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President Obama stressed his economic plans and touted his health care bill on Thursday as he concluded day one of his bus tour through the swing states of Ohio and Pennsylvania in Parma, Ohio. 

“Mr. Romney and his allies in Congress, they’ve got a particular view,” Obama said in reference to the Republican candidate’s take on the nation’s economy “They believe if we cut taxes, especially for the wealthiest Americans [through reductions in education, Medicaid and other programs], somehow all this is going to benefit you.”

The president also discussed the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of his health-care law. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done in getting this health care law passed,” he said.

Obama mentioned education several times throughout the speech, stressing the importance of hiring more teachers and supporting them with funding.

The sentiment resonated well with Donna Gilcher of Shaker Heights, Ohio, who teaches special education courses online.

“[Obama] supports innovation and bringing in new technologies and those kinds of activities into the classroom.”

Gilcher said being an online teacher, it’s sometimes difficult to reach students through traditional methods, especially if their parents are unresponsive. She believes Obama’s support of classroom ingenuity and advocacy of social media might ease that burden.

“I think he supports exploring new ways to teach kids through non-traditional means, because the tradition educational system is dead, so we need to move on,” she said.

Kiwi Szwaykowska, a neuroscience and psychology student at Baldwin Wallace University, said what inspires her the most about Obama is his persistence.

“Despite the fact that for three and a half years he’s just beat to the ground by his opponents, he’s still getting up and saying ‘Look, we really need to do what’s right,’ and I can’t help but support that,” she said.

And Dion Jackson of East Cleveland said he believes the president’s recent support of same-sex marriage will give him a huge boost at the polls.

Obama will conclude his two-day tour today with stops in Boardman, Ohio, and Poland, Ohio, before holding on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. 

This article was also published as part of The 12, a collaborative effort of student journalists for The Washington Post. Contact Justin Lagore at [email protected].