Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes: A Lesson in Tolerance

When Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in April 1968, one teacher in a small town in Iowa decided to do something to help her students fathom the shocking event. She understood, more than most, the power of good teaching. Her lesson plan rocked the nation — and what she taught her students that day would last them a lifetime.

A Professor’s Lesson 30 Years Ago

“One winter semester during college in upstate New York., I took an 8 AM history class to fulfill a requirement. It was hard to get up for that class, but about 15 of us met 3 times a week to brave the cold winds and trudge to that lecture in a nondescript classroom. The professor for the class was an odd fellow. He had flaming red hair and wore galoshes with one pantleg in and one out. He would creep shyly into the room wearing his hooded winter coat, once not even removing the hood during the lecture. He was terribly ill at ease with the class and clutched the lecturn barely looking up at all through his gold rimmed glasses at his students.” This real-life story reveals how a student’s classroom ‘game’ with a nervous professor resulted in a life-lesson in kindness.