School Matters Wk of 09/13/21

In the summer of 1940, Great Britain was in peril. Nazi Germany had conquered 9 other nations and had nearly captured the British Army at Dunkirk. Primary resistance in France had collapsed and Germany was in control of Eastern Europe. The situation was dire in England, and there seemed to be little hope. One small island nation was standing alone against one of the most powerful and destructive armies that the world had ever witnessed.

Hitler realized that an amphibious attack on Great Britain would be costly. However, Hitler believed in the power of the Germany Luftwaffe. He ordered a series of bombing attacks on England which lasted approximately 3 months. At first, he focused on military targets but soon turned to bombing major cities. For 57 straight nights, the German Luftwaffe dropped 700 tons of bombs on English cities. The Battle for Britain claimed more than 40,000 lives. Over 70,000 buildings were destroyed and 1.7 million structures were damaged. Life was bleak in Great Britain over that summer, and there seemed to be little hope. The stress, pressure, constant threat, loss of love ones, loss of liberty, chaos, and uncertainty of the relentless bombing had to be tremendous. In theory, Britain was a beaten enemy, and its citizens had little chance.

History seems to indicate that a variety of factors allowed Great Britain to overcome the odds and be victorious. First, a small group of Royal Air Force pilots flew against the Luftwaffe and caused significant damage to the German air force. It was interesting to me that the average age of the RAF pilot was only 20 years old. Second, the nation had been hardened by years of struggle and pain. They possessed a resolute spirit which would not accept defeat. Third, the nation was fortunate to have an extraordinary leader in Winston Churchill. His positive attitude, bulldog mentality, tenacious personality, and relentless belief in the spirit of the British people helped give each citizen a sense of hope. Fourth, relief and supplies from the United States certainly helped to turn the tide of the war.

Although there were many factors to their success, I believe it was the spirit of the British people which allowed them to survive until America entered the war. Churchill’s words epitomized that spirit. Phrases such as “we shall not flag or fail”; “we will fight them on the beaches, the streets, hills…and we will never surrender”; “let us brace ourselves to our duty…. that if the British Empire…lasts for a thousand years, men will still say this was our finest hour.” There was no surrender in Churchill, and he envisioned a post-war Great Britain. He had a vision they would overcome their present struggle and future generations would be in awe of what they did.

Other civilizations throughout the history of the world have faced similar challenges. Some have been resilient and thrived - while others have struggled and faded from history. I have often wondered what some civilizations were successful and others were not. What was the common thread that allowed certain groups of people to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds while others were destroyed by the most insignificant challenges? I am relatively certain there was no one single factor, but I do think there are two important qualities that enable survival.

The first attribute was vision. People had to possess a belief that things were going to get better. They had to have a genuine belief the current struggle would end and there would be something better. This was not a superficial, or shallow belief, but it was deeply ingrained into their spirit. They could actually see the end of tribulations and experience a better world. This belief helped create courage and resolve to resist the current challenges and grow. This vision enabled the person to get up every day and fight the good fight. We have to be able to see a better world before we are actually willing to work for that world. Without a vision, there is no hope. Without hope, we have no reason to rise up in the morning, and we are defeated.

I think the other important attribute is grit. There are more sophisticated terms to describe this, but perhaps this simple term is the best way to identify it. Our father had left us, and my mother had to work three different jobs to raise her four children. She worked 7 days a week and often worked 12 to 14 hours a day. It was brutal, and she had no relief. She broke down at times, but she was never broken because she knew that her children needed her. She was the only thing we had, so she had to be strong. She called this work ethic called “grit.” My mother had grit, and she continued to work every day without complaint. The burdens of life can weigh us down and crush us - or we can rise to shoulder that burden. Successful civilizations did not look for others to help them, they did not wallow in their pity, and they did not constantly complain about how unfair life was. They simply got up each morning and did the work. They got up the next morning and did the work again. They kept getting up and doing the work. They had grit.

Currently, we are facing a host of difficult situations right now, and the virus has created a number of challenges from all Americans. The pandemic has taken loved ones, created uncertainty, created economic distress, and has stolen many of our liberties. This national disaster has not brought us together, but it has created greater chasms. The issues of masks, quarantines, and vaccines are enough to generate angry debates among us. Throughout our community, I sense that many individuals are tired and worn from the struggle. While we must acknowledge there is legitimate pain, we are not the first generation to experience such suffering. We need to keep each family within our community in our thoughts and prayers. Many are struggling with mental and physical health issues, and several are mourning the loss of loved ones. We need to constantly reach out to them and provide the necessary assistance to help them through these difficult times. However, this is not the time for retreat or surrender. This pandemic will eventually pass, and there will be a post-pandemic world. Future generations will judge us on our reaction to this pandemic. Will future generations see this as our finest hour, or will we be recognized for the a sense of defeat, our anger over policies, or the trivial social media posts we made?

Now, more than ever, is the time for vision and grit. We need to see a better future and possess the necessary work ethic to make it happen. Whether our job is a teacher, nurse, first responder, law enforcement, department store employee, industry worker, or the countless other jobs in our community – let us do our work. Most of us want things to return to normal and that will require us to do the work. Let us have the vision to see a better world and have the necessary grit to create it. There will not be heroes to save us. Nurses, teachers, first responders, restaurant workers are the heroes. It is us, ordinary people doing the work, who will be the heroes. It is my hope we can gain strength over the next several weeks and begin creating that sense of normalcy we all desire. There may not be a Churchill or a Roosevelt to speak words of encouragement, but we have each other. It is simple - we are our only hope. It is us. Not someone else but us. Let us do the work and have vision.

We are committed to providing that type of dedication and doing the work within the school system. Our number of active cases are beginning to stabilize, and we may see some type of normalcy. Thank you for your attention to this article, and remember, School Matters!