Update*** Apparently the school listened and there was a combined assembly with a different holiday later on. :) Still, there were a lot of confused kids for a while there.
----------------------------------------------
So imagine my surprise when I realized on Friday that even though I was expecting a Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly, (frankly, there should be a Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly at every school in the King County School District) apparently, the school that I volunteer for did not deem it a necessity. One would think that the level of importance one places on assemblies is based on the content of those assemblies, if I were going to cut an assembly, I would cut a Pep-Assembly over one held to honor an American hero like Martin Luther King Jr. It was extremely disheartening that the school allowed such an oversight and I know there were some students that were upset about the lack of an assembly honoring Dr. King, not because they wanted to get out of class, (I am sure that might be a part of the upset) but because the kids at this particular school seem to really want to honor diversity and the people who made it possible, like Dr. King. The school that I volunteer at services low-income-multicultural-first-generation-students who really could use a hero, they could use a person to look up to, a person to think on and aspire towards. Why couldn't that person to be Dr. King? I'll tell you why, Because they didn't have a Martin Luther King Junior Assembly at that school this year.
Granted, after asking around, I discovered that the students were slated to learn about civil rights and Dr. King in their social science classes, but is that enough? All the 7th graders might not have had an opportunity to learn about the civil rights movement elsewhere and perhaps the 8th graders needed a refresher but I seriously doubt that the gravity and complexity of the reasons we celebrate Dr. King and his contributions to civil rights would be learned in a classroom where half the students can barely speak, read or write English and the other half are more concerned with the newest YouTube video than what is going on up front (I am exaggerating but that is sometimes how it feels) that however, is what lead me to write this particular blog in the first place. There is something special about the atmosphere that a well executed assembly provides, there are opportunities for self-expression (Multicultural Club, interpretive dance, poetry about civil right, current spotlight on activism, speech contests or music related to the event), team spirit (reminding the kids they are part of a community, getting them into the spirit of whatever is going on, drawing their attention to an issue by themed clothing, prizes, etc.), camaraderie and a bit of tomfoolery that might not be acceptable in the classroom, all things that can happen at any assembly. However, serious assemblies were different, at least in my day, there is that moment, when the lights dim, when echoing across the gym, the beginning of the "I Have A Dream" speech is played, and a hush falls over the student-body as a montage of photos and media clips is played against a muted-grey, drop-down-screen, the images violent and then peaceful, heroic and sickening, 'this is what it must have felt like back then, watching the news, reading the paper,' each student, or at least some students ponder silently. I'm sorry that the administration didn't want to bother with the effort or put up with the changes in the schedule but Dr. King's contributions to civil rights should never be overlooked, undervalued, and they should never be downplayed, or possibly forgotten. That is how it felt, in English class this past Friday when I found out there was not going to be an assembly, that his legacy was not being honored, that his sacrifice was being devalued and I was mad. He is part of the reason that racism is a taboo subject in this country, he is, in my humble opinion, the reason we have come so far as to be able to have people of color in public office, no longer "separate but equal," simply equal. What has this country come to if a school is allowed to serve this population, one that needs to be reminded of Dr. King, his sacrifice and all he stood for, and then not allow that population the opportunity to pay homage to one of America's most worthy heroes? Would I prefer any student to look up to Dr. King over, say Richard Sherman, damn right I would. There is nothing wrong with students having professional athletes as heroes or mentors but if we can give them the opportunity to see beyond sports, beyond the basketball court or football field, shouldn't we? The saddest part for me was the disinterested reply from the teacher who I asked stating that the school administration said we're not going to have an assembly but the students will talk about it in social studies, almost as if, the assembly was somehow not effective, didn't serve a purpose, but my dear readers, it does, it serves the purpose of reminding all of us, teachers, mentors, students, and administrators alike, how close we still are to that history and just how far we've come since then; frankly if we allow the memory of our own history to fade then we are doomed to repeat it. I for one think that the school should be ashamed, ashamed for not paying respect to a great man, ashamed for sending children home with a free day off but without really knowing why. I feel like the school is sending the message, that the kids don't need to focus on why, they can just enjoy their day off and think "This must this must be another teacher workshop?" No, the students should be able to reflect, they should be reminded and if they're not, why bother even giving them Monday off. Sorry for my rant, it just got to me, the absurdity of how much school has changed since I was a student and how much better things could be.
No comments:
Post a Comment