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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr - January 18, 2021

By Jessica Winstanley


The 2020-2021 school year has presented us with many challenges and opportunities. By necessity we have become experts on pandemic teaching. We have learned how to embrace and connect with our students no matter where they may be physically. We have caught glimpses into the lives of our students that we may not have had before this year. We have helped our students process intense issues from isolation, illness and death to protest and civil unrest, all while trying to maintain our own social-emotional and physical health and wellbeing.

As we approach the half-way mark and continue to persevere in this unique and challenging school year, the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. loom large in my mind.

Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically...We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Morehouse College - 1947

There are so many lessons we can learn from Dr. King. This year MLK day falls on January 18, 2021. As you plan ahead to next week, take a minute and think about what lessons from Dr. King you can share with your students. How can we bring the passion and purpose he demonstrated over 50 years ago into our classrooms and apply it to the events of today? How can we learn from the past to guide our future?

In honor of Dr. King, here are some great ideas for sharing King's legacy with your students.

As you look ahead and plan, always remember that Dr. King day may be a single day, but the critical lessons we can gain from his legacy are important to share with our students all year long. How will you share King's vision with your students?

Martin Luther King Jr. at March on Washington.
Corbis, (2006) Martin Luther King Jr. at March on Washington. [Image]. Available from http://www.discoveryeducation.com
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