It is more important than ever today to reflect on the legacy of Nelson Mandela, a man who devoted his life to making the world a better place. In his 1964 speech from the docket, at the trial from which he was sentenced to life in prison, Mandela set a standard that many of us struggle to live up to:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Democracy. Freedom. Harmony. Equality. This is the type of idealism that I try bring to each day, even when turning on the news makes me wonder how much I can do as one person. When I first started teaching, like every first year educator, I saw it as my avenue to being an agent of change. Very quickly, I realized my limits, especially as a teacher in middle and high school grades – where you only get to see individual students for 45 to 90 minutes a day. The ‘things they carry’ when these young adults come into the classroom sometimes seem to be insurmountable burdens… and so I tried to listen and acknowledge how unfair life can be. Then I would assert, to the student as well as to myself, “I can’t control what goes on in the world, in the streets, even in the hallways of this school. What I can control is what happens inside of these four walls, when you enter this classroom. I am not going to waste your time; I am going to be the best teacher that I can be; I am going to treat you with respect; and I am going to teach you to fish.”
In his remarks today, President Obama asked us to support people who choose to build instead of destroy, in reference to the AIDS workers who lost their lives yesterday, and I think that basic idea is a takeaway that we can all work with. Whenever you are faced with a decision, try to make the healthy choice. Rather than focusing on what you cannot control, create order in the world that surrounds you. The U.N. and the Nelson Mandela Foundation ask that we devote 67 minutes to helping others today, Nelson Mandela International Day, in honor of the 67 years of service that Mandela devoted to humanity. Let’s say you were going to spend 67 minutes reading to or with a child/tween/teenager/peer; here are some inspirational titles that I would suggest to fill the time:
Nelson Mandela, by Kadir Nelson
The Friend, by Sarah Stewart and David Small
Glory Be, by Augusta Scattergood
The Last Runaway, by Tracy Chevalier
The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt and David Small
Up the Down Staircase, by Bel Kaufman
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
The Three Questions, by Jon J. Muth and Leo Tolstoy
The Sneetches and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss
The People Could Fly, by Virginia Hamilton, Diane Dillon and Leo Dillon
Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
Does My Head Look Big in This?, by Randa Abdel-Fattah
These are just the titles that first come to mind for me, books that I have read or that have come across my desk recently. If you can think of additional relevant titles that empower, promote a culture of peace, or teach dignity, then mention them in the comment section below. Thanks and take time to serve today!
