Halfway across the country from Wakefield High School in suburban Arlington, Va., Susan LaBar's sixth grade students at Williston Rickard Elementary School attentively listened to President Barack Obama's televised back-to-school speech for the nation's students.

Proof of the attention the students paid to Obama's much-hyped speech Tuesday is found in their comments regarding what he said.

"A lot of people who were sitting in the same place many years ago, have gone on to successful things," Keyanna Enget said is one thing that Obama shared that struck her.

Rickard students in grades 3-6 had the option of watching the speech. The Associated Press reported concerns about the speech were caused in part by an accompanying administration lesson plan encouraging students to "help the president," which the White House later revised. On Monday, the White House then posted the text of Obama's speech for review in advance.

Katie Olson is one of LaBar's students who chose to watch Obama's speech. One of the things she took away from the speech is, "If we want to help America, we will have to work at it." Austin Luther also watched Tuesday's speech and said one thing he found interesting is, "Even if you start out in a bad place and don't have much money, you don't give up."

Rickard students had the option of going to the library if they didn't want to watch Obama's speech, said principal Keith Leintz. He said a note was sent home to parents on Friday that students would be given the opportunity to watch the speech.

"As far as I know, we didn't get any notes back," Leintz said.

Katlyn Stroh is another of LaBar's students who watched Obama's speech and took away from it that "people who fail go on to succeed," she said.

Classmate Jerrica Albert followed that train of thought in saying, "People who don't have the support they need became successful."

That portion of Obama's speech also struck home with Kadyn Hammer, who said, "If you fail,that doesn't mean you're stupid and that you can go on to great things."

Keaten Ell said Obama shared, "that he's trying to work and help at education, but we also have to help him work at it."

Meanwhile, Dalton Flory was struck by Obama's story about "the boy who has been fighting brain cancer since he was 3 is going on to college," he said.

The AP reported Monday that Education Secretary Arne Duncan acknowledged Tuesday that some of the prepared guidance for school officials included a suggestion that students could compose essays stating how they could help support Obama — an idea the education secretary acknowledged was wrongheaded.

The speech Obama gave Tuesday basically is unchanged from what is posted on the White House Web site, as he asked students to do their part in the classroom.

Lewis & Clark Elementary School principal Terry Quintus said staff and students had the option of watching Tuesday's speech. About eight different groups of students gathered to watch the speech, of which Quintus caught parts.

"From what I saw, it wasn't a political statement," Quintus said.

The feedback he received from staff shortly after the speech is, "they thought it was pretty good."

Quintus said any time you can try to direct students to stay in school, it's a good thing.

"If they aren't doing their job and we're not doing our job, we're in a world of hurt," he said.

Wilkinson Elementary principal Pam Lambert read the speech in advance and "thought it was a wonderful speech; very inspiring."

Lambert didn't get a chance to see the speech and also gave parents the option of having their students watch. She said one person came to the school in advance to read a transcript of the speech.

Hagan Elementary principal Darla Ratzak did watch the speech, which she described as "very short and to the point. It was good."

Ratzak didn't think Obama's speech was worth any concern at all as, "the address was to the students."

Students in grades 3-6 had the opportunity to watch the speech and Ratzak said just three or four parents didn't want their student to watch.

"I think the general consensus was it was better than I thought," Ratzak said of feedback from staff after the speech.

Williston Public School District 1 superintendent Viola LaFontaine wasn't worried about Obama's speech even though a few things cropped up Tuesday morning. She talked with administrators in advance of the speech and decided if students didn't want to see it, parents could send a note or call the school involved.

LaFontaine said one teacher was concerned the speech would take away reading time from students. But when the teacher read the advance copy of the speech, the instructor could then see how it could fit into the lesson plan, she said.

Williston New Public School District 8 students did not watch the speech in school, superintendent Greg McNary said.

He decided if parents wanted students to see it, they could record it and watch it with their children at night. This followed 11 phone calls from parents, "which in a district our size is fairly significant," McNary said of concerns regarding political overtones that might be included in the speech.

Students at Williston's St. Joseph's Elementary School also did not watch the speech in school. Principal Pete Lingen said staff never thought anything of it as the school lunch starts at 11:25 a.m. and Obama's speech started after 11 a.m.

"If parents really want their child to see it, it will be on afterward," Lingen said. "It's on the Internet if they want to get a copy of it."

Lingen also didn't know what the big hoopla was all about in advance of Tuesday's speech.