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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Grades 5-6

The State of U.S. Kids

To see how the story appeared in TIME For Kids magazine, click here.

What is it like to be you? To find out, TIME FOR KIDS and KidsHealth asked 1,000 kids about life in the United States.

It's report-card time at the White House. Soon, President Barack Obama will grade the country in an important speech to the American people and Congress: the State of the Union address. In his speech, the President will report on how well the country is doing.

What about the nation's kids? TIME FOR KIDS and KidsHealth wanted to know how things are going for you. To find out, we went straight to the source. We asked 1,000 kids, ages 9 to 13, about life at home, at school and in the U.S. What we learned surprised us, impressed us and reminded us that being a kid isn't always easy.

National Issues

Kids graded President Barack Obama on his first year in office.

Obama's Grades:
A: 19%
B: 30%
C: 24%
D: 10%
F: 16%

Kids' Hopes and Dreams

Most kids say they will choose a job based on how much they will enjoy it. But if kids could have one wish granted, many would ask for money. Why? "So my mom wouldn't have to work so much," one girl said. Here are the jobs and wishes at the top of kids' lists.

Boys' Top Career Choices:
1. Athlete 15%
2. Scientist/Videogame designer (tie) 9%
3. Doctor 6%
4. Engineer 5%
5. Member of the armed forces 4%
6. Chef 3%

Girls' Top Career Choices:
1. Teacher 17%
2. Veterinarian 12%
3. Entertainer 9%
4. Fashion designer 8%
5. Doctor 6%
6. Chef/Writer (tie) 4%

What Kids Wish For:
Health: 7%
Happiness: 7%
Travel: 6%
Fame: 5%
Long life: 5%
Money: 27%
Possessions: 15%
Better World: 8%
Other: 20%

Get the Message?

As kids get older, they report sending more and more text messages. How many text messages do you send in a day?

Average number of texts a day:
Boys ages 9-10: 3
Boys ages 11-13: 11
Girls ages 9-10: 4
Girls ages 11-13: 24

Power Words

source (noun): a person that supplies information

state (noun): the condition of something or someone

Think

What grade would you give the President? Why might that change during his next three years in office?

More Information

37% of kids say the person they look up to most in the world is their mother.

Nine out of 10 kids think there will be a female President in their lifetime.

Almost all kids agree that it is not okay to text in class or at the dinner table.

To see TFK readers' advice for President Obama, go to timeforkids.com/kidsview.

To take the survey and see how your answers compare, go to kidshealth.org/timeforkids

Quotes

"I don't want my family or any other family to have to worry about unemployment."
-Kristi, 11, Hartland, Wisconsin

"We have one Earth, and it's our job to keep it healthy."
-Becky, 9, Brookline, Massachusetts

"Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, and so do I. My dream is for world peace."
-Ethan, 9, Oakes, North Dakota

The survey was conducted online by C&R Research in December, 2009, among a sample of 1,004 U.S. children ages 9-13. The sample was balanced and weighted to match 2007 U.S. Census figures for online households with children. The survey has a margin of error no worse than +/- 3.2%.

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