MLK DAY

Happy Martin Luther King Day

 January 17, 2011 

Our school district is closed for this holiday.  The kids in kindergarten talked about Martin Luther King, Junior, last week.  When asked if they knew who MLK was, only a couple of hands went up.  That's normal for a 5 year old.  Most don't even know their middle name.  They'll learn in time, and until then they will be exposed to these important people over and over through their school years...as we all were.

Of all the words in MLK's speech, the ones that stick with me are.......

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

He was a son, a husband and a father before becoming a minister and a leader in the fight for civil rights in the early 60's.  What a brave soul to step out in those tumultuous times and say what he said.  He gave his life for what he believed.  He changed this world. 

Character not color is what we should be aware of.  I can honestly say the children in kindergarten do not see color.  But they recognize character....good and bad...very early on.

One of my teacher/friends made the Martin Luther King TLC (Thursday Listening and Cutting) lesson on Friday and sent these to me from her cell phone.  I am the one who pre-cuts all the colored rectangles and squares....so I can promise you they all start out with the same stuff.

What happens when they get a hold of it and listen.... or don't listen... results in this.

The 3 on top closely resemble the sample as made step by step by the teacher.

The 2 on the bottom.....not so much. 

The one on the left isn't too bad....just a little too much scissor action

on the oval that was to be the face.

But the one on the right?

 Well, I think we can diagnose that little

artist as having just a wee bit of a listening and watching challenge.

And this? 

This just makes me laugh.

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