I think it's safe to say that the resonance/usefulness of a message to an individual is impacted by their personal experiences. I had the opportunity to watch a high poverty group of upper elementary school students watch the speech. Yes, some of them tuned out, but there were many students in the group (including students who are difficult to keep engaged in learning and who have difficulty sitting and listening in general) who were focused on every word. I realize that hearing about that is "just words", but watching it....wow. That 20 minutes of the school year had tremendous power for some very smart, capable children who often see themselves as neither.
