Thanks for visiting the blog. I hope you enjoyed the film The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306. Read over the following, then respond in the comments below.
There are always questions that come up surrounding the issue about whether or not we should be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I recently came across two interesting spins on that old argument.
Should we celebrate MLK Day by taking a day off from school, or should we use that day in school to focus on the accomplishments of MLK and his legacy? I often wonder about this as it relates to most holidays that call for a day off - Memorial Day, Labor Day, and MLK Day.
The second issue that has come up this year is about whether we should replace MLK Day with a more general Civil Rights Day (similar to what was done with Presidents Day). It would be a day to recognize important events and people related to the civil rights movement.
I'd like to know your thoughts about these two issues. Try to think outside the student ideas of "lets get out of school as much as possible," and take a serious look at the issue.
If you have difficulty figuring out how to comment, just let me know in class and I'll help you.
I think we should celebrate MLK day at school because then we will learn to appreciate him more. Second I think we should create a civil rights day so we jet not only recognize MLK but every one else who help abolish racial discrimination.
ReplyDeleteMLK Day should be celebrated at school, most people don't really understand his importance to both Civil Rights and history. No better way to learn than at school right? On top of that, MLK didn't do everything alone.. So it wouldn't be fair to just give him a day and leave everyone else out.
ReplyDeleteI think you should be in school for MLK Day to learn about the history, but for Memorial Day I think you should be home for those who had family and friends who've died. Same for Labor Day I think it should be a day off for the workers since its honoring them.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we would stay in school on MLK day. I say this because we will apreciate the day more if we are leaning about it at school rather than sleeping in till 2 in the afternoon at home. Second i think that instead of a MLK day, we should have a civil rights movement day
ReplyDeleteMLK day should be celebrated at school because I don't really think its a family holiday, I think that we should be at school and learn about MLK. Also I think it should be a Civil Rights Day because MLK did not do everything he had lots of supporters and there were other major events that helped abolish racial discrimination.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should be out of school because there are still parades and other events that go on we just need to embrace them more and have them every where. I also like the idea of a joint civil right leaders day then celebration will be all civil rights movements and not just one man, not that Dr. King isn't a great leader but it would be good to celebrate every thing at once.
ReplyDeleteI think we should celebrate MLK Day at school because not many people know the significance of Martin Luther King and our Civil Rights. Also, we should it to Civil Rights Day because that would represent all of the people that a part in our Civil Rights. I mean we should at least have a Rosa Parks Day if we keep it MLK Day!
ReplyDeleteAlthough the day off is great i think we should celebrate Martin Luther King Day in school so we can actually appreciate and learn about him more and all he has done. I also think we should have a civil rights day so everyone can be honored for what they have done and not just Martin Luther King.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should celebrate MLK Day at school because at home most people don't even acknowledge the day we just treat it as another day off of school. I also think that instead of it just being a MLK day it should be a Civil Rights Day because even though he impacted many lives thru the civil rights movement he's not the only one that was involved and the other people should be acknowledged as well
ReplyDeleteI think we should be out of school for MLK Day, and I'm not saying this because I want to be out of school, but because we should be able to do what we want or celebrate it the way we want. Also, I think we should have a Civil Rights Day, like even though Martin Luther King did so much, there are other people that should have their credit as well.
ReplyDeleteMLK day should be called Civil Rights Day instead since MLK was not the only person. We should also learn about it in school other then have a day off, because many people don't know how important the day is so by increasing your knowledge on the subject, you will have more respect on it.
ReplyDeleteYes the day off from school is good and relaxing but honestly its not like very many of us really celebrate MLK day. Also why is it that we only celebrate MLK its not like he was the only main contributor you have Rosa Parks and alot other people so the holiday should be called civil rights day. Even though yes they do have parades but how many teenagers want to go to that unless there parents make them go so we should be in school learning about the time and its contributors to making it an equal society.
ReplyDeleteI think that MLK day should be a day off from school. I do not think it means we should ignore the reason why we take that day off though. Martin Luther King Jr. was an extremely important person in the United States's history and in my opinion, his accomplishments should be acknowledged at least once a year. On MLK day, I believe we should do something to remember him for example: Watch the "I Have a Dream" speech. As for changing the name of the day, I don't think we need to. Martin Luther King was an important enough person to have his own day. I do think that other contributors to fighting civil rights issues should also be represented, just not necessarily in the same day. I'm not opposed to the idea of changing the name to "Civil Rights Day" but I would be concerned that if we did change the name to that that Martin Luther King would not get the recognition he deserves.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that we should have the day off from school because most people just waste it or use it as another vacation day for the beach; in no way honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Although I think that we should be in school I don't think that it should become civil rights day because it would downgrade the importance of MLK as an individual and his own accomplishments towards the civil rights movement.
ReplyDeleteI do not think we should have the day off for MLK Day, in taking the day off we forget the reason we have it off. I believe we should take this day to learn more about what Martin Luther King did to revolutionize civil rights. On re-naming the holiday I think we should leave it as just MLK day so we can honor the steps MLK took and the sacrafices he made for the greater good.
ReplyDeleteI think that we shouldn't have school on the MLK holiday because if we were to have school and use it to learn about him, things would become repetitive and eventually we would not appreciate all the things that he did and contributed to. As we would approach the holiday most students would think here comes another 6 videos that they have all seen before. I think that instead we should spend our time at home to think about all the great things he did and how he affected our country and at least do something to remember all that he did. About changing the name of the holiday to Civil Rights day would be a good idea to honor all the people who contributed to the fight which brought more people freedom. There are so many people who fought that battle that I believe all should be honored like Martin Luther King is. I also believe that he would have liked for all other people who worked with his cause to be celebrated like he is.
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ReplyDeleteMLK day is an important holiday that celebrates the importance of equal rights. Because of this we should celebrate in school learning about Martin Luther King’s hard work and the long struggle he went through. MLK was one of the most iconic heroes for the US and he should not be forgotten, therefore he should get a holiday so we can remember just a piece of his hard work. Although he did not live to see how far we have come, his honor can live on in the day just for him.
ReplyDeleteI think we should not be required to come to school on MLK day because there are events and things outside of school related to him and that teaches us what the day is about. I think MLK day should not replaced because he is the face of the civil rights movement and is a big contributor to how the world is now.
ReplyDeleteMLK day is something that needs to be recognized by everyone. By attending school rather than taking the day off, students can really and truly celebrate Martin Luther King Junior and understand why we have such a day for him. By learning about what he did, we can remember his accomplishments and tie them into our lives today. Furthermore, MLK day should not be changed to "Civil rights day." MLK day is a day that should be specifically reserved for celebrating the memorable work of one of America's greatest heroes, Martin Luther King Jr.
ReplyDeleteI think we get MLK day off so students and other people would remember the day better. I think we should keep it specific because he was the reason colored people got there rights that they have today.
ReplyDeleteI think students should not have the day off from school because they do not look at it as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the students look at is as a three-day weekend. I also believe that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should remain and not become Civil Rights Day because Luther was/is the most famous civil rights activist due to his perseverance and determination.
ReplyDeleteI think that a whole day devoted to the civil rights movement would be better for us to have than just one day devoted to MLK. Though he was one of the worlds greatest speakers and moved millions of people, he was not the only one who caught for civil rights
ReplyDeleteI believe that we should keep the whole day off for MLK day because people celibrate it in differnet ways, such as honoring him through a parade or just spending time with family. But I also think that it could be a good idea to have a whole school day for MLK day to learn about the civil rights movement, and to discover other things that happened during that time period, and also how it changed history.
ReplyDeleteI feel that we should still be in school, but should focus on Martin Luther King accomplishments and what he did that change the world today. What would we do if we were out of school, its a better opportunity to stay in school and LEARN about Martin Luther King and his achievements. School is for learning new things so we should be in school to learn about MLK.
ReplyDeleteNo one should even have an idea of replacing MLK day! Generations and on need to know about the main important things Martin Luther King did for Black African Americans. Young people should be able to know what happen to the people and what they did to resolve this issue. Everyone needs to know the history and what it means. Replacing MLK day is like throwing away a dream...
So I think that we should have this day off, not only because I don't like school, but because you'll have a choice. If people wanna celebrate MLK's birthday, then whatever, I mean go ahead. But people who don't feel the need to celebrate it should'nt be forced to. And if you wanted to make a "general day of civil rights" then I think that's better than just recognizing one person...because there were a lot of people involved.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should be in school on MLK Day, but we should devote at least half of each class learning about MLK and his impact on the civil rights movement. I also think that MLK Day should be called civil rights day, because many of the civil rights leaders and activists do not get any credit or attention.
ReplyDeleteMLK day should be celebrated in school because we need to learn about why this day was important in the civil rights movement. I think it should me called MLK day because those are the initials of the famous speaker and he is the main inpiration of the holiday that we now have out of school.
ReplyDeleteI believe we should have a general civil rights day and not just a Martin Luther King Jr. day to recognize the various figures who made it possible for everyone to be equal. I still believe we should keep memorial and labor day off, but I think a civil rights day is probably best spent in school, seeing as how many probably don't bother to recognize it is a holiday, let alone to celebrate it.
ReplyDeleteI think that MLK Day is a time for giving thanks to MLK. personally, I think that having a history assignment based on MLK to do on the holiday could be appreciated, but other then that i believe that MLK day should stay as it is
ReplyDeleteI think spending the holiday in school we would learn more about it but we wouldn't be able to appreciate it as much. Giving students the day off for Martin Luther King Jr day allows us to think about it on our own time and appreciate it fully. I also believe that the holiday should remain as Martin Luther King Jr day instead of changing to Civil Rights Movement day. I think we should have other holidays for the major people involved in this movement such as Rosa Parks.
ReplyDeleteI believe it should be celebrated in school yet should remain it's own holiday. MLK was very special in his own way. Other people helped but none helped in quite as much of a way as this. MLK also personally had the experience, being black during a time period where people thought things were better but they truly weren't.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we should stay in school dyring MLK day because we would learn and appreciate it more. If we stayed home the most we would do is sit at home and post an instagram picture about it or about him. Staying in school on this day could make us appreciate Martin Luther King Jr. more and what he did for us.
ReplyDeleteI beleive that it should be celebrated in school because noone celebrates it at home but i dont think that it should be celebrated as a civil rights holiday because MLK made a very signicant impact.
ReplyDeletei think we should stay in school becasue we should learn about what mlk did and how it affected the entire world and aslo what he died for basically and what he was doing in tennasee he changed the world when he died he died at the age of 40
ReplyDeleteI think we should stay in school and learn more and more about MLK and his legacy. he changed the way we live and our lives today. he died for something he believe could happen and indeed it did happen.
ReplyDeleteI think we should go to school in MLK day because it is important to learn his accomplishments and how he impacted our society. I also think that MLK day should become Civil Rights Day because there are more people like him who made an impact on society
ReplyDeleteI think we should stay out of school for MLK day but i do think that it should be a more general civil rights say celebrating all the other people who were with MLK and the people that Helped him... No school is good... Yay
ReplyDeleteI think we should still have the day off, so that families and individuals have the day to honor MLK in their own way. however, I do agree that people are taking advantage of this holiday and need to find a way to celebrate and honor the life of MLK. I also think that MLK day should stay as it is so that people remember how important it is to stand up for what you believe in like King did. We could have another civil rights aholiday but I think MLK deserves to keep his own.
ReplyDeletewe should get a day off but it should in fact be one for all of the civil rights activists, plus many of us do still celebrate it as a holiday.
ReplyDeleteMLK day needs to be a general civil rights day because the fact the he was just a speaker for the movement. There were plenty more activists that are forgotten because we generalize the movement with MLK.
ReplyDeleteI think we should celebrate Martin Luther King day at home because we will be able to learn at our own pace and appreciate him more. As for the second issue second I think we should create a civil rights day so we jet not only recognize Martin Luther King but every one else who help abolish racial discrimination.
ReplyDeletei think that we should still get the day off but i like the idea of a civil rights day. if we were to stay in school then i think that we wouldnt appreciate it as much as we do with the day off. i think that we should do a civil rights day to honor everyone else too, while still focusing on MLK.
ReplyDeleteI believe we should be in school to celebrate and Learn about MLK. A civil rights day might be better because it would recognize all the people that participated in the civil rights movements.
ReplyDeleteI believe that MLK day should be celebrated at home with the family, also a civil rights day would be good to therefore we can learn more about other important people during important times in history.
ReplyDeleteI believe that MLK should be celebrated at home because it gives families a chance to be together and reflect on what all African Americans have gone through just to get where they are today. Celebrating at home also gives family's a chance to look back on there family history.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King is a brave historical figure who in many aspects led the Civil Rights Movement. The film The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 expresses this through interviewing King’s close friend Reverend Kyles, who witnessed the murder at the Lorraine Motel. This film shows King’s passion for the equality of all men and his humble position of preaching for the equality of garbage workers. Today in America, we celebrate MLK with a holiday in January. But do we really celebrate? School teachers make an effort to focus on King when we come back the Tuesday after, but not many kids can say they watched a documentary or listened to King’s speeches on their day off. While students lack the passion focus on MLK, thousands of others go to rallies and preachings to celebrate his life. In my personal opinion, although not everyone focuses on King during the holiday, it is not just to take away the opportunity for celebration that been granted to those who are truly passionate about King. When it comes to Memorial Day and Labor Day, the same can be said about people with a connection to the United States Armed Forces. Martin Luther King already provides a holiday for most things Civil Rights related, so it doesn't seem necessary to change to holiday into something more general.
ReplyDeleteToday all we think about is getting out of school or yes! finally a holiday, there is a reason to why we get those holidays off. Some people even forget that it is presidents day or its Martin Luther King Jr. day. Personally I like the fact that we get to stay home, but I think if we are honoring him by staying home, I think we should honor him in some other ways, such as events or even small parades. To do all of that to even remember why we are here. The film that we had watched made me think that even 40 years ago the witness remembers everything. I cant even remember what I had wore yesterday. But, something like that id remember it forever. Thousands of people till this day still march for him. This day focuses on him and it should stay like that. Like the film had said, "You can kill the dreamer, but you can't kill the dream."
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ReplyDeleteI think that we should spend MLK day with our families. I also think that we should learn about it in school more than just one day. a civil rights day would also be good so we can learn about more people that help abolish discrimination.
ReplyDeleteMLK Jr is an icon. We should not change the day but another day off for other civil rights leaders sounds good to me!
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