I know many of my readers have been waiting for my comments on going to school on Monday. It is the Elephant in the room. For some, this is a very emotional issue. It probably should be for everyone. For MLK day and for all the holidays we've chosen to use as make-up days. All the days should be significant for every American. I guess we were trapped inside the paradigm of doing things the way we've always done when we made the decision back in May. Deep down, we all hoped we'd get no snow. I hope in our discussions Monday night for next years calendar, we look for innovative ways to address this problem.
But, there are two sides to every story. I was copied on an email from one of our National Board Certified Teachers. It, more than anything I could say, demonstrates how one can turn a negative into a positive. I am sharing the email below:
I got really excited when I heard Monday that we would be in school on the MLK holiday because it will give teachers the opportunity to make sure ALL our students will be involved in meaningful activities that will help them understand Dr. King's legacy and hopefully make it a part of their own lives. I am excited as a teacher and excited as an American.
I got really "fired up" by watching the memorial service in Arizona Wednesday night—President Obama's deeply moving call to decency, as well as the thought of that precious child who died trying to take part in democracy. I knew in that moment my part in honoring her could be to see that my students spend the day Monday witnessing peace and democracy and seeing how Dr. King's dream has become a reality here in their own community, in their own lives.
I immediately called Brother David Boone (Brother David is a member of the Catholic Oratory here in Rock Hill.) Known as a civil rights icon throughout the state, he was a primary leader of the peaceful demonstrations at the lunch counter of McCrorey's Dime Store involving the Friendship Nine, as well as other activities in the 1960's. He continues to work for peace and racial unity today throughout the Rock Hill community. He is also the kindest, most gentle person I have ever known.
We wanted also to include an elected official, since elected leaders are part of our social studies curriculum this quarter, so I asked Mrs. Ann Reid to join us as well. (Mrs. Reid teaches at Clinton Junior College and also serves on the Board of Trustees of Rock Hill School District 3. An African American, she grew up in Rock Hill and remembers well the Civil Rights Movement activities that are so much a part of Rock Hill's history.) As for my own personal experience, I grew up as a white child in segregated Rock Hill, profoundly impacted by the experience of witnessing demonstrators holding signs on Main Street. It is an experience I have shared with my young students for the last 38 years. This Monday, it will be my honor and privilege to do so again.
On Monday afternoon we will sit down with 63 second-graders to share with them how the people of Rock Hill, both black and white, worked through the struggles of segregation/integration to build a community that continues to honor and live Dr. King's ideals of equality, peace, cooperation, acceptance and respect. Our focus won't be so much on specific details of the history, as it will be on passing on to these children the charge of carrying these ideals into our community through the way they live their lives.
On this special Monday, I can think of no better way to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to answer our President's call to unity, and to honor the memory of a child who lost her life looking for a way to learn about our country.
But, there are two sides to every story. I was copied on an email from one of our National Board Certified Teachers. It, more than anything I could say, demonstrates how one can turn a negative into a positive. I am sharing the email below:
I got really excited when I heard Monday that we would be in school on the MLK holiday because it will give teachers the opportunity to make sure ALL our students will be involved in meaningful activities that will help them understand Dr. King's legacy and hopefully make it a part of their own lives. I am excited as a teacher and excited as an American.
I got really "fired up" by watching the memorial service in Arizona Wednesday night—President Obama's deeply moving call to decency, as well as the thought of that precious child who died trying to take part in democracy. I knew in that moment my part in honoring her could be to see that my students spend the day Monday witnessing peace and democracy and seeing how Dr. King's dream has become a reality here in their own community, in their own lives.
I immediately called Brother David Boone (Brother David is a member of the Catholic Oratory here in Rock Hill.) Known as a civil rights icon throughout the state, he was a primary leader of the peaceful demonstrations at the lunch counter of McCrorey's Dime Store involving the Friendship Nine, as well as other activities in the 1960's. He continues to work for peace and racial unity today throughout the Rock Hill community. He is also the kindest, most gentle person I have ever known.
We wanted also to include an elected official, since elected leaders are part of our social studies curriculum this quarter, so I asked Mrs. Ann Reid to join us as well. (Mrs. Reid teaches at Clinton Junior College and also serves on the Board of Trustees of Rock Hill School District 3. An African American, she grew up in Rock Hill and remembers well the Civil Rights Movement activities that are so much a part of Rock Hill's history.) As for my own personal experience, I grew up as a white child in segregated Rock Hill, profoundly impacted by the experience of witnessing demonstrators holding signs on Main Street. It is an experience I have shared with my young students for the last 38 years. This Monday, it will be my honor and privilege to do so again.
On Monday afternoon we will sit down with 63 second-graders to share with them how the people of Rock Hill, both black and white, worked through the struggles of segregation/integration to build a community that continues to honor and live Dr. King's ideals of equality, peace, cooperation, acceptance and respect. Our focus won't be so much on specific details of the history, as it will be on passing on to these children the charge of carrying these ideals into our community through the way they live their lives.
On this special Monday, I can think of no better way to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to answer our President's call to unity, and to honor the memory of a child who lost her life looking for a way to learn about our country.
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