Nelson Mandela, former South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary, died on Thursday at age 95. He leaves behind a legacy of courageous leadership that will undoubtedly inspire generations to come.
"He achieved more than could be expected of any man," President Obama said in a statement shortly after Mandela's death. "Today he has gone home [...] He no longer belongs to us; he belongs to the ages."
See also: 11 Inspiring Moments to Remember Nelson Mandela
While world leaders address their nations on an international stage, how will teachers do the same with their students in the classroom this week? We asked a few how they'll share Mandela's story. Here's what they said.
Diane Christian, 11th and 12th grades, Englewood, N.J.
Christian, who teaches America in the Civil Rights Era at Dwight-Englewood School, said she'll tie in her remarks about Mandela to the lessons she's already reviewing in class, like Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in the civil rights movement in the U.S.
The first thing I'll ask is how many people know that Nelson Mandela has died. We've been talking a lot about the rights of people in general, so as I talk to them, it'll be in [that] context. It'll be about what Nelson has done to change lives in South Africa and what that means around the world — how [leaders like Nelson and King] were willing to risk their lives for something they truly believe in, and for the public to have someone to look up to when it comes to justice in general.
Ellen Austin, 10th, 11th and 12th grades, San Jose, Calif.
As the director of journalism at the Harker School in San Jose, Austin said she'll be speaking to a class of high school students who work on the school's newspaper and online news site.
I will tell my students that yesterday one of the most important men of the last 50 years left this world, and left it a much different and better place than the day he entered it. Mandela lived a singular life with a singular soul. It is remarkable he transcended not only the systemic oppression that apartheid embodied, but also the direct oppression of 27 years in prison because of his unbending belief that the apartheid system had to end. But even more remarkable was the way he seemed to transcend bitterness and revenge. Mandela could have used his power to tell the oppressed people in his nation to pick up arms and take a path of violent revolution. Instead, Mandela advocated a transition that relied on mechanisms to provide a holistic road to healing hatreds. And he kept his faith intact, both his faith in a heavenly ally in his cause and his faith in the power of humanity to choose goodness and compassion in the hardest moments.
I will remind my students that individuals like Nelson Mandela are not icons to put on a shelf and revere. Instead, let a person like Mandela be a beacon that lights up the path when facing a challenge to your rights, or facing those who would wish to silence your voice. Stay strong, because standing up in the face of any challenge takes great courage.
Missy Wolter Klapperich, 6th grade, Cannon Falls, Minn.
As a middle school social studies teacher, Klapperich said she'll more than likely have to start from the beginning when telling her 11- and 12-year-old students about Mandela. However, it will be a worthwhile endeavor to ensure they grasp the impact he had.
My guess is many of them won't even recognize his name. It will be my mission to introduce him to them, try to walk them through his remarkable life and leave them with the legacy he leaves behind. I will express my view of him — that he was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. I will tell them how he lived several imprisoned lives — one in the grasps of apartheid, and one for 27 years on an island called Robben.
This kind, humble, peaceful and courageous soul changed the world we live in. We all hope and aspire to do good deeds, to make the world a better place for our children and positively inspire every life we interact with. He was the epitome of good, of honor, of courage. This man inspired others before he was imprisoned. He inspired fellow inmates while incarcerated, and he inspired the country he ruled once released.
No, it went beyond that... He inspired the world.
I think I would then leave them with my favorite Nelson Mandela quote, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
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