Martin Luther King Jr was not just a man with a dream.
He was a man of great purpose and passion. He spoke often about his frustration with white ambivalence to change, hyper-militarization and poverty. As a third grade teacher, I have a responsibility to teach truth to my students, even in the face of difficult circumstances. I recently wrote for The Educator’s Room on a few tips on how to discuss MLK with younger learners. You can find that post HERE.
Teaching Dr. King with younger learners is a beautiful way to introduce students to collective action as a pathway to improving outcomes in a community. They can work together to make something better. Perhaps fixing something up at school, sending encouraging notes to teachers and staff, collecting donations for the local community center or showing up at community events. These are all things that even the youngest learners can participate in as an extension of in class learning. There are so many more that I could have posted. I encourage you to read or listen to his speeches to find others that resonate with you for your learners.
Here are ten quotes that I have used over the years to build instruction around with my students.
