"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Today was Monday. A new week, same routines, same students, but a new outlook for many of my 3rd graders.
I had a student barge into my room this morning with more enthusiasm than usual on a typically day.
"Today is milk day!" he exclaimed.
"Today is what?" I asked chuckling.
"It's milk day!"
"What is milk day?" I asked
"You know, where we celebrate white milk AND chocolate milk!"
So, either this student misinterpreted the abbreviation MLK Day and thought it to be something completely different than it is? Or he was making a clever connection between Martin Luther King Jr.'s fight for black and white equality thus assuming milk was involved. For the sake of my teaching reputation, I'll assume he meant the latter comment.
We continued our conversation as I probed for more information about his interpretation of this momentous day and it's celebration. It turns out, to my surprise (not really), that he had misheard his parents discussing MLK day while also believing that milk was spelled "mlk". Phonetically correct if you're an average 9 year old child that pronounces milk "melk". I guess I have some teaching to do.
We begin each morning in my classroom with morning meeting once all of my students arrive. We recite the pledge, we read the school announcements, we take attendance, we read the morning message and we share. Sometimes we read, play a game, or greet one another. Today I changed things up a bit, wanting to focus on educating and reteaching students the importance and significance of today.
It started with a generic conversation about who Martin Luther King Jr. is, what he did, and why it was important. Most students already had enough background knowledge and a brief understanding to participate in the discussion, excluding the child who had his hands down his pants (much more important, I presume). Next, I asked my students if they knew why Dr.King dedicated his life and advocated and worked so hard for black and white equality and my students weren't quite sure how to answer. Instead of telling them, I began showing the movie "Remember the Titans". It happens to be one of my favorite films (memorized line by line, of course) and a perfect example of life at this time. If you're not familiar with the movie it can be summarized as follows...
*Spolier Alert*
In a racially segregated town in suburban Virginia, an all-white and an all-black school were combined to create a new high school. A black man was hired to be head coach of the all black school, but when the schools integrated he is given the head coaching position over the former, highly qualified, white head coach. The movie depicts how both adults and students, both black and white, treated one another during this time. The movie is based on true events of 1971. This small town football team becomes the unifying symbol for the community as the boys and adults learn to coexist, accept and respect one another, and work together as a true team.
There are parts of the movie I purposely intended to pass over because they were unnecessary to the story line and not particularly appropriate for 3rd graders. Nothing major, just silly locked rooms scenes. What I really wanted to illustrate for my students was how white and blacks treated one another and spoke to one another. This movie is a perfect, real life, age appropriate example of how life was for these high school students who's job was to receive and education and how difficult it was because of the color of their skin. There was a great deal of dialogue that my students exchanged with other another during the film. We stopped often to discuss quotes and scenes. They were surprised by how the characters spoke to one another and how mistreated so many African Americans were, especially the young, innocent students. While we didn't finish the movie today we will continue to view it in small doses so that my class can really grasp the important concept of accepting anyone regardless of race, sex, religion, beliefs, etc.
Even my most troubled students, students who are often reprimanded for their actions and unkind words (bullying, if you will), were some of my more vocal students during conversation. Many of my 3rd graders were surprised to learn how white parents and students treated those of a different race. It was beautiful (to say the least) to see how they were able to make connections and voice their opinions on right and wrong actions. Hopefully this type of exposure and these real life examples will help my students to better understand the meaning of equality, fairness, and freedom for all.
So tonight, let's all raise a glass of milk and toast to Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. for teaching us that white and black are simply two different colors just like white milk and chocolate milk are merely two different flavors that all deserve celebrating.
Another delightfully chaotic day in the books. One down, four more to go!
There are parts of the movie I purposely intended to pass over because they were unnecessary to the story line and not particularly appropriate for 3rd graders. Nothing major, just silly locked rooms scenes. What I really wanted to illustrate for my students was how white and blacks treated one another and spoke to one another. This movie is a perfect, real life, age appropriate example of how life was for these high school students who's job was to receive and education and how difficult it was because of the color of their skin. There was a great deal of dialogue that my students exchanged with other another during the film. We stopped often to discuss quotes and scenes. They were surprised by how the characters spoke to one another and how mistreated so many African Americans were, especially the young, innocent students. While we didn't finish the movie today we will continue to view it in small doses so that my class can really grasp the important concept of accepting anyone regardless of race, sex, religion, beliefs, etc.
Even my most troubled students, students who are often reprimanded for their actions and unkind words (bullying, if you will), were some of my more vocal students during conversation. Many of my 3rd graders were surprised to learn how white parents and students treated those of a different race. It was beautiful (to say the least) to see how they were able to make connections and voice their opinions on right and wrong actions. Hopefully this type of exposure and these real life examples will help my students to better understand the meaning of equality, fairness, and freedom for all.
So tonight, let's all raise a glass of milk and toast to Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. for teaching us that white and black are simply two different colors just like white milk and chocolate milk are merely two different flavors that all deserve celebrating.
Another delightfully chaotic day in the books. One down, four more to go!
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