The Virtue of Courage by Daphne A.

At the end of each school year, fifth graders at Archway Glendale are asked to write a speech about one of the nine virtues they have learned during their elementary education at Great Hearts. Today, we will explore the virtue of Courage as written by rising sixth grader, Daphne A.

Hello. My name is Daphne, and I will be speaking to you about the virtue Courage. Courage is choosing to do something even though you are afraid. But what drives a person to be courageous? What drives us to stand up for ourselves, to explore the next thing, or to speak out? I think courage is something we all have within us and something we can learn to have more of. I’ve learned a lot about courage in literature, history and from my fellow classmates at Archway Glendale.

In the book Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt, 10-year-old Jethro shows courage by speaking up for what he believes to be right. Jethro has brothers fighting on both sides during the Civil War. He is confronted about the choices of one of his brothers when he is alone in town. Jethro stands up to grown men even though he is afraid for himself and his family. Jethro found courage because he loved his brother.

In our Westward Expansion unit, we learned that Lewis and Clark courageously traveled over two years and nearly 8,000 miles to explore the land and people west of the Mississippi. They bravely left their families and dealt with harsh conditions. They faced bear attacks, mosquito infestations, hunger, and the possibility of being sucked down waterfalls. Why would anybody do that? I think it must have been curiosity, the drive to explore, the drive to see what is around the next bend or that far off mountain.

Here at Archway Glendale, in our seminars, I see people being courageous when they choose to speak or give their thoughts. It is hard to speak in a seminar because when you do, you are sharing a little bit of yourself. And when you share a little bit of yourself, it is easy to be afraid of what others might think. But we choose to speak anyway because our wonderful teachers have instilled in us the thought of being better human beings. We have learned that if we have the courage to do hard things, we can do great things.

Courage is one of the virtues we practice at Archway Glendale. Sometimes it is hard to have courage, but if we accept the challenge, it will be easier to overcome. I hope we will all have the courage to accept the challenges coming our way at Glendale Prep. I am looking forward to learning what drives each of us to do hard things. I know that with courage we can do great things at Glendale Prep.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.