We Have a Dream
On Monday we will celebrate the life and work of an amazing man, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Since I have a math teachers’ in-service day tomorrow and no students, I got to teach about MLK today!
I will never forget the looks on my kids’ faces as I was reading to them about the civil rights movement. They unanimously agreed that of course it’s not fair to make people sit at the back of the bus or drink out of separate water fountains for any reason. One of my students raised his hand and said, “How come those people with the lighter brown skin never learned how to be kind and share?” I almost cried. Their eyes were glued to the pictures of nonviolent protests and the crowds of thousands of people listening to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. giving his speeches. No one was poking their neighbor or playing with a piece of lint that caught their eye. God was right there with us, holding their attention so they would learn this important lesson about social justice and equality.
We drafted our own class vision of a what the world would be like if everyone acted in love and fairness. We called it “We Have a Dream.” They chose the themes and the wording of each sentence. I felt honored to have a part in helping them realize their dreams for the world. I am still overwhelmed at the innocence and hope I witnessed listening to their conversation. God bless those little rascals!!
Here’s what they wanted to write:
“We Have a Dream
We want to change the world. Everyone will be kind. We will share. We will make everybody happy. We will always be friends.”
Dear God, please let them never lose sight of this vision. And let us never lose hope. Amen.
