Meeting the Challenges of EFA 2015

By Gilbert M. Forbes

Five and a half years to go and its 2015, the deadline for EFA of which the Philippines is a signatory. Currently however, data shows that there are around six million Filipinos who have not been to school given the participation rate of only 85.12% in elementary as against the target rate of 90% and 60.74% in secondary against 70% target as of SY 2010-2011. Target learners stood at around sixteen milion while around 13 million students are in danger of going back to illiteracy (Miguel and Barsaga 2000). Considerably, records also say that a staggering 86% and 83% of children from both the primary and intermediate grades have no reading comprehension skills.

This is the face of our country’s education. Nevertheless is the main challenge of reaching all target learners and attending to the needs of the underserved who are or could have been in school but were not able to make them functionally literate.

The education department in this regard have put in placed various programs in response to the challenges of EFA. Some of these are the literacy programs and the A and E equivalency program of the Alternative Learning System formerly Non-Formal Education, Multi-lingual Education (MLE), and inclusive education program. These programs must be utilized to the fullest.

Harnessing the Alternative Learning System

Alternative Learning System should be strengthened by setting quality standards and targets among its personnel particularly Alternative Learning System Coordinators. One way is to require them to have at least both literacy and A & E equivalency programs in all districts to reach all target learners under the close supervision of the district supervisors and the principal where the ALS Coordinator belongs. Failure to achieve given targets would mean immediate replacement. Currently, except those who regard ALS Program with much passion and esteem, many just appear to be a bane particularly in schools where they belong because they are included in the SREA, included in the teacher-pupil ratio but have the privilege of not having teaching loads even when their respective ALS programs are not just enough to cover their expected daily work load.

This could however be prevented by establishing strict selection standards and mechanisms for would be ALS Coordinators giving wait to their passion, eagerness, and dedication towards public service for the common good. Monitoring, data-driven performance evaluation and assessment systems are suggested to be put in place to identify both performing and non-performing coordinators. Well-articulated guidelines in this regard need to be formulated to include the manual of operation and hiring and appointment guidelines.

Currently, ALS Coordinator positions are filled-in by just anybody with almost no criteria at all. Many apply not because of understanding the need, the magnitude and significance of the role and its importance to the less fortunate segments of the society and of service but to be free from the rigors of regular classroom teaching.

ALS Program however is beyond any regular education program as it name implies.

Strengthening Inclusive Education Program

Inclusive education need to be strengthened by training enough special education teachers for both the gifted and especial children and adults. Currently, there is a serious dearth of Special Education (SPED) Teachers in the country. There are provinces and even hundreds of districts which don’t have even a single SPED teacher and SPED Programs for that matter. Many which already have such a program just have found themselves none when their trained SPED teachers are
either promoted or migrated to the US and other first world countries where the demand for special education teachers are definitely high just like ours.

This is one of the challenges that DepEd and Commission on Education in partnerships with other government agencies should consider. At present SPED as teaching specialisation are only available in selected and very few state universities classified as centers of excellence. DepEd in partnership with CHED must expand SPED as one of the specializations to choose from in each region and province either through consortium with existing TEI’s already offering the discipline to other SUC’s offering teacher education not only to meet local demand but even foreign demand as well. With the program, SPED
teacher applicants would be made available establishing an atmosphere of competitiveness. Inclusive education program therefore would be universal.

Other than making SPED teachers available, a system of identifying special children should be established nation wide for there’s no such a system yet. Having the system working, identified gifted learners and special children usually very few could be grouped as a multi-grade class. It is seen as very interesting, challenging and promising.

Harnessing Multigrade Education Program

Multigrade education could not only be the answer in establishing complete elementary schools when number of enrolment is not enough to establish a regular single-grade classes but also in establishing SPED classes for the gifted and special children in single-grade complete elementary schools where their numbers just like in regular classes is not enough for a regular class.

In many instances, even in central elementary schools, there are just not enough fast learners and gifted children so fast learner classes aren’t organized and so, end up included in regular group of students.

But before going beyond the usual but promising practice of multi-level or multigrade grouping proven effective by countless studies both local and abroad, current problems confronting multigrade teachers and schools must be addressed first. These hindrances usually pertains to the difficulty and lack of know-how in lesson planning, classroom management and practice, multigrade instructional materials, equipments, salary and fringe benefits, pre-service and service trainings, etc.

Requiring teachers to stay for at least two years upon their appointment as multigrade teacher is not enough. Even in regular classes, teachers will take three to five years before he or she can establish full connection, grasp, understanding and professional expertise in his chosen profession. But how could existing multigrade teachers stay beyond two years even without a DepEd ruling?

The answer is simple. The government must give due considerations to multigrade teachers by adjusting their salary commensurate to the difficulties in handling multigrade classes just like in other countries as well as providing multigrade schools with necessary materials to make teaching learning productive and effective.


Increasing Participation through Synergy

For quite a long time, school managers are doing their share to increase participation rate in response to DepEd mandate following EFA thrust. They are doing this by decreasing and increasing performance indicators e.g., drop out rate, graduation rate, transition rate, survival rate, retention rate, etc. None or very few however are engage or doing beyond the usual thing, that is reaching the target learners.

Possibly, a better way that will uplift current participation rate taking seriously EFA 2015 is the assistance that local government units from the community to municipal level could do. LGU’s assistance could be sought for data relative to the actual number of school age population and comparing it to the actual number who are in school and those who are not and helping them go to school. LGU’s must come to realize that looking for the missing sheep, the authentic marginalize sectors and highly vulnerable component of the society, should be the primary concern and focus of their education related programs as a proof that
education is at the top of their agenda. If necessary, to ensure that school-age populace shall be educated, the rule of law as stipulated in our constitution and other legislations must be implemented even if it will mean putting some or many behind bars.

Socializing educational grants to equalize opportunities among LGU’s through the DILG must be established so that everybody most especially the most in-need will still have a share. At present, it is very sad to note that hundreds of millions are spent by rich cities and municipalities to education related programs all leaning to populist stance. These LGU’s are supporting unnecessary educational grants e.g., free school uniforms and supplies to their constituents without following socialized scheme plus unplanned IT support systems, air-conditioned school administration buildings and even classrooms while students and teachers in far flung areas just console themselves in the relative refreshing shade of mango trees during summer season or take patience under leaking and typhoon damaged buildings during rainy season. Thus, social inequalities are just made larger than life by these situations even in local governance and education.


Conclusion

The significance of education as the greatest social equalizer as well as the immediate answer to the many social problems of the country and of the society couldn’t be ignored. Public officials therefore recognizing this fact should work very hard in ensuring that all target learners will be served. Current local spending relative to education and other unnecessary purchases must be reviewed and if necessary, limitations be established to include depressed localities.

This could be done by a legislation that will consider equal distribution of special education fund to all school age population.

Collateral Damage

By:  Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon, CALABARZON

DepEd’s program towards Education for All is remarkable. Among others is the highly recognize A&E equivalency test under the Alternative Learning System formerly Non-Formal Education but the current policy on no collection must be reviewed, or revised following a socialized scheme in partnership with the DSWD-PSWD-MSWD and LGU’s.

The said order accordingly is aimed at freeing the parents from hidden and indirect costs that prevent them from sending their children to school and in fact one of the causes of drop-outs among students.

At first glance, it is too good to be true but wasn’t studied carefully beneath the fact that DepEd is also soliciting strong support from the parents aside from the private sector. For the rich cities and municipalities and financially independent schools, zero collection could be applicable but to schools in fifth class municipalities without MOOE and receives not enough support from their LGU and private sector either, it is hurting.

For where in heaven sake will these schools get funds to pay for their electric bills, print and reproduce test papers from school level up to the district level, reproduce their instructional materials—from the teachers or school heads pocket? The media repeatedly announced supported by interviews from the central office and regional directors in their swivel chairs and airconditioned offices who have not even thought of the flight of the poor teachers in the remote communities of the country. These teachers who have constantly rallied support from the parents and the community and have successfully convinced them to finance these things are now put hanging. While other parents still understand and recognize these realities those who don’t have threatened teachers and school heads that they will be reported to DepEd. Many have already been reprimanded and castigated while others are brought to trial.

Since the time of the late Sec. Roco when this guideline was first issued, irresponsible and malingering parents have totally withdrawn their financial support from their schools. Good if these parents (indirect tax-payers) really belong to marginalized and indigent group, but they are not. They could pay for their vices but not the vices of education.

Where could we get then the Todo-todong Suporta, as Sec. Jesli Lapus wants from every sector of the society then? This guideline must be reviewed to apply the socialized scheme. Only those who can’t really pay as certified by DSWD should be included in the guideline and not those who can.

It is understandable that DepEd is maintaining a positive image among the public but not to the detriment of its lifeblood and heart—the teachers. Teachers and schools in deprived areas must not further be deprived and put as collateral damage.

Kung Mangarap Man at Magising

By Gilbert M. Forbes
 
Muli, pansamantalang tumigil ang inog ng mundo ng sambayanang Pilipino sa panahon ng laban ni Manny Pacquiao. Bawat isa’y kinabahan. Bawat isa’y umaasam ng panalo ng kanilang idolo. Pansamantalang nalimutan ng lahat ang kanilang mga alalahanin. Muli, nabuklod ang sambayanan, tumigil ang bangayan.Nakita natin na puwede palang maisantabi ang mga walang katuturang away at di-pagkakasundo. Sabi nga ng ilan, sana lagi raw may laban si Pacman para laging nagkakaisa ang sambayanang Pilipino.

Nakita rin ang kakaibang kakayahan ng ating lahi na palutangin ang husay sa mundo. Na kayang-kaya nating magtagumpay sa iba’t-ibang larangan. Ang tanging sandata’y tiyaga, tibay ng dibdib at determinasyong makamit ang minimithi. Puwede naman talaga. Pero nakalulungkot isipin na ang dali nating maki-angkas sa tagumpay ng iba pero ang tagal nating matuto. Ewan ko pero sadyang nakapagtataka lang. Sadya nga bang kailangan pa natin ng idolo, ng modelo at ng tinitingala.

Magkaganun pa man, kung ang kailangan nati’y idolo at modelo ay marami d’yan. Maaaring malapit lang sa atin. Nasasa ating mga pamayanan. Mga kuwento ng buhay na kapupulutan ng inspirasyon at lakas ng loob. Marahil, ito ang kailangan natin ngayon, ang inspirasyon. Inspirasyon para tayo ay mangarap. Madali lang ang mangarap. Ito ay libre. At mula sa mga mumunti o malalaking pangarap na ito ay maaari tayong kumilos at magsimulang magsikap upang ito ay abutin. Sapagkat halos lahat ng kuwento ng tagumpay ay nagsimula sa isang pangarap. Pangarap na pinagsikapang abutin gaano man ito kahirap o katagal.

May mga pangarap na madali lamang na nakamtan. Ang ilan ay biglaan. Meron namang matagal at merong ‘di nagkaroon ng katuparan. Pero ang mahalaga sa lahat ng ito ay nangarap tayo at pinagsikapan nating ito ay abutin sapagkat ang pinakamasakit sa lahat ay ang mangarap at magising ng walang anumang nangyari sa lahat ng ating ninanais sapagkat wala tayong ginawa.

Ikaw, may pangarap ka ba? Aba’y kilos na at magsimula.

Pamilya Tayo, Alala N’yo?

By Gilbert M. Forbes
 
“Sakit ng kalingkingan, ramdam ng buong katawan,” ayon nga sa kasabihan. Totoo ito sa mga nangyayari sa ating bansa ngayon. Pero alam n’yo ba na marami sa mga suliraning ito ay nakaugat sa pamilyang Pinoy? Ang mga negatibong pagpapahalaga tulad ng corruption, nepotismo o kamag-anak incorporated at palakasan, pandaraya, apathy o kawalang pakialam at pagpapahalaga sa kapwa, lahat ng ito ay may malaking koneksyon sa pamilyang Pinoy.

Pero pano ito nangyari? Narito ang ilang mga konkretong halimbawa: Sa larangan ng corruption, ito ay nangyayari dahil sa maling pagbibigay ng anumang insentibo bilang kapalit sa pabor, gawaing natapos o tagumpay ng isang bata ay magdudulot ng maling pagpapahalaga pagdating ng panahon. Hal. Iyo na ang sukli o ibibili kita ng bisikleta kapag naging mataas ang marka o naging first honors ka. Ang nepotismo naman ay ang pagbibigay ng pabor sa mga kadugo lalo na kung ang posisyong pinag-uusapan ay posisyon sa pamahalaan. Maliwanag ito sa panahon ngayon kung saan halos magkakamag-anak na ang nakaposisyon sa pamahalaan na pinapayagan naman ng nakararami. Ang kawalang pakialam naman ay maliwanag ring nagsisimula sa pamilya. Pangkaraniwan ng kasabihan ang ganito, ah basta’t pamilya ko ang makikinabang, ok lang. O kaya’y ganito. “Para sa pamilya kaya ko ginagawa ang mga ito.” KANYA-KANYA DAHIL SA KANI-KANILANG PAMILYA!!!!!

Sa pangkalahatan, ano kaya ang kabuluhan ng lahat ng ito? Ituring na lamang na ang pamilya ang pangunahing yunit ng ating lipunan? Maliwanag na ang nangyayari sa ating bansa ngayon ay mukha lamang o isang higanteng larawan lamang ng pamilyang Pilipino.

Napapanahon na para palawakin ang pananaw na nagbubuklod sa pamilya patungo sa pamayanan. Ang mga konseptong inilalarawan halimbawa ng ‘tapat ko linis ko,’ vs ‘tapat namin pananagutan namin,’—alalaong bagay mas pinalawak na pagkakapatirang tunay. Pagpapahalagang malinaw sa ating lahi bago pa man ang panahon ng kolonyalismo. Ito ang pakikisangkot hindi panghihimasok. Pagtutulungan at bayanihan hindi kanyahan. Pag-uunawaan hindi inggitan sapagkat ang tagumpay ng isa ay tagumpay ng lahat, ang pag-unlad ng isa karamay na ang lahat.

Puwede na natin itong simulan sa ngayon. Una sa ating pamayanan. O di ba, Pamilya tayo, alala n’yo?

Bread is What We Need

By:  Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd QUEZON CALABARZON

There is no need for such a law for it will only further jeopardized already troubled bilingual education in the country. Dep Ed has already released guidelines pertaining to the use of the mother-tongue in grade one or in the initial grade in recognition of various studies which emphasized that children learn best utilizing their first language or their mother tongue (DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2006)

If another purpose is to intellectualize Filipino as the national language, the law if passed could be missing the point. The fact that linguist experts don't agree with the proposed bill only means that it is really insignificant. What we really need is the total review and improvement in the current teaching practice of teachers. Instead of another law which will only complicate the already complicated educational arena, law makers must pass law that will increase teachers' salary to encourage good teachers to stay and motivate talented and gifted students to take education. Long overdue hazard pays to teachers particularly multi-grade teachers must be released to them instead of getting rotten in papers. There should be budget for their training seminars from national level down the district and even school level plus per diem and honorarium.

 At present, teachers are the one paying for their trainings and seminars costing them from Php1,200.00 to Php5,000.00- -making the already marginalize, poor and helpless teachers the milking cows of training providers some of which are even division supervisors! More often than not, these teachers only attend trainings to follow their superior's wishes and so, even there are thousands of trainings being held yearly, it contributes very little effect towards academic improvement of learners or even none at all. Even when their is a very good training coming from the national level, the cascading effect, dilute its substance and importance when it reach the district and school level. This is a sad story when politicians are pretending to be a thinker, a scholar, a specialist and an expert when what really matter is publicity. Worst, when the truth is, they don't know what they are doing.

Until when will they realize that what we need is bread!

US President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Speech

The foregoing speech is inspiring and worthy of reading. One could reflect on it even use it as a reference later.

Fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it).”

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.