One of the primary purposes of school is to prepare young people so that they are “ready for the world.” When someone or something is ready, then they are fully prepared for any action, circumstance, or operation. Currently there are roughly 700,000 personnel and employees that make up the United States Navy. Out of that number only 6% attain membership into an elite group known as the “Navy Seals.” To become a Navy Seal there is an immense amount of training, but it is not intended to get you in shape. In order to apply for the program, an individual already has to be in premium condition. Seal Training is designed to push you beyond your perceived personal capabilities as it prepares you for extreme physical and mental conditions that can be experiences on a mission. The exact regiments are not shared with the public, but the process takes over 20 months and takes place over land, sea, and air.
Recently a retired service man was sharing how he was training in conditions that were extremely uncomfortable for him. He stated how they experienced days of rain, and low temperatures. One day while shivering, and almost falling victim to low morale he glanced over at a group of men from an elite force and they were carrying on with their daily ritual as if they were not phased. They did not show any signs of discomfort or pain. They were not dressed in thick layers of garments or wrapped in bundles of cloth. These elite men were dressed in Gore-Tex suits which are wind-proof, water-proof, durable, and breathable which allowed them to maintain the appropriate body temperature in a wide range of conditions. Navy Seals have acquired skill sets that have distinguished them from the other armed forces and their methods allow them to conduct missions against targets that other forces cannot do without exposure. The missions of Navy Seals include ridding the globe of pirates, war criminals, terrorists, conducting hostage rescue missions, and assassinating criminal masterminds like Osama bin Laden. These quick highlights are just a glance at what it takes, and the sacrifices individuals go through to become Navy Seals, however once the feat is accomplished, what is produced as a result has a value that far outweighs it all!
Modern-day philosopher Dr. Eric Thomas led a campaign titled “Stay Ready” in which the simple title yielded complex and major outcomes. To be successful in anything, preparation is key, so as Educators that is a skill-set that we should all communicate to our students. When you “stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” Recall the elite soldiers mentioned earlier. In preparation for any weather condition, they were dressed in Gore-Tex suits. Also, in order for a small group of men to penetrate a heavily guarded fortress in minutes on foreign soil to “take out” the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, they spent years allowing their mental and physical capacities to be pushed to the limit. In the classroom Educators automatically assume the role of an elite force. Years and thousands of dollars are spent in preparation for your role in the school setting, and once you are on “active duty” experiences will be encountered that you still were not expecting. When those experiences or challenges come, that is when your training kicks in. Sometimes, like member of elite armed forces, you must be able to apply your skill set to a new situation or develop a new skill for a new problem in real time! Even when the Navy Seals conducted the May 2011 raid on Bin Laden one of the specially equipped Black Hawk Helicopters crashed at the start of the mission. That aircraft carried individuals and equipment that was intended for mission use, but the Seals on the other Black Hawk knew that they had to continue the mission with the materials they had. Each member of the team started the mission prepared to complete it, but willing to give their all even if it resulted with their life. Now the classroom is not exactly a warzone, however what sacrifices have you made or are willing to make in your development to become the individual needed for the success of the mission? Student achievement is the mission’s focus, so no matter what the opposition, failure is not an option and excellence is the standard! You are trained, conditioned, and met all the requirements to now serve as a premier candidate of an elite scholastic force of known as Next Level Educators!
The Jeremy Anderson Group