Employee Message Apr 21
Good afternoon, Faculty & Staff,
According to grammarist.com, an unsung hero is a person who has achieved great things or committed acts of bravery or self-sacrifice, yet is not celebrated or recognized. An unsung hero may be someone who acts bravely in battle without notice, or someone who sacrifices himself for the good of the group, without recognition. The earliest known use of the term unsung hero is in a children’s periodical published in the mid-1800s called Merry’s Museum & Parley’s Magazine. The idea that heroes should be celebrated in song goes back thousands of years. Many believe that the origin of the term unsung hero dates to the Greek poet Pindar, who celebrated the athletes in the Panhellenic festivals in a series of odes. In his work, Isthmian Odes, Pindar wrote: “Unsung, the noblest deed will die.”
An article entitled 5 Common Characteristics of Unsung Heroes by Justin Ooi T.Y. and Lim Lay Hsuan in LEADERONOMICS.COM suggests these characteristics of unsung heroes:
- Humility
- Empathy
- Committed to a cause
- Courage to do the right thing
- Consistent excellence and teamwork
While I really am not familiar with these authors, I do believe that these characteristics are seen across our community and among our employees. There are so many unsung heroes among us during these COVID-19 days. Many of these are our employees, our students, and our former students. Others are health care professionals, first responders, grocery store workers, food pantry volunteers, mask makers, and so many more. In preparation for converting from face to face to online instruction, there are many of you who took up the gauntlet and helped others. Those are some of the ones I am highlighting today when I interviewed the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Finally, if you have questions concerning COVID 19 and our response, please post a question to COVID19@mclennan.edu. We really do wish to hear from you.
Johnette McKown
President
McLennan Community College