An inspiring video of first-grade students reciting Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech is making its rounds on the internet. According to a report by The Huffington Post, a teacher at Boston’s Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School posted the video to Teach For America’s Teacher Pop blog.
Just four years ago, Orchard Gardens was ranked as one of the worst performing schools in Massachusetts, the video’s uploader noted. Today, the school has been able to boost the performance of its students by expanding its focus on the arts as a teaching tool. The Huffington Post reports:
According to Teacher Pop, first-grade educator Darlene White-Dottin has long taught her students Dr. King’s classic speech. Last year, students at the school had the opportunity to perform the speech for President Obama.
“I was watching them and fighting back tears and watching the President just absorb it all,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told Boston.com of that memorable performance in the White House. “This school has gone from being one of the poorest performers in the city to being one of the strongest performers in the state. It’s a tremendous turnaround.”
Watch the video of the first-graders’ performance of “I Have a Dream.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i3eJu9OQ5Y%5D
Inspiring: 1st-Graders Recite MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech (VIDEO) was originally published on newsone.com
