What can young children learn about Dr. Martin Luther King that is both appropriate and accurate? How can we use the anniversary of his birthday as a “teachable moment?”

I think we can begin with the notion of “a great man.”  Dr. King was a great man.  What does that mean?  Ask the children if they know any great people.  Ask what makes them great? Write down their answers.  Make a graph.  Explore their ideas.  I imagine that the children will have many wonderful answers and thoughtful ideas about these questions.

I would also incorporate ideas about fairness into this conversation.  Children are very interested in issues of fairness, justice, power, and control.  Dr. King believed in fairness and equality. Ask the children, “What does ‘being fair’ mean?” Investigate their ideas about fairness and justice.  Chart their answers.

Some children may think that “fair” means “equal.”  That is a very common way for young children to think about what is fair, in terms of equality.  When there is one cookie left in the house, they have to split it and they are told, “That is fair.” They are told and they believe that because each gets an even share of the cookie, fair means equal. However, they might also have an older sibling who gets to stay up later than they do.  This may not be equal, but it is fair. This is a much more difficult concept to understand and for the egocentric child, completely unfair.

Today, celebrate Dr. King’s birthday with a conversation about “great people” and “fairness.”  Both will honor his memory in a wonderful way.

Here are some numbers, in the form of dates, times, and statistics to think about as you honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and legacy this year.

Born – 1929

Age when he entered high school – 15

Age when he earned his PhD 25

Years married to Coretta Scott King – 16

Number of children – 4

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – 1964

Dollar amount given to Dr. King for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize – $54, 123

Dollar amount donated by Dr. King to the Civil Rights Movement immediately afterwards $54, 123

Number of African Americans named Time’s “Man of the Year” before Dr. King – 0

The number of participants in the March on Washington – over 250,000

Days after Dr. King’s Assassination that Congressman John Conyers introduced the bill to commemorate his life with a national holiday – 4

Years it took for the U.S. Congress to pass the bill – 15

Years it took all 50 states to recognize the holiday – 31

Number of Americans who have a national holiday commemorating them – 3 (Can you name them?)

Number of signatures required to propel congress to pass the bill and create the federal holiday – 6 million

Dr. King’s actual birthday – January 15

The federally designated day we honor Dr. King – the 3rd Monday of January

Dr. King’s age at the time of his “I Have a Dream Speech” – 34

Number of words in the “I Have a Dream Speech” – 1579

Minutes it took to make the speech – 17

Number of times the word freedom appears in the speech – 20

Number of times the word dream appears in the speech – 11

Days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott- 385

Number of times Dr. King was arrested – 30

Enjoy your day today.  Kiss your children.  Celebrate the life of a man who impacted the world in such a remarkable way.

I have only been alive for 47 years and I have little to no memory of the first 5- so let’s say I have about 42 years of memory.  I have known, been aware of, studied, explored and celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech for each of those years.  This week marks the 50th Anniversary of that day, that speech, that man.

That speech was the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement.  Words sewn together so powerfully that everyone knows them; spoken in a way that evoked dreams of unity, equality, change, possibility, and hope for a better future. Every time I hear a recording or see a clip of that day, I get chills.  That never changes for me.  It still makes me believe that the world can be a better place and that each of us plays a part in making it come true.

So what does 50 years mean in terms of education?

1965 – Project Head Start is born

1968 – Title VII – Bilingual Education Act is ratified, replaced in 2002 by NCLB

1968- Magnet Schools (as a means to desegregate schools) are unveiled

1971- Pennsylvania rules that “retarded” children be entitled to a free education

1972 – The Indian Education Act is ratified

1972 – Title IX becomes the law of the land

1973 – Marian Wright Edelman founds the Children’s Defense Fund

1973 – Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act becomes law ensuring that all children needing special services are guaranteed those services.

1974 – The Equal Educational Opportunities Act is passed

1975 – The Education of all Handicapped Children Act (PL94-142) is passed

1975 – The National Association of of Bilingual Education is founded

1982 – The Supreme Court rules that banning books is unconstitutional

1990 – IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) renames and amends PL 94-142

1994 – Improving America’s Schools Act is signed by President Clinton

1995 – Georgia becomes the first state to offer universal preschool to all four year olds

2001 – No Child Left Behind becomes the law of the land

2002 – The North American Reggio Emilia Alliance formally launches an organization dedicated to promoting the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education

2004 – The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act is passed, amending IDEA to reflect better research and understandings of serving children with differences

2009 – The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act launches The Race to the Top

2009 – The Common Core states initiative is launched

2011 – President Obama announces that states can request some flexibility in meeting the NCLB requirements

2012 – Washington and Wisconsin are granted waivers for NCLB bringing the grand total to 26.

2013 – The City of Chicago closes 50 public schools – the largest school closings in history

2013 – The City of Chicago lays off over 2100 school employees

This is a short list how the U.S. educational system is keeping Dr. King’s Dream alive.

How are you?