TIFTON —  Eighth Street Middle School teacher and In-School Suspension (ISS) Director Jeremy Jordan spoke to a large group of students about the importance of having a dream at an assembly Thursday morning in the school’s cafeteria. He also discussed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as civil rights leaders Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall and Harriet Tubman.

The following ESMS teachers helped organize this assembly: Vito Pellitteri, Greg Tucker, Beth Golden, Duran Paulk, Mary Nell Greer, Gene Fandel, Olivia Hanie, Vishala White, Sherry Mihalek and Dianne Coates, who contributed a microphone.

Before the assembly began, student A’maya Solomon, 12, sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus and student Deshondria Phillips, 12, sang “Desire” by Kierra Sheard.

Jordan told students, “I want to speak about one word and that’s ‘dreams.’”

He said dreams can be big, small, even silly. He gave students some ‘ingredients,’ as he called it, on how to turn their dream into a reality.

Jordan started by asking them what type of dream they had, and some students replied that they desired to be a football player, someone who helps others, a doctor, an Olympic gold medalist, etc.

“We all have some type of dream,” Jordan stated.

He added, “You can’t talk about dreams without talking about Dr. King.”

He noted that there are other civil rights leaders who made a difference as well. He discussed how Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus; how Marshall decided that a change needed to be made in education during a time when blacks and whites were not allowed to go to school together or get the same education; and how Tubman, who was born a slave, ultimately escaped and freed over 300 slaves in the south.

Jordan said there was still something different about Dr. King — “he had a dream.”

“His dream was much greater than settling the difference between blacks and whites,” he stated. “His dream was to change the world.”

He then discussed unity. He had a small group of students join hands in front of their fellow classmates. He asked that each side walk in opposite directions to show that they will disconnect from one another and then he had them all walk in the same direction together.

Jordan explained that unity means to come together as one with the same mindset.

“We won’t have progress if we’re not moving in the same direction,” he said.

Also, Jordan asked that one male student clap his hands as loud as he could and then he told the other students to clap their hands along with him.

He explained, “You’re way greater together than by yourself.”

Next, he discussed violence.

“One of the key ingredients that Dr. King believed in was nonviolence,” Jordan said. “You can get more things accomplished when you’re nonviolent than when you’re violent.”

He told students to yell something across the room to another student and then he had them whisper to a student nearby. He explained that when a person talks to someone with calmness, they’re nonviolent and can be understood.



Jordan also stated that acceptance is another key ingredient. He showed the group of students a box with holes and stated that if it was their birthday, the box would be their gift. They were not thrilled with the idea. However, when he placed a one hundred dollar bill inside the box, they seemed interested.

He stated that once he placed the bill inside the box, it became valuable. He explained, “It matters what’s on the inside of a person rather than the outside.”

“Regardless of how you look on the outside or how different you are, we are all the same,” Jordan said.

He stated that Dr. King had every reason to stop dreaming — his grandmother died when he was age 12 and then he tried to commit suicide; he was stabbed by a woman while at a book signing; and his mother was killed in her church in Atlanta.

Jordan said through all of this, Dr. King didn’t allow himself to stop dreaming.

He told students, “Be the best person you can be.”

He stated that even though Dr. King died, his dream didn’t.

“A dream never dies,” he said. “They did not kill his dream.”

Jordan stated that there are streets named after Dr. King, a national holiday, museums and books.

“We will forever remember Dr. King,” he said.

He told students, “I want you to remember the life of Dr. King and get you a dream and make sure it’s as successful and powerful as his. Make sure it’s positive, that you have love and unity, and your dream too shall come to pass.”

Pledge cards were given out to students to sign and date. For 40 days, each student pledges to do their utmost to be a model of ethical behavior, integrity and good citizenship; to treat others with the respect with which they wish to be treated; and to go out of their way to be kind to others and to contribute in any way they can to create the “beloved community” envisioned by Dr. King.

“Today, I encourage you to live your dream,” Jordan said.



To contact reporter Latasha Everson, call 382-4321.