Yesterday, we went to the bounce house place in the morning w/ some public school friends (who had the day off), but then we returned home to do a full day of school work. On the drive home, we started talking about civil rights and we continued on to a small unit study of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement in general.
Captain Science (and, briefly, Tank and Babypie) watched the full “I Have a Dream” speech, then he read the section on Martin Luther King, Jr. in History: The Definitive Visual Guide, then he read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (and declared it “kind of boring” in comparison to listening to the speech), and then explored the timeline, photographs, and writings on The Seattle Times special report on Martin Luther King, Jr.. Over lunch and snack, we talked about the history of civil rights and that when the other side (the ones who don’t want you to have rights) starts to fight back hard, you know it means you’re winning. It was a good school day.
I have never understood why we celebrate the lives of great people of history with a day of vacation. How does a day off have anything to do with someone who lived a great life? Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for schools to do exactly what we did, and devote a day to the study of MLK (or the presidents or whoever — not Columbus, though, as he a douchebag) and the causes for which he fought? I mean, really, did he work for civil rights so you could spend an extra day in your jammies? As my grandmother put it, “I don’t think Martin Luther Kind would want us to take a day off of school. Education was what he was all about.” Darn tootin’, Memomma!
What about you? Do you take MLK (or Presidents or Douchey the Destroyer of Natives and Guy Who Never Discovered Anything) Day(s) off, or do you have school? If you have school, do you do a study of the people in question, or just have regular class?
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[...] Devoted a day to the study of Martin Luther King, Jr.. [...]
I always found it weird, too, especially as I went to private schools that the discretion to not take the day off. And they didn’t. We did most of our normal work, and we always had a special program/assembly/performance/something. Usually our normal classes talked about MLK or Presidents if it could be stretched to be at all relevant. (Math, it’s a bit harder to connect, but I think I had one that managed it!)
Columbus Day was rarely mentioned, thankfully.
Personally, I’d love to see people studying the honoree(s) instead of or in addition to their usual classwork. One thing I’d like to do once each kid is old enough is participate in one of the many service projects that occur on MLK Day. That has always seemed like a great way to honor him. I’m also trying to incorporate remembering some of the less-observed holidays, too. Flag Day, the purpose of Labor Day, etc.
We had school yesterday, as well, and spent a good part of the day learning about Dr. King. This also led to an interest in Rosa Parks so we read about her as well, watched a short version of Dr. King’s speech on YouTube and did a few activities. It went very well and we will probably continue that for President’s Day. Love your grandmother’s take on it!
We take off from school if it coincides with Daddy getting a day off, but that’s about it. Just because the post office doesn’t deliver the mail on certain days doesn’t change anything around here.
We do take birthdays off, though.
We did our regular school work in addition to MLK activities. We are new to this state and didn’t realize that there was a march downtown. If we are here next year, you can bet we’ll be marching.
Bobby refused to school yesterday because it was a holiday. Henry, however, did all of his work and I really should have thought of an MLK theme for him! He doesn’t do well on non-fiction, so I had non-fiction writing assignments for him. I really admire all y’all who do this full time instead of the on off days schooling like I do! I DO know that (before the ice storm), they were studying MLK in school in preparation for the holiday.
We have traditionally run a food drive on MLK Day (often doing seatwork between drop-offs), but that didn’t work out this year. However, we did spend a full day discussing the civil rights movement. My favorite activity turned out to be watching Soundtrack For A Revolution, which was a completely amazing documentary. It included a very weird old educational film clip about the way “our neighbors in the South” had “worked out” the Jim Crow system as a way to peacefully co-exist. It was surreal.
I’m with you on the no-vacay on MLK Day…. we lapbooked and then took most of our lessons from Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream” speech (hello, literary devices!!) It was a great day!
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We watched the speech and discussed the historical context as well as literary devices (repetition and metaphor, as well as simile). Honestly, though, I really feel like focusing on one day sort of takes away that it is a daily, ongoing struggle (and triumph, at times). We watch the (national) news every night and discuss issues that arise, always tying them together and connecting them to compassion and human rights. I don’t need one day to point out the work of MLK, just like I don’t need one day to show my family I love them (Valentine’s Day, anyone?).
I am not expressing myself very well. I didn’t treat MLK as a day off OR a day on. Every day is a day on. We just watched the speechifyin’ to make it formal on MLK.
(oh, and every time Columbus comes up at my cottage school, someone mentions, “You know, the guy that killed 75% of the native population in just under three years? That guy?” Or something to that effect.