Martin Luther King Jr Day

As today was Martin Luther King Jr Day, Cameron did not have school.  We made the most of our three day weekend by sleeping in, going to Moe's for lunch, and playing Euchre with Grandma and Grandpa.  It was a lot of fun and it gave Cameron and I time for some great conversations.  On our drive to Warsaw we talked about everything from IU football, to basketball, to the future.

One topic that we discussed in length was today's holiday.  I told Cam that although I absolutely loved spending the day with him, as a teacher I always thought that this was the one day that students should be in school.  Honoring Dr. King by teaching each and every generation about pacifism, following one's dream, volunteering, and activism would mean so much more than just giving students the day off.  Although many larger communities have Martin Luther King Jr celebrations much as IU did today with guest speaker, Viola Davis, not all have the resources to provide such activities.  Therefore I believe that even showing a movie such as Remember the Titans, Glory or Mississippi Burning would make the youth of today aware of the struggles of the past.  Although we are well beyond "colored only" drinking fountains, racism has not been completely eliminated in the past sixty years.  I truly believe that education is the key to enlightenment.  Today would be perfect for that.  

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King Jr