Learning from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1/25/2020
Last week, with the help of Mrs. Jaeger, each student created a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , and these were arranged in a wonderful display in the staircase in the front of the school. This week our class joined all of our PNA community in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We began Monday with an assembly, where we listened to older students share messages about Dr. King's life and his great work. Both last week and this week we all focused on one of Dr. King's important quotes: Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" For our preschool classes, we hoped to provide a meaningful experience for the students by inviting them to chose one toy of their own to donate to a child in need. We collected many toys to donate to Clare House Women's Shelter. One of the things which is most wonderful about Anchorage is that it is such a culturally-rich place to live. Because our population is so diverse, it is certain that we and our children will have friends, classmates and co-workers of many different ethnicities and cultures. Early childhood is a perfect time to help children understand and practice the concepts of kindness, service and inclusion, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Another of Dr. King's teachings which we focused on in the Beluga classroom was the importance of being kind to others and treating them respect, regardless of their outward appearance. To emphasize this point we had an object lesson using both brown and white chicken eggs. After discussing what qualities we could observe about the different eggs, we cracked a light brown, dark brown, and white egg open. After observing that all the eggs were the same on the inside, we concluded that the only difference we could see was the color of the shell -- but that the important part of the egg, the inside, was the same for each color. We then had fun comparing skin tones on our arms and the freckles and moles we each had. What a great discussion! In the wonderful early childhood years, young children don’t generally ask questions or bring up sensitive topics because they have an agenda. Their questions usually stem from a genuine desire to make sense of the world they live in. As parents and teachers, we have the opportunity to help them find answers which are kind, respectful and sincere. While sensitive topics are sometimes challenging to talk about with children, they are made easier if you already have established an environment where everyone feel safe valued, and respected. This is the kind of learning community which we strive to create at PNA -- one which will help students learn to tolerate, accept and celebrate differences. It is the kind of community which can help them not only grow in empathy and compassion for others’ difficulties and challenges, but also encourage them to find answers for the persistent and urgent question which Dr. King put to us all: "What are you doing for others?"
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Melissa SmithMs. Smith has a degree in Early Childhood Education and has taught kindergarten for many years. Alaska has been home to Ms. Smith for 28 years, and she can't imagine living anywhere else! She has four children, a dog and two cats. She loves reading, camping, gardening, and genealogy! Archives
April 2021
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