Last week in Lower Elementary, leading up to the long weekend that included Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, students spent a couple afternoons learning about the Reverend Dr. King. In mixed-age groups, students took turns reading three different books aloud to each other: I Am Martin Luther King, Jr., by Brad Meltzer, Martin’s Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport, and Love Will See You Through: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Six Guiding Beliefs (As Told by His Niece), by Angela Farris Watkins. Then, the whole class gathered together to watch a short Reading Rainbow video about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. produced last year.
Following this, during their weekly Peace curriculum time, the entire class engaged in a question-and-answer period about Dr. King. At the end of this discussion, their teachers posed the question, “How do Martin Luther King, Jr.’s messages and actions still impact us today?” and the amount of thoughtful, student-initiated responses and observations that followed was inspirational to say the least.
There are many peacemakers among our students at McGuffey, and by studying peacemakers throughout history, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are able to encourage this spirit of kindness, connectedness, and determination to make the world a better place.
