NOAH ADAMS, host:

Some reaction, now, from the target audience. Students at Stuart-Hobson Middle School here in Washington, D.C. also watched the president's speech in their classrooms. Here's what a few had to say just after school.

Ms. KIERA SMITH(ph): I thought President Obama's speech was really true. When we first started school, I was having a little bit of trouble with the math, and I remember Obama saying that it's okay if you make mistakes.

Ms. DONYEA SMITH(ph): I think it was inspirational because he was telling us to work hard and make sure we get good grades. And I liked it because he put his effort in it to try to help us learn smarter. And he said that he was going to try to get us new books and stuff.

Mr. RACHMON SHABAZ(ph): I liked how he said that everyone who made it to success had failure in their past and that's kind of what made them reach success.

ADAMS: That is sixth-grader Kiera Smith, fifth-grader Donyea Smith, not of relation, and seventh-grader Rachmon Shabaz, students at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, D.C. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.