In 9th grade, Maeser students read Homer’s great epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. Today, while discussing book 9 of The Iliad with my students, we paused on a section of the text where we usually discuss Homer’s idea of what a hero is. The conversation with students led to the following realization.
From the earliest times, society has granted a special place to those who have been able to speak effectively and also accomplish great tasks. In Homer’s Iliad, the fountainhead of so much of Western thought and ideals, the great Greek warrior Achilles is reminded by his mentor of the heroic ideal to be a “speaker of words and doer of deeds” (9.455, Lombardo translation). For Achilles and the heroes who accompanied him to Troy, their foremost concern was achieving glory, and the two prominent arenas for doing so were in council and in combat. A Homeric hero was both an orator and a warrior, capable of persuading others to understand his viewpoint as well as excelling in the actual, literal implementation of those ideas on the battlefield.
At Maeser, we strive to help students be both speakers of words and doers of deeds! Our mission statement enshrines the concept that Maeser students should be able to communicate effectively and that they should better themselves and their community. To engage in the important discussions of today and future days, students must be able to communicate effectively with others. They must be able to engage in the exploration of principles and back-and-forth of ideas. While effective communication is necessary, it is not sufficient. It is not enough to simply complain about problems and brainstorm potential solutions. They must also be courageous enough to take action to defend and promote what is right. Bettering themselves and their community requires focused, consistent effort over time. Maeser students don’t find themselves camped outside the walls of Troy, but in their efforts to be speakers of words and doers of deeds, they follow in heroic footsteps.