DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THE MAIN VANGUARD BLOG (SCROLL DOWN ON IT) FOR FIELD TRIP DAY (FEB. 27) INSTRUCTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS.
Study/Learn
Complete all of the following:
1. Read A History of US, volume 10, chapters 43-45 OR Watch "The Remarkable 20th Century: episode 10" on Amazon Prime. Pause it and take notes in your commonplace book. Write a paragraph or two for each of the chapter, summarizing what you read. Be creative and artistic. Include any applicable pictures and maps.
2. Study the note cards for this month from the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
3. On your fold-out time line in your history binder, add 5 additional events from world, national or your family history
4. Study these HOOK DATES (with the ones from the 50's and the 60's)
1974 - President Richard Nixon resigns over the Watergate Scandal.
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1986 - The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after takeoff.
1989 - Berlin Wall comes down
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1990 - The Gulf War begins as Iraq invades Kuwait.
1990 - Nelson Mandela Freed
1991 - End of the USSR
1994 - Rwandan Genocide
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2001 - The 9-11 terrorist attacks occur
2003 - The Iraq War begins as the U.S. and other countries invade Iraq.
2009 - Barack Obama becomes the first African-American President of the United States.
Know/Understand
Choose 1 person or event from your reading OR FROM YOUR FAMILY HISTORY to give us a 2-3 minute report on in class. Please include 3 bullet points about why we need to know about this person or event and the impact it made on this time period. Also look for whether or not this person lived our principle for the month, "First Seek to understand, then be understood." How did this affect their lives? Sign up on the google doc so we don't overlap.
GET CREATIVE. YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS ALL YEAR. BRANCH OUT A LITTLE BIT AND GO OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. YOU CAN WRITE A POEM, SING A SONG, MAKE A PIECE OF ART, COOK SOMETHING, ETC AS PART OF YOUR REPORT.
Elder Dale G. Renlund (April 2015) said the following:
"In December 2013 the world mourned the death of Nelson Mandela. After 27 years of imprisonment for his role in the anti-apartheid struggle, Mandela was the first democratically elected president of South Africa. His forgiveness of those who had imprisoned him was remarkable. He received widespread acclaim and praise. Mandela frequently deflected accolades by saying, “I’m no saint—that is, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.”
Nelson Mandela (Madiba) has left us a legacy of forgiveness, reconciliation and his pledge for freedom for everybody, no matter their race or color. He will always be an inspiration to the world. In the long and cruel battle to achieve this, he has taught us some invaluable life lessons. (from here)
1.Never abandon hope or give up
“The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.”
– Nelson Mandela
Defining your goal and your objectives are essential to winning the race. Facing setbacks and failure is the most difficult part, but never give up.
2. Learn the art of compromise
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your partner.”
– Nelson Mandela
Whether in politics or in relationships, compromising and negotiating are essential tools. Learn how to give and take. Mandela gave superb advice when he stated that both sides have to gain. It should ideally be a win-win situation.
3. Violence is not the answer
“We can’t win a war, but we can win an election.”
– Nelson Mandela
Mandela was sentenced to prison for life (and served 27 years) because he and the ANC party had adopted a Marxist strategy of sabotage and violence in the fight for justice. After his release, he did not altogether renounce this policy. It was kept in reserve.
Reconciliation and negotiation were far more effective and powerful weapons and that should never be forgotten. Madiba had the intelligence not to let the past of bitterness and resentment restrict him. Four years of tough negotiations with President de Klerk were rewarded with success and the joint Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
4. Don’t be put off by difficulties
“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
– Nelson Mandela
That quote by Madiba reflects that although lives are marked by illness, tragedy, misfortune and pain, people should never get discouraged. Those negative experiences can teach more than anything else. And they can teach that you have to remain faithful to your values and ethics. Mandela wanted freedom from apartheid, and while he changed strategy, he never changed that one principle.
5. Learn how to forgive
“If there are dreams of a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to that goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.”
– Nelson Mandela
Why do you think that Nelson Mandela decided to learn Afrikaans, the language of his oppressors, while in prison? That was the first move in forgiveness.
When you have been hurt, it is only right to feel self-pity. That feeling may be followed by anger and rage and you should let it all out in a safe, private way. If you never learn to forgive, you will always feel bad. Even if the person who hurt you is dead, negative emotions ruin your life. Time to draw a line under it, and once you forgive, you immediately start to feel better.
6. How kind are you?
“I believe that in the end that it is kindness and accommodation that are all the catalysts for real change.”
– Nelson Mandela
Try a little kindness today.
7. Bond by sharing experience
“I dream of Africa which is at peace with itself.”
– Nelson Mandela
In South Africa, rugby was the sport of the white elite and many black and colored people cheered the opposing team as a way of protesting. Picture the scene at the 1995 Rugby World Cup when Mandela wore the rugby jersey of the Springboks, the South African team, who went on to win. That one gesture in participating at a great sporting event was a powerful way of bonding a nation.
On a personal level, try hugging (if appropriate!), eating together, taking part in a sport, or hundreds of other ways to strengthen bonding. These shared experiences will help understanding, commonality and reinforce relationships.
8. Fight discrimination
“I detest racialism because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.”
– Nelson Mandela
Madiba was single minded in his approach to the enormous task ahead. Today, society is confronted with many other forms of intolerance that lead to discrimination and oppression.
9. Draw a line under your past
“We don’t have to be victims of our past, that we can let go of our bitterness, and that all of us can achieve greatness.”
– Nelson Mandela
Mandela had every reason to become bitter and twisted and to continue with aggression and confrontation. He was intelligent enough to realize that closure was essential and the new path towards peace and reconciliation was the only way.
Choose one of the things listed above that we learned from the life of Nelson Mandela that rings true to your soul. Journal for 10 minutes about why it is so important to you and set a goal on how you can live it more fully in your life.
Mandela’s approach to life when he finally retired was,
“Tread softly, breathe peacefully, laugh hysterically.”
