Talking to teachers since the election, I've been struck by the need to frame Obama to students as a "both-and" figure along various dimensions.

On the one hand, his life path represents the need for hope -- the deep need to remain optimistic about one's future, and the necessity of striving to achieve one's dreams. On the other hand, his life path also represents the need for adults to offer youth educational opportunities that they can seize. (And his platform represents the need for critical thinking about remaining inequality.)

On the one hand, he transcends simple race categories, and shows that they are too simple for complex people; on the other hand, he is also our first black president.

On the one hand, his election demonstrates that racism can be surmounted; on the other hand, the campaign demonstrated that racism is still around and must be actively counteracted.

Explicitly naming the various both-ands that Obama represents is perhaps particularly important. He allows us to ask all sorts of fantastic questions with our students. To me, the most invigorating question for young people is this: what sort of world do we want, and how will we all participate in creating it?