On this day I would ask everyone listen to the entirety of the âI Have a Dream Speechâ. Reading Letter from Birmingham Jail also essential, imo.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
âMartin Luther King was a good man. He was assassinated by a bigot.â
Quote from the 2 sentence âreportâ written by my (then) 5 year old daughter for her kindergarten homeworkâŠsheâs right, and itâs in contextâŠI was still called to the Principalâs office - they thought it was âinappropriateâ for a 5 year oldâŠuntil they learned that her great-grandmother and great aunt had been Freedom Riders, and she (the 5 year old) had heard their story firsthand. They backed off.
Mixed media painting by dearest friend
My mother was a junior high school teacher when I was in elementary school in the early 70s. The end of summer between my 5th and 6th grade I spent time with her at her school the week before school started - most of you know teachers return to school a week or two before students to get classrooms ready. Mostly I spent the first three days that week roaming the hallways and grounds, but I spent a lot of time in the library browsing the books.
In the library I discovered a portable record player, a few books on record, and some huge headphones. After listening to a couple of quick listens, I looked for more to listen to and found a set of records of MLK speeches. Of course I knew who MLK was, but I hadnât heard his voice more than the snippets played on television.
From the first minute of the first one I put on, I was instantly hooked. I didnât leave the library for the rest of that day. I hated when that work day ended for my mother and we went home. The rest of the week, I listened to every record in that collection. Maybe the first second great education of my life.
Too bad every kid that age canât get the same experience.
Sounds like they were scared by the fact that your D was intelligent beyond her years. Good for you for teaching her more than just rote facts.