As the somber, yet unsurprising news spread today, condolences, memories, and messages of respect made rounds across social media channels. Jimmy Carter, the longest living US president, has seen, lived, and inspired a century’s worth of American and global life and politics. In the checkout at Costco, the news alert stopped me, an unexpected wave of grief washing over. As a native Georgian, I’ve always been particularly proud that Mr. Carter was our president. I didn’t live through the Carter administration, instead being born just as the reins were handed to one Ronald Reagan. I’ve heard, however, that his presidency, fraught with what many deemed as failed foreign policy, an energy crisis, and weak leadership was perhaps, forgettable.
The legacy of President Jimmy Carter, however, is anything but forgettable. I am certain that the coming days will prove just how influential the man, not just the politician, really was. When First Lady Rosalynn Carter was eulogized by grandson, Jason, I smiled, laughed, and cried. As if she were my grandmother. As if the president were my Paw Paw. (Jason’s eulogy is terrific to use in class as rhetorical analysis practice, by the way!) I mean, cards with 20 dollars, all recipes with mayonnaise, and pimento cheese sandwiches? What southern girl wouldn’t relate?
In the decades after his official presidential life, Jimmy Carter proved time and again that decency, humanity, and acceptance did not have to be mutually exclusive of public life or political service. While many called him weak, the courage to love resonates far wider than the ease of division. President Carter was a Christian. I am Christian, yet have a complex relationship with churches and organized religion. I was raised in a small middle Georgia town just 80 ish miles from the president’s beloved home of Plains. One of my greatest regrets is never having made the time, though I “meant” to many times, to listen to him teach a Sunday school lesson. I use the word teach rather than preach here intentionally. Jimmy Carter is himself a lesson in example. Rather than tell the world to embrace the poor, he wielded a hammer and nails, building Habitat for Humanity homes well into his 90s. Rather than tell the world that we are to heal the sick, he and Rosalynn worked tirelessly to eradicate disease and hunger, outside of the US borders. Jimmy Carter was not simply a servant, but a witness, an advocate, and a courageous fighter.
As I head into the new year, I know many will share what they did or did not accomplish in 2024, what they resolve to accomplish in 2025, and the temptation for comparison will rear its yearly ugly head. As teachers, we too are public servants. I myself get caught up in feeling inadequate, in comparing, in pressuring – both myself and my students. But, the death – no – the life of Jimmy Carter reminds me that often, it is the quiet work, the little things, that become the big things. The perseverance. Day by day, brick by brick, we can lead a life guided by the same principles which guided President Carter. I am reminded that if students feel heard, accepted, and represented in my classroom, sometimes that is enough. Sure, college acceptances, GPAs, and exam scores matter. But, they largely matter because they represent something bigger. Maybe opportunity. Maybe a way out. A way forward. But the start is to, like Jimmy Carter, walk the walk. I cannot diversify my curriculum, teach lessons on human rights and dignity, without making sure that each of those faces in front of me feel dignified first. President Carter reminds me to check in on those students who I may not have checked on in awhile. To be present in my classroom as much as I am my curriculum.
I am reminded of the courage it takes to maintain quiet resolve. To do the right thing, albeit unpopular. The president once said “I could have been re-elected if I had taken military action against Iran. It would have shown that I was strong and resolute and manly. … I could have wiped Iran off the map with the weapons that we had. But in the process a lot of innocent people would have been killed, probably including the hostages. And so I stood up against all that advice, and then eventually all my prayers were answered and all the hostages came home safe and free.” I cannot profess to be a military strategist. I won’t weigh in on President Carter’s military decisions, but I cannot admire enough a man who spent 100 years proving to the world that people matter. All people matter. What a beautiful sentiment with which to head into the new year. Now there is a new year’s resolution I can get behind.
Thank you President Carter for a life of service, a model of love, and a lesson in sincerity.
Below, I have compiled a set of six argument prompts using various quotes by President Jimmy Carter. As always, please preview for typos and for appropriate content to your school, district, or state.
