Martin Luther King, Jr.
Since this week is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday, I read the children a picture book about Dr. King. The kindergartners looked quite perplexed as I read the book, and midway someone finally raised his hand and asked, "What does it mean that they're 'white?'"
Getting judged by the color of one's skin was incomprehensible-- the part they took away was the fact that it wasn't fair or nice that someone (of any race) made a woman (of any race) stand up from her seat on the bus.
I shared all this with Ms. Rivera, and her remark was, "Maybe it will be this generation..."
At the end of the book, I told them this happened about 50 years ago, and they said, "Oh!" and nodded their heads. It made more sense to them that something that didn't make sense was something that happened what seemed to them a long time ago.
I did want to share some notes I jotted in December that related to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We had talked about UNICEF, the canned food drive, and needs versus wants, and I held up a photo of a boy from Africa and asked the children what this boy in Africa needed. Here are some of the kindergartner's answers:
* food
* water (and then someone added "CLEAN water")
* somewhere beautiful to live with no bugs
* money
* a fun place to go so you're happy and you can play and swing
* school
* some medicine
* to be healthy
* not too much hot sun and green grass
* no poisonous snakes around their house
* doctors
* not to fall in a pool like I did
* hospitals, so if you break your arm or leg or have a disease, you won't die.
Listening to their answers, yes, maybe it will be this generation...
As I wrote in an earlier blog, while Mrs. Bailie's and Ms. Field's classes ran the canned food drive, Mrs. LeBlanc's and Ms. Revard's classes visited a care home. After their visit they wrote reflections which included how they felt visiting the care homes, and what we could do better next time, since they always have such creative ideas.
I also asked the first and second graders what the care home residents said in their conversations, and it was interesting how the students looked happy and little embarrassed yet pleased when they were sharing what the seniors told them. Here are some comments the children said the seniors told them:
* You're so cute!
* You're so clever!
* You're good boys and girls.
* You are such happy children.
* They (the children) love me! (some of the students hugged this woman when leaving, and this is what she said while they hugged her)
* Oh! There's children! (one woman who was coming down the hallway in her wheelchair said this)
* Once upon a time, I was a little girl too.
* Do these children go outside? Their skin is so nice.
I think we all could benefit from someone telling us we're cute and clever for no reason other than the fact that we simply exist! Visiting our kupuna is a blessing all around.
