Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
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Today all the schools, banks, and post offices are closed to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
But do you or your children really know who he was and what he stood for or is this just another day off from school or work?
My kindergartner came home from school last week talking about this man that they were learning about, Luther King Martin. That made me laugh because she was trying SO hard to remember his name but I was also thrilled that this great man was spoken about to this class of 5 and 6 year olds.
Let’s not forget that we parents are our children’s best teachers. WE are the ones responsible for teaching them right from wrong and teaching them the values that are important to us. It is up to us to keep the classroom conversations going when the kids are at home.
Everyday can be a learning experience for our children. All we have to do is talk to them.
Below is just a short clip of one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s speeches, made the day before he was assassinated. My thanks to Aurelia Williams who has the same clip on her blog. Rather than just playing on this day off from school, why not spend 15 minutes with your children talking about this man and his life. Here are some extra resources for you to check out.
Christina,
Can I just give you a standing ovation. Far too many times we take this day as simply a holiday and forget the reason why we celebrate.
To You I Take My Hat Off!
AMEN!!! I am standing with LaTara giving you a standing Ovation too!!
We just finished reading a Book that he got from School “Young Martin”. Later we will watch the full clip of his speech. I found it on a news website online
I was surprised that my children had learned about him at school on Friday. When I asked if they knew why they had no school on Monday, they told me because of a man named Martin Luther King. Then they both told me that their teachers showed them a movie of him talking and then discussed why he was important and backed it up with internet research. I was shocked!
The boys are in Kindergarten and First Grade. It really shows how far public education has come. When I was in the same grades, I never heard of the man. It was briefly covered in High School for me and even then, it was still a scheduled day of school.
I hope that all parents will take your lead and make these “days off” into learning experiences for their children instead of just a day to goof off. With so many resources (like yours) on the internet and in a local library about Dr. King there is no excuse for not having at least a quick lunch or dinner time conversation about him.