L-W North Teacher Participates in World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates

A social science teacher from participated in a World Summit this week, joining such historical figures as former President Jimmy Carter and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for a discussion about global citizenship.

Matthew Jordan, who teaches U.S. History, Civics and the History of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia at Lincoln-Way North, was one of 90 high school teachers and college professors from across Illinois to participate in the day-long professional development seminar April 23 at University of Illinois at Chicago.

The seminar, “Speak Up, Speak Out for Freedom and Rights,” included workshops on curricular programs that examine human rights, an inspirational speech by President Carter (a Nobel Laureate) and a panel discussion with former world leaders/Nobel Peace Laureates Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union), Lech Walesa (Republic of Poland), F.W. de Klerk (South Africa) and President Carter.

The day concluded with a discussion about the responsibility of business and governments in building a fairer and sustainable world.

Jordan, who has met a few political leaders in the past and seen a few presidents from a distance, was thrilled when he had an opportunity to meet three of the world leaders -- President Carter, Gorbachev and Walesa -- before lunch and even shake hands with President Carter.

“I was surprised at how much access the Secret Service and Russian FSB allowed us to have,” said Jordan, who ended up sitting directly behind Walesa at the panel discussion and a few seats away from Gorbachev, de Klerk and President Carter.

“I had hoped there would be a receiving line of some sorts,” he added, “but I had no idea we would be sitting among them. It was awe-inspiring. I was up close to the people I discuss in my history and civics classes -- people who were in a position to affect history and did it in a way that ended an era and literally changed the way we viewed different parts of the world.”

Always eager to talk history, Jordan reviewed how Gorbachev introduced glasnost and presided over the fall of the Soviet Union; how Walesa led resistance to communism in Poland; how de Klerk’s negotiations with Nelson Mandela ended apartheid in South Africa; and how Jimmy Carter brought about the Camp David Accords and inspired charitable work with Habitat for Humanity.

“Hearing them all together in discussion, from different perspectives and slightly different slices in time, was an awesome experience,” he said.

Jordan earned an invitation to the professional development seminar through his work with the Constitutional Rights Foundation-Chicago, a law-related education program for elementary and secondary schools that helps foster critical thinking skills and responsible civic actions in students.

He ended up sitting behind the world leaders by mistake. He thought he was simply securing a good view of the stage when he headed for the second row. Little did he know the speakers would be seated in the front row and take turns speaking from the stage.

The men were “cordial and friendly,” said Jordan, taking photos with guests and shaking hands freely.

“Sitting among them while they joked with each other revealed a part of their character that never made the 30-second clip on the nightly news,” said Jordan, “and I was so glad to be there in the middle of it.”

The history buff admits he was most excited to see Mikhail Gorbachev and Jimmy Carter.

“Growing up in an Air Force family, cold war issues and the race between ourselves and the Soviets was an ever-present concern,” he said. “I only remember a few Brezhnev moments, but I clearly remember Gorbachev presiding over events like Chernobyl, summits with Reagan, and the coup in August of 1991 and subsequent collapse of the USSR.”

The social science teacher now plans to share stories and photographs with students, hoping they will help students make connections to the historical figures.

“Many of the topics brought up by the panel are already discussed in my classes at one time or another,” he said, “but I will be adding these leaders' own views on the important lessons of the history that they helped make."

“I’ve already had former students in the Nazis-Soviets class asking about the event,” he added, “so I hope my sharing this firsthand encounter can pique the interest of students just as much in future classes.”