Proud as Punch! (whatever that means)

I thought a lot about how to teach my kids about the inauguration of our new president, and how to teach them about it on their level. I wanted to make it fun and meaningful because I think it was an important event that they should know about. I mean...he's the President of the United States for heaven sakes! They should know that! I showed them some pictures of our new President and his family. We also watch a small clip of President Obama taking the oath of office. Then I showed them pictures of the White House and the Oval Office. The kids were so attentive and really into it. Especially the part about the President having his own helicopter and airplane. They thought that was cool!

I also wanted them to know that this was a historic event because President Obama is the first African American president. Again, how to do this on a level they would understand. I had a picture of President Bush and President Obama shaking hands up on the screen. I asked the kids to look for differences between the two men. They came up with, "One looks older", "One is taller", "One has a longer coat", and "One is waving."" Not one child came up with the difference in skin color! It made me realize that children truly don't notice or really even care about the difference of skin color. I love that! My students are so pure and untouched by the worlds racial issues. This gives me hope! Maybe we have hope that in the future everyone will truly be treated equally. I pray nightly for my students. Maybe, I need to pray for the world that these kids will be going into.