Can he still be the King even if he is in Heaven?

Can he?
Well... King is actually his last name, like Smith, or my last name Keels. He's not actually a King.
Oh. And what was his wife's name? Coretta. And his kids? (I'll have to look that one up,) and his dad? Martin Luther King Sr.

The questions continued.

My co-teachers and I were blown away by the discussions in circle regarding Martin Luther King Day.

The whole time line of the civil rights movement, and when Dr. King lived exactly didn't seem to register, the importance of it did. That's the crucial part anyway, right? They understood that things used to be very different, very unfair, and sometimes dangerous if you broke the laws.

For the full day children I played a clip of the I have a Dream speech. They were speechless.
For the first time that morning!
They are a chatty, chatty bunch.
I'm not sure if they really understood exactly what Dr. King was saying, and I did have to explain that it wasn't a movie clip, it was real, just from a long time ago, before we had color TV.
They did understand that it was important. And that his dream was that we would all work and go to school together and things would be fair between African Americans and Caucasians.
And permit me to get a little political here. We spend lots of time belly aching about how much more work needs to be done for equal employment, marriage equality, heath insurance etc. Of course.
But really from the perspective of a child? Things are okay. In their eyes Dr. King's dream is here, and they are apart of it.
I digress....
We had covered with them the fact that if it had not been for Dr. King and others like him, I would not have been able to be there teacher because I was African American, and that we also would not have been able to use the same drinking fountain or bathroom. AND we would not have Barack Obama as president. It would have been against the law!
And that in the south like where Ms. Simmons was from the laws were even worse.
They were very upset by the unfairness of it. Being fair is really REALLY important when you are 3, or 4, or 5 or 35 for that matter.
The greatest excitement and ability to understand Dr. Kings message was through the songs we learned.
(sung to Twinkle)
Freedom Freedom Let it Ring
Let it Ring said Dr. King
Let us live in Harmony,
Peace and love for you, and me
Freedom Freedom Let it Ring
Let it Ring said Dr. King.
What better way to teach his message than through song.
Right? Right.