學生們會更少。而所有這些都只是爲了給百萬和億萬富豪們新的大量減稅政策埋單。

That's backwards. That's wrong.

這是倒退，這是不正確的。

That plan doesn't invest in our future; it undercuts our future.

這一計劃不是在爲我們的未來投資，而是在削弱我們的未來。

If we want America to lead in the 21st century, nothing is more important than giving everyone the best education possible—from the day they start preschool to the day they start their career.

如果我們希望美國能在21世紀引領全球，沒有什麼比給與每個人最好的受教育的機會更加重要，從他們學前教育的那一天開始直到步入職場那一天爲止。

That's why we launched a national competition to improve our schools.

這就是爲什麼我們實施一項全國性競爭計劃以改善學校教學環境的原因。

And for less than one percent of what our nation spends on education each year, we've encouraged almost every state to raise their standards—the first time that's happened in a generation.

由於每年教育支出僅佔全國支出不到1%，所以們已經鼓勵幾乎每個州都提高了標準，在這一代人裏還是頭一遭。

That's why we've invested in math and science education, and given states more flexibility on No Child Left Behind.

這就是爲什麼我們在數學和科學教育上加大投入，讓各州在《不讓一個孩子掉隊》項目實施上有更具靈活性的原因。

And that's why we've reformed the student loan program to put students before big banks, and increased financial aid for millions of young people—because in America, higher education cannot be a luxury;it's an economic necessity every family should be able to afford.

這就是爲什麼我們對助學貸款計劃進行改革的原因，讓各大銀行爲學生們提供貸款，增加對數百萬年輕學子的資金援助，因爲在美國，高等教育不應該是奢侈品，而應該是每個家庭都能負擔得起的必需品。

This is a country where no matter what you look like or where you come from, if you're willing to study and work hard, you can go as far as your talents will take you.

我們的國家是無論你長相如何，無論你來自何方，只要你努力學習和工作，你就可以依靠自己的天分達到應有的高度的國家。

You can make it if you try.

只要你努力，你就能獲得成功。

I am only the President of the United States today because of the chance my education gave me.

我能成爲美國曆史上唯一這樣的一位總統，就是要歸功於這個國家提供給我的受教育機會。

I want every child in America to have that chance.

我希望在美國的每個孩子都有這樣的機會。

That's what I'm fighting for.

這也是我爲之努力不懈的目標。

And as long as I have the privilege of being your President, that's what I'm going to keep fighting for.

只要我還有幸擔任你們的總統，我就將繼續爲之奮鬥不止。

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

謝謝大家，並祝你們週末愉快！