King and I, About Youth Leadership

By Daviyd Peterson

Actually this is not a movie review, although a child is being prepared to take over his father's kingdom and there are many lessons to be learned about preparing a child to make wise choices. This is an exercise for homeschooled children involving Dr. Martin Luther King - whose birthday will arrive again on Monday and how your child will get to use their imagination to have a conversation with Dr. King. Thus the title - King and I.

Of course the subject could have been the profound affect Dr. King had on my life both while he was alive and through the years after his assassination. But, in order to keep his dream alive I felt it would be more fitting to ensure that Dr. King was given a chance to share his dream with our future generations by letting them pretend to have a conversation with him about his dream, about peace, about people living together.

While this may seem like more of a challenge than most homeschooling parents might be willing to take - I will give you a head start as the rewards will blow you away. For those of you alive when Dr. King began affecting the lives of the nation, take time and share what was happening in that time and how times are changing. Everyone with little memory or nothing to shape your insight can easily find resources online using your favorite search engine. Some examples are a website about children's responses on the subject "What if Dr. King were alive today" and can be found using your favorite search engine with subject in the quotes mention above.

The best site for information on Dr. King of course is the King Center's website. I continue to be amazed at the sample of Dr. King's speech "The Drum Major Instinct".

Another resource is "A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King" and can be found by searching for tributes with a "timeline", this site has a very good timeline guide for helping in creating the conversation. Depending on your child's age you can adapt the exercise to fit using - What would you say to Dr. King about what is happening today. Reading to younger children or allowing them to watch various programs about Dr. King and then have the exercise will make it fresher in their minds.

For those too young to understand I have 2 exercises, the first is where I play Dr. King's speech and give them a play microphone and soap box as a podium to give the speech from and just let them go for it. Don't worry, later on the words will begin to sink in and have more meaning along with giving them a reference for their 'conversations' with Dr. King later when they get older. The second exercise involves letting them draw Dr. King and what he is saying in his speeches. I got the surprise of my life when my nephew showed me a picture of his drawing of Dr. King surrounded by people holding hands - and this at 4 years old.

The ultimate purpose of these exercises could give our children a greater chance at not repeating the mistakes made that created the turbulent times that inspired Dr. King to step up to the forefront of the civil rights movement. It also is a rehearsal for possible roles of leadership, and to cultivate our children's future so that they may have a chance to be a King.

Always remember that a child shall lead them...

Daviyd Peterson: 12-year consultant, instructor, trainer of digital divide solutions for home and business. Helps African American and minority homeschools bridge the digital divide by becoming computer homeschools. Supporting homeschool moms and dads with resources to provide income for their homeschool...

http://www.daviydthepencilpusher.wordpress.com

daviyd@bluebottle.com

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