There Go My Heroes

The heroes are everywhere in late March. They’re tossing in three-pointers en route to the Final Four. They’re filling the pages of baseball preview articles on the long road to Opening Day. They’re scoring third-period goals in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. And they’re finishing the fourth quarter strong in preparation for the NBA Playoffs.

Heroes. We use that term a lot in sports. Ever since the sportswriters and radio broadcasters began telling us about the exploits of Babe Ruth, Joe Louis and Jesse Owens, millions of Americans have dreamed of becoming the next great athlete. Very few of us make it to that hallowed place, but the dreams of getting there can help form the foundation of a childhood.

There comes a time, though, when most of us begin to expand our definition of “heroism” to include some of the people we’ve learned about in history class, as well as some individuals we see around us each day. Perhaps we include the firefighters who helped rescue someone we know. Maybe even the doctors who operated on our grandmother. Or, better yet, the parents who are with us each day in so many ways.

As my freshmen read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird this winter, we talked a lot about heroes. Students discussed the most impressive heroes they’d encountered in their 15 years of life so far, and I heard a lot about parents, siblings, aunts and uncles. When we finished the book, I asked the kids to write about the character they found to be the book’s truest hero. As they wrote their essays, more of the teens chose Atticus Finch than any other character. One of American literature’s best-known characters, Finch’s heroism lies in his ability to give fully of himself – both to the world around him and to the children he is raising.

As I reflect on – and grade – these essays, and as I sample some of the March Madness and baseball previews, I think about the heroes I’m seeing today. And as much as I’d like to tell you that the Butler Bulldogs or the Opening Day starters are my heroes, I’m looking in the same direction as my freshmen. I see heroes closer to home.

For one, I see my colleague Sara. This is Sara’s spring break, when she should be resting and taking some time to gear up for labs and lessons she’s got to teach. But Sara is actually in Haiti this week. Thanks to the support of some extraordinary colleagues and students, Sara was able to hop a flight to the earthquake-ravaged nation this week and is helping in whatever ways she’s needed. Last I heard she was digging latrines and drainage ditches in a refugee camp.

Secondly, I see my friend Siobhan. After nine months of pregnancy and some 17 hours of labor, Siobhan gave birth to a gorgeous little girl a few days ago. Right now, Siobhan’s life is in its most intense period of adjustment. She’s finding the strength to raise another human being, and on far less sleep than she’s ever had in her life. But she and her husband couldn’t be doing any better if they tried – they’re as devoted as two parents can be, and their daughter is an enormously lucky little girl.

So Sara and Siobhan are two of my heroes in late March, 2010. They’re giving for a living right now, Atticus-style. You can watch someone snip a basketball net off a rim or spray champagne in a teammate’s face all the time. But you don’t always get to see someone change another’s life. I saw two such people this week. And when you looked into their eyes, you could see that gleam of pride.

They knew the definition. They knew, deep down, that they were embodying real heroism. It was just like my freshmen said – the great ones are all around us.