Malala Yousafzai was speaking out for girls’ education at age 11, survived an assassination attempt at 15 and, at 17, became the youngest person to win a Nobel Prize.

My friend, Gail, takes 3rd graders on a tough hike during the first week of school. They whine and complain, but they always survive. Through the rest of the year, when learning gets tough, she reminds them that they are superheroes who can do hard things.

I recently read about a kindergartner who had to wear a mask all last year. He says you get used to them after a while and don’t even notice when they are on.

This school year is going to be rough. Whether kids are learning from home, or in a classroom, they will need to do things in different ways. At home they are going to have to embrace online learning. At school, they will need to wear masks and try to stay physically distanced from teachers, classmates and others.

But, kids can do hard things. We build strength in our children when we encourage them to step up to a challenge, and psychologists support the positive outcomes of kids trying new and difficult skills. In teacher-speak this is called having high expectations, and research consistently shows that when we have high expectations, students rise to the occasion.

I don’t know if schools should open, and I can’t decide what you should do. There are no answers that work well for all children, families and teachers. Whichever option you go with, it is going to be difficult. But, instead of deciding it’s an impossible situation, and predicting a bad outcome, let’s enlist the kids to make it a success.

If children and youth are valued as part of the army we need to fight this pandemic, they will be able to do their part. We need everyone to help in this battle, and we shouldn’t underestimate the strength of our young warriors.

Children have long been a valuable resource in difficult circumstances. In times of war, they have been an asset on the home front and have even served on frontlines. In various life situations, children have worked to educate themselves when that was their only avenue to learning. When necessary, they have helped with family finances and have even stepped up as surrogate parents to younger siblings. Children of the 21st century are no less capable than children of the past.

What do we need from our children in 2020? We need them to be cheerful and resolute when deprived of time with friends and freedom to do things that were common just a few months ago. We need them to study and learn without some of the engaging activities and strategies that can make learning fun. We need them to wear masks when necessary. We need them to help with younger siblings, or be willing to accept help from older siblings, when the grownups at home need to do their own work. We need them to be patient, flexible, and cooperative in this struggle with which we are all engaged.

How can we get the children to enlist and not just endure? The research about high expectations also shows that students are most likely to reach those expectations when they receive support from the important adults around them. This support comes through demonstrating our love, respect, and confidence in them, and providing information, encouragement, and skills training.

We need to let the kids know that we understand how hard this is and that we need their help. We need to share information and have age-appropriate discussions about the problem. Our explanations and discussions should include the idea that everyone needs to help fight the spread of the disease, continue to learn and grow, and work to keep everyone in the household productive and sane.

In addition to the above ideas, I would use examples of heroic kids of the past to get the family onboard. Listed in no particular order, here are some of their stories:

During World War I, British children raised money, salvaged scrap metal, worked on farms and in factories. Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, and Sea Scouts all had official volunteer duties.

In the United States, young Theodor Geisel, later known as Dr. Seuss, won a Boy Scout medal for his exemplary work selling WWI Liberty Loan bonds and war savings stamps.

It is well known that Abraham Lincoln was largely self-educated. The Encyclopedia Britannica has good info and images. Another site talks about Lincoln’s knowledge and use of the Bible, and another lists eight good habits of our 16th president.

Frederick Douglass, also worked hard to educate himself, at a time when it was illegal to do so. Chapters 6 and 7 of ”The Narrative of Frederick Douglass,” tell how he first began to learn the alphabet and the ingenious way he devised to become literate.

During World War II, children and youth helped in multiple ways: growing victory gardens, collecting scrap metal, rolling bandages with the Red Cross, buying War Bonds, and more. Whether or not you had money, rationing limited how much sugar, eggs, meat, gasoline or shoes you could buy.

During the 1918 flu pandemic, school was just canceled — no alternative options, though surely some continued reading on their own.

Youth stepped up for the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, risking arrest and physical harm in the Children’s Crusade, as they replaced adults who had been jailed, or parents who could not afford to miss work.

You can find other inspiring examples, including stories of children and youth who have already responded heroically to the difficulties of 2020.

We do our children a disservice by protecting them from the growth that comes with facing a challenge, even an arduous challenge that we wish they could avoid. This is not the first generation to face unexpected and unwelcome difficulties. Think of our grandparents and great grandparents, that group who were raised and came of age during the Great Depression and WWII. They rose to their challenge so well, they have since been called the Greatest Generation.

Today’s children have the same seeds of greatness. Let’s quit making excuses for them. Step aside and allow them to show us what they can do.