A Day in the Life of This SLP: Teach Your Children Well…

A Day in the Life of This SLP: Teach Your Children Well…

…And know they love you.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released this song and lyrics in 1970 on their Déjà Vu album two years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death.

Teach your children well…

As we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday this weekend, I was contemplating my blog post.

What lessons of Dr. King’s would I share with ‘our’ children?

What messages would I share with ‘our’ children?

How would I share so ‘our’ children understood this is more than a 3-day weekend?

What story would open ‘our’ children’s minds to Dr. King’s dream?

I began searching online…

Sunday morning coffee

Then as I do on Sundays, I sat sipping my coffee and watching the CBS Sunday Morning Show hosted by Jane Pauley.

Working and watching, I stopped to focus on a segment which brought tears to my eyes. I knew this was the story to share. (Keep reading, the video link is below).

Then as I began my blog post, I heard the words teach your children well float through my head.  I pulled up the lyrics and listened to the words as memories from my teen years distracted me from my writing.

And just like that, I knew this song, which seems unrelated, was indeed connected not only in time, but in its message to the CBS Sunday Morning story.

This is a story that started in 1957

It is personal story shared over and over again. One that is filled with a wide range of emotions, wrongs and rights, and hopes and dreams.

Now, sixty years later, it is a group of young children show us the way…

In the end, this story will warm your heart and may require tissues.

An injustice

In 1957, a young newlywed couple, Gilbert and Grace Caldwell, were refused entry at the resort where they were to spend their honeymoon.

According to Reverend Caldwell, there were many excuses made, but the bottom line was that they were black.

In this story, Rev. Caldwell shares that he was “…prodded partly by that experience…[and] immersed himself in the civil rights movement, working side by side with Martin Luther King Jr.” (CBS Sunday Morning Show). 

Children do more than listen, they understand

Sixty years later, students in the fifth at a New Jersey school listened as Reverend Gilbert Caldwell shared his story.

While some (adults) might think, children their age can only listen to a story dealing with aspects of civil rights, that is an underestimation!

You will see, they not only listened, they understood all too well.

They might say, it was in that collective moment that their plan began.

Yes, these children decided to take matters into their own hands. They knew it was up to them to right this wrong.

As it goes, there were some who encouraged and some who thought that these children are, well just that, children, and without power.

However, these fifth graders were not deterred.

Instead, they were determined to create the long overdue beautiful ending to the Gilberts’ honeymoon.

A Second Honeymoon

With pen in hand and paper on their desks, this group of fifth graders wrote letters to the same Pocono resort that refused the Caldwells in 1957.

Each student wrote a separate letter requesting the Gilberts be gifted a new honeymoon.

Each shared his/her reasoning behind their request.

Teach your parents well…

This is an open invitation to all parents (adults).

Take a moment, listen and understand the words of these brave & kind children.

Hear them share their feelings and beliefs about this sixty-year-old injustice.

See the tears in their eyes and hear the anguish in their words in this CBS Sunday Morning Show video.

Listen and understand why they were determined to make a difference.

…and know they love you.

Yes, you did teach your children well…

You have raised brave & kind children which is not an easy task.

You see, in order to be kind, they first had to be brave…

Now, they are not only a part of history, they are now on the right side of history.

We share in the pride of these children, their parents, and their families.

We thank the educators who supported their vision, and all those who have contributed to lives of these amazing children.

A brave & kind day in the life of This SLP,

Lori

It is my pleasure to  invite you to follow my blog,  A Day in the Life of This SLP.

Special Note #1: My Little Ones Rock campaign grew from the first rock I created,  “be BRAVE, little one”. Then as the campaign developed and the community shared their thoughts, the most suggested word was kind, as in, “be KIND, little one”. Therefore, it seems only fitting for us to create “be BRAVE & KIND, little one” rocks honoring the brave & kind students of Bear Tavern Elementary in Titusville, New Jersey. At the same time, these rocks will honor the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gilbert and Grace Caldwell.

Special Note #2: In Psychology Today, Jennifer Baker, PhD, shares her thoughts in “Do we have to be brave to be kind?” an article discussing Aristotle’s reciprocity of virtues. Dr. Baker shares, “…I’m with Aristotle. It seems obvious that he is right, to me, because I’ve failed to even recognize an opportunity to be moral, because I was simply not brave.”

A Special Thank You: Steve Hartman  we are thankful for your vision to pursue and share this beautiful and timely story demonstrating that our children are listening, learning and eager to right a wrong. More here at CBS On the Road.