MLK Jr., Race and Identity!

Happy MLK Jr. Day! (A little late)

At the Montessori Children’s School, we incorporate stories, cultures, and identities from all over the world throughout our curriculum, starting in September and going through June. We try to ensure a diverse set of books and materials are available to children, rather than focusing solely on February as Black History Month. However, we do use MLK Jr. Day as a time to discuss one part of our identities, our race. At this age, without focusing on the word race too much, teachers may discuss how we all look different, and yet we are all humans, with the same feelings, emotions, experiences that tie us together.

That is the underlying message of all our lessons focusing on people: “We are ALL the same. We are ALL different.” This message, while a newly popular one for early childhood education, has been a central idea of Montessori education since the beginning. The Montessori Method is considered to be applicable to all children, regardless of any difference in identity.

Perhaps the best lesson for this age group is the egg lesson. The teacher takes 3-4 eggs (all chicken) that look different on the outside. Some may be different colors; some may have tiny spots on them. Then, the eggs are broken one by one in front of the children. Wait! The inside is all the same, no matter how they looked on the outside.

Some of our older children, and Kindergartners, may read stories about Rosa Parks, MLK Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Depending on the nature of the group each year, the teacher decides how much to go into the topic. Similar to what I mentioned in my previous blog post, we try to stick to the facts, not go into a lot of detail and yet stay true to history.

One of the most popular traditions in our school is the “All About Me” presentation within each class. Each child is given the opportunity to bring in pictures to talk about what is important to them. As a three-year-old, the child is asked to think through what is important to them and what makes up their identity. At this age, they are still exploring what are important parts of their identity. This presentation helps them think about what makes them special, whether it is their family, their culture, their hobbies, or topics that really interest them. As a five-year-old, certain parts of their identity have become more solid, for the time being. The presentation then becomes about speaking about the pictures and practice their public speaking skills.

The second part of these presentations reinforces within each class that “We are ALL the same.”. You like dinosaurs? I like dinosaurs too! Or you have a little brother? I have a little brother too! Learning about the classmates allows the children to make connections with each other and maybe help make some new friendships. A young child is able to understand how each of his classmates comes from a family like theirs and may have similar members in that family. They each go home to their family at the end of the day and go do the things that they enjoy doing outside of school.

These are the seeds that we help sow when they are young. The hope is that when they encounter someone who looks and sounds different than them in the future, they will know that there are always points of commonality that exist. After all, we are ALL different, but we are ALL the same.