History Before Our Very Eyes

The day started off with the plan to have class as usual until the swearing in of the 44th president Barack Obama around 10. However, while teaching Spelling, the class was having trouble keeping their eyes off the screen. So....I gave up, willingly, and we spent the morning hours watching history being made before our very eyes. We took in all the people, the old presidents, the motorcade, and the sights and history of our nation's capital. Fascinating! I was so impressed with the kids sincere interest in the inauguration. What an honor for me to see the love for their nation reflected back from their eyes. 

We then spent the afternoon going back into time...back to the 60's actually. We talked about the impact Martin Luther King, Jr made in this world. We talked about how it wasn't that long ago that we were turning away and down people of different races only because of that fact that they had a different color of skin. We talked about how it must have been to tell a child that he/she couldn't be friends because of skin colors. We related that time period to remarks made by Obama in his Inauguration Speech. We talked about how Martin's "Big Words" weren't words that were hard to pronounce or spell, but words that had deep meaning like, peace, freedom, dream,together, and love. Students then wrote peace poems which I will share later today on this blog. We also did a segregation activity with M & Ms while reading this poem...

Me and My M&Ms

I have always like M&Ms

The most diverse multi-cultural integrated candy in the world.

You have your red ones, your yellow ones, your orange ones, 

Your brown ones, your green ones, and your blue ones.

All in one package. 

All co-existing together.

One color doesn't think that it is superior to the other.

One color doesn't discriminate against the other. 

All colors are the same size, shape, and weight. 

All colors look different on the outside but have the same ingredients on the inside.

M&Ms all have the same flavor and they all taste G-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-d. 

Not all M&Ms are perfect though. Some have nuts!

In the real world we call them racists and bigots. 

Wouldn't it be nice if like M&Ms our prejudices melted into the abyss 

Like chocolate melts in our mouths

And all people were judged by what was inside 

Rather than the color you see on the outside?

If candy can be prejudice free, why can't we????

By Dr. Marily Kern-Foxworth

Expressions of a Black Woman Through Verse

It is so true, isn't it? I asked my students this question/thought...Even though our new president is a brown M&M on the outside with the same ingredients as us on the inside, why then do some people treat him differently, and how exactly do they explain that concept that they believe to a boy that just wants to play with another little boy just because it is fun? Change! What an inspiration to all...Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a bag of M&Ms. 

Makes you think doesn't it?