On our way home

We spent the night at the Kavanaugh Retreat Center in Louisville, Kentucky. I have asked some of the trip members what was their favourite story for the week. For a couple of people, it was working with the children at the Urban Kids after school programme. We were very impressed with the level at which many of the children were able to read and write. Every day, after a snack, they spend some time reading a book. I wonder why our schools don’t encourage more people to volunteer to read with the children?
I spent some time with Michael Lee. He is in grade 4. At the social science center, we talked about Martin Luther King, Jr. It is Black History Month in the States, so the children have been learning some of the stories of the Civil Rights movement. Michael knew portions of MLK’s “I have a dream” speech, especially the part that says, “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” What a gift to have been taught and memorized such a noble, uplifting part of one’s story. What parts of our story do our children learn and know that inspire them to cherish freedom and dignity?

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