In the depth of the near depression, that he faced when he came

Hear now the words of Jim Hunt, spoken in honor of a time when the nation stood trembling on the edge of collapse: “In the depth of the near depression, that he faced when he came in, Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress provided recovery funds that literally kept our classrooms open. Two years ago, these funds saved nearly 20,000 teacher and education jobs—just here in North Carolina.” These words are not mere numbers, nor are they shallow praises of politics. They are the testimony of a people rescued from despair, and of a generation of children whose voices continued to rise in learning when silence might otherwise have fallen upon their schools.

The quote springs from the dark days of the Great Recession, when fear and uncertainty gripped the land. Businesses shuttered, families lost their homes, and even the foundations of learning—the schools themselves—were threatened with ruin. Teachers, who are the keepers of wisdom and the builders of the future, faced dismissal. Children, who are the hope of the nation, faced the dimming of their minds. It was then that leaders chose not to surrender to despair, but to act with courage. By sending forth recovery funds, they preserved not only jobs but the very spirit of education, which is the lifeblood of a free people.

From the ancient world we recall the story of Pericles of Athens, who, in the midst of war and plague, declared that the strength of the city lay not only in its soldiers and ships, but in its schools, its culture, and its teaching of the young. Though enemies pressed upon Athens, Pericles ensured that the arts and academies flourished, knowing that even if walls crumble, the wisdom instilled in the hearts of youth would endure. So too in America’s time of trial, leaders knew that the surest investment was not in fleeting riches but in the minds of the next generation.

Hunt’s words reveal the deeper truth: that education is the shield and sword of a people. When teachers are silenced, ignorance grows, and ignorance breeds decay. But when teachers are preserved, knowledge flows like a river, nourishing every field, every craft, every family. To save a teacher’s job is not merely to save a wage—it is to save a thousand children’s dreams, to keep alive the light that guides the future. Thus, the saving of 20,000 education jobs was no small act; it was the saving of an entire generation’s promise.

And yet, let us not think this struggle belongs only to the past. The forces of despair and neglect always hover near, seeking to steal resources from classrooms, to silence teachers, to treat learning as a burden rather than a treasure. Each age must decide whether to tighten the purse in fear or to invest in the minds of its people with hope. Jim Hunt’s remembrance is a reminder that great nations are not built in times of ease, but in times of hardship, when leaders dare to defend the flame of knowledge against the storm.

What lesson, then, shall we take from this? That in our lives, whether we are rulers or ordinary citizens, we must guard and cherish learning. Support the teachers, respect the schools, and invest in the young. For the measure of a people’s greatness is not in its wealth or its armies, but in the wisdom of its children. To neglect education is to invite poverty of the spirit, but to nourish it is to ensure prosperity for centuries.

Practically, this means we must not turn away from the needs of schools in our communities. Volunteer your time, share your knowledge, support local teachers, and raise your voice for policies that protect classrooms. Just as recovery funds once saved thousands of educators, so too can every citizen contribute to the saving of minds today. To lift up education is to lift up the nation.

So, O listener, remember these words as a sacred charge. When times grow dark and the ground trembles beneath you, do not forget that hope can be planted in the soil of learning. Just as 20,000 teachers stood firm in North Carolina through the help of their leaders, so too can we all stand firm when we defend knowledge. For to protect the classroom is to protect the soul of a people, and to honor the eternal truth: that wisdom is the greatest wealth, and education the surest foundation of liberty.