Remarks at Stanley Field Middle School in Northbrook, Illinois

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Jan 27, 1997

The President. I was just thinking, if I had had a class like this when I was their age, I might have gotten into a different line of work. [Laughter] This is fascinating. Thank you very much, guys. I'm glad you learned about Newton's law of doing this, and I'm glad you learned how to do this.

I just thought of something - you should know too, one of you made the point about conservation of materials. Interestingly enough, in many manufacturing enterprises today, that's one of the major sources of adding productivity and profitability to the enterprise. Being environmentally responsible is just learning how to continue to get more and more and more output out of fewer and fewer raw materials. And that applies not only to stable materials like that but also to energy input. So a big part of what technology and learning is doing to all kinds of production is allowing people to produce more output of products and services with fewer material input. Very interesting, so I'm glad you did it.

[At this point, Secretary of Education Richard Riley commented on the standards in education and then the students continued their demonstration.]

The President. The one thing I would say to you - we have to go, but you are going to live in the most exciting period of time in human history, in terms of what people can do with their minds and their imaginations and what people can do on their own. It's going to be a very, very exciting time. But it will only be an exciting time for people who can access it. That's why the learning is so important.

Someday you may be building - one of you may be building trains that go 500 miles an hour, that people get in, and therefore, then, they don't pollute the air. And they all travel together so they can read while they're studying during their commute times. You may be doing things you can't even imagine now because of what you're learning.

And that's the thing I would emphasize. You can't imagine what someday you might be doing with what you're just now learning here. And I envy you in that way. I think that the 21st century will be a time of enormous possibility for young people like you, and all you really need to tap it is a great education. And I'm glad you're getting it.

Thank you.

Q. I know they can do it. Well, thank you so much. We're very pleased to have you come.

The President. I'm glad to see you. Thank you.

Q. Thank you for coming.

The President. I wish I could see all the cars driving. What you should do, you should make a movie of this. You should have everybody - inspire classes all over America.

NOTE: The President spoke at 11:05 a.m. in the eighth grade classroom.