First Lady Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is an inspiring figure in our nation's history. She is the first African-American First Lady being the wife of our 44th President, Barack Obama. I remember many lessons of the Presidents of the United States when I was in school but I do not recall a meaningful lesson on any of the First Ladies. Even though Michelle Obama identifies herself first as the mother of her daughters, Sasha and Malia, she has studied at Princeton and is a graduate of Harvard Law. She has also held high profile jobs for Chicago City Hall and The University of Chicago. Today, Michelle Obama focuses on current social issues making her a valuable figure to introduce in the classroom. I believe it is important to highlight inspirational figures in the classroom. With the Let's Move! Campaign, Obama fights childhood obesity by promoting exercise and eating healthier food. This is an easy segue into both physical education and health education. Michelle Obama also started the first vegetable garden on the White House's South Lawn since Eleanor Roosevelt. This garden and the accompanying book can inspire your own school's garden project. This lesson can be used as a jumping-off point to investigate the First Ladies in our history. After this lesson, students can each select a First Lady to research and present their finding to the class. This lesson can also be used to encourage healthier habits in your students both inside and outside your classroom.

Who is Michelle Obama?

Michelle Obama is more than our 44th First Lady. She is a mom, a lawyer, an advocate for military families and a proponent of the Let's Move! campaign: a fight against childhood obesity.

Michelle Obama Bio

A short biography giving Michelle Obama's education and work background and how she met her husband and our current president, Barack Obama.

On the Campaign Trail

At first, Michelle was reluctant to support her husband's run for the presidency, she has since quit her job in support of her husband's dream. As seen in this photo from February 2008, Michelle is on the move backing her husband during his first run for President.

Inauguration

Inauguration Day: January 20, 2009. Michelle Obama supports her husband as our 44th President of the United States.

A picture of the crowd during inauguration: a monumental event with an estimated 1.8 million people in attendance!

The First Family

Smithsonian's American History Museum

This is a behind the scenes video on the Smithsonian's First Ladies exhibition. Michelle Obama donated the gown she wore on Barack's inauguration. I happened to be working at the American History Museum at this time and I remember my co-workers and visitors being so excited to view this gorgeous dress designed by Jason Wu.