Veterans enrich learning at St. Timothy’s School in Raleigh
by TIM TINNESZ | photos courtesy of ST. TIMOTHY’S SCHOOL
As essential and as committed as skilled classroom teachers are for any child’s education, we know there are powerfully impactful and enduring lessons we can learn from “non-traditional” teachers outside of our classroom spaces, too.
In my school community, one such learning moment comes each year when we welcome dozens of veterans to campus for our Veterans Day celebration. The veterans who join us are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and family friends, representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces—except (for now!) the U.S. Space Force, as one of our students astutely noted last year.
At an opening reception with veterans and their related students, Army and Navy veterans sit together and tell good-natured jokes about the differences between the two branches. An Air Force veteran and a student compare the student’s g-force experience on a roller coaster with the pilot’s experience in a fighter jet. A Coast Guard veteran describes racing against time to contain an oil spill. A younger student sits captivated by a Marine veteran telling stories of seemingly impossible things he had to do in basic training.
No matter what wonderful, carefully planned lessons may be happening anywhere else that morning, I can imagine nothing more impactful for everyone present than those 30 minutes in our dining hall.
Students at St. Timothy’s School honor military veterans as patriotic music plays. Each November, the school welcomes former service members to share their stories.
Next, at a full-school assembly, our guests parade in to sustained cheering from our students. Each veteran introduces himself or herself and briefly shares their experience in service. Once, in introducing himself to the school, a grandparent became overwhelmed with emotion due to our cheers and applause—because, he explained to us all, his Army veteran father regularly received such a celebration after returning from World War II, but until that morning with our students, he had never experienced anything similar following his time in Vietnam.
Another unforgettable moment came when we met a great-grandmother who served as an Army nurse in World War II. Standing before all of our students, and wearing her uniform from more than 70 years earlier, she talked about being in nursing school when Pearl Harbor was attacked, her decision to enlist and being present at D-Day—stepping outside of the medical tent and looking up, barely able to see the sky because of all of the planes in the air.
Our veterans give us firsthand lessons in history, geography, science and much more. However, I believe the most powerful lessons come not from the stories they tell, but rather from the examples these veterans set. At a moment’s notice, they went anywhere they were told they were needed, away from the comforts of home, leaving behind the people they love the most, missing birthdays and Christmases, sometimes putting themselves in harm’s way. Our veterans—and our active duty service members, as well—make these sacrifices for the benefit and well-being of us all.
At a time when our social media feeds and news headlines might tempt us to forget, our veterans offer a deeply powerful reminder of our capacity for courage, selflessness and sacrifice. In the “era of the selfie,” we are reminded there is a common good worth pursuing beyond just that which may be best for me, alone, in this moment. They offer us all inspiration in ways that few other examples and lessons can. While our textbooks and classrooms are certainly important, we’d all do well to seize every opportunity our children are given to learn from, to thank and to celebrate our veterans. We—and they—are all the better for it.
At last year’s Veterans Day celebration, Pastor Pat McCain reflected on his Air Force service and highlighted the importance of giving back.
Tim Tinnesz has dedicated over two decades to serving children and families as a volunteer, teacher and community leader. Since 2012, he has served as Head of School at St. Timothy’s, an Episcopal school committed to academic excellence and instilling the knowledge, skills and values for a life of purpose.
Tim’s commitment to leadership and service includes ongoing active participation on Southern Association of Independent Schools reaccreditation teams, two terms on the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools Board of Directors and current service on the Triangle Day School Board of Trustees. He also served as board chair of the Triangle area nonprofit Note in the Pocket and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Crabtree.