HANKINSON - Tribal officials say time will tell whether Bill Cosby made an impact on children from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Indian Reservation. But his message was clear, said Tribal Councilman Ronald DuMarce.

"If you want to be somebody, you've got to go through the schools," DuMarce said. "They hear it from us on an everyday occasion, but it's another thing to have a well-known celebrity like Mr. Cosby address it."

A group of about 200 children gathered in the convention center of the Dakota Magic Casino on Sunday, an hour before Cosby performed the first of two shows. He agreed to speak to the children after a request by tribal leaders.

The students sat near the stage of the large arena; parents were relegated to the back of the room. They saw Cosby as few have seen him, dressed in sweat pants, sweat shirt, baseball cap and sandals.

The students were quick to get involved in the lecture.

"How do you guys feel about school?" was Cosby's first question.

Some of the students yelled out "boring," which earned them a spot on stage next to Cosby. The comedian asked them to explain why they didn't like school, then appeared unconvinced by the answers.

"So far nobody has given me a good reason why school is boring," Cosby said.

When some of the students said they did not like school because of the work, Cosby playfully wrestled with them.

"Do you have a father?" Cosby asked. "What's he do? He works. Why does he go to work? To get money. For who? Who's begging all the time?"

Cosby's humor kept the kids interested in his speech, DuMarce said.

"He can take a quiet crowd of kids and turn it into quite an entertaining event," DuMarce said. "That's all part of his influence."

The event started with five high school students from the reservation presenting Cosby with a tribal quilt. One by one he asked the students about their plans for the future.

Cosby made a quick point by doing that, said Bill Lone Fight, president of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal College.

"That's a very powerful thing, especially for our young people, to be asked what are you going to do," Lone Fight said. "And he's saying, 'I want you to state that publicly, in front of all of your relatives, and we're all family here.'"

Cosby, who met with officials of the public and tribal schools before talking to the children, told the students he had "cut a deal" with the teachers.

"I have been talking to the people who have been running the school system here, and they are going to bear down even harder on you," Cosby said. "And guess what? The harder you work, the longer the recess."

Gordie Robertson, home school coordinator in the Sisseton public schools, was among the officials who met with Cosby before the show. Robertson said the comedian convinced him that kids need more nurturing.

"I would hope his message makes a difference, but I think anything takes time," Robertson said. "I think we as adults have to start learning that, too. Rome wasn't built in a day."