In honor of Martin Luther King Jr day, Bethany and other area schools had today off from class. I noticed that even Wawasee took the day off which had changed from my teaching days. Four years ago we held school, but were expected to teach about Dr. King in our lessons on that day. It was a little challenging for me to do in my math class, but I did find a way to incorporate his life into the subject.
In looking at the two different ideas of how to commemorate the day with either a day off or a day to teach about the Civil Rights leader, I have decided that I actually liked the way that Wawasee used to honor Martin Luther King, Jr's memory the best. No, not all of the teachers followed our curriculum director's advice of honoring his legacy in our daily lesson plans, but at least those of us who were following the suggestion were able to bring his importance to the Civil Rights Movement to a new generation. Racial inequality had been all over the news media this past year and a half. It would have been the perfect time to pause and remember where it started. Even if the focus wasn't on racial equality, it could have been about change, following a dream or coming together as a nation - all topics that Dr. King devoted his life to and are still relevant today.
Several sports teams tried to do that today as both Big Ten basketball and the NFL, celebrated Martin Luther King Jr's life while still holding their respective games. I appreciated their gesture as it at least brought the idea behind the day off to the forefront. For those like Cameron, who spent his free day in the typical teenage manner - sleeping in, playing tennis, going to lunch with friends, and attending a birthday party - the t-shirt wearing coaches on the IU and Nebraska teams were noticed. Their simple message of "Dream" was perfect for the day and a nice reminder that we all can make this world a better place.
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