I'm invited to do what? Create lesson plans illustrating Robert F. Kennedy's legacy? Lessons that portray his major role in the most turbulent decade of the past century? Surely you jest!

You are serious?

So after a night of restless sleep to consider such a formidable challenge, I accepted NYSUT's invitation to create instruction that could be used by any teacher hoping to capture some of the essence of Robert F. Kennedy.

Understanding that Kennedy's death occurred in 1968 and that a majority of New York State teachers were either unborn or toddlers then added to the undertaking. Now all I had to do was consider who Bobby Kennedy was, what he accomplished in barely four decades, and then, with a team of dedicated educators from around the state, "filter" that down into some user-friendly format.

First, who was Bobby Kennedy? The list included: President John F. Kennedy's little brother … U.S. attorney general … closest adviser to JFK during the Cuban missile crisis … and after the death of his brother, U.S. senator from New York and presidential hopeful.

Next, how to best portray his accomplishments? Would it be best to read and listen to his speeches and then illustrate the embodiment of what made him so passionate?

Something would still be missing. Something equally fruitful: What did his friends, family and advisers - those who spent the most time with the man - say were the things that made Robert F. Kennedy tick?

So, before I shuffled off from south of Buffalo to Albany for NYSUT's lesson development conference, I embarked on some in-depth studying before consulting my best source (and greatest critic and fan) - my father.

Nearly an octogenarian hailing from rural Alabama, a U.S. Army veteran who served during the 1950s and thereafter part of the great Negro exodus to the North, he would have first-hand memories of the type of man Robert F. Kennedy was and aspired to become. My father is only several years younger than Kennedy would have been had he lived.

He called the Kennedy brothers "freedom fighters" who were both passionate and aggressive, and lamented what might have been. Sadly, my father feels that world history would have followed another path had Robert also ascended to the presidency like his brother, John, and that some of their energy in pushing for the civil liberties of all were buried with them.

Armed, but not really ready, I arrived at NYSUT headquarters on July 22. When I left that evening around 7:30 p.m., after nearly 10 hours of work, I had some doubts about how we would complete this task.

It wasn't because the team was not qualified - it clearly was. Fourteen educators from around the state were divided into three teams: fourth, eighth and 11th grade. It wasn't because the day wasn't well planned and productive - it was!

We were led by Charles Santelli, NYSUT director of policy and program development, and Lynn Delaney, executive director of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. The former was a tough taskmaster who kept us on schedule, while the latter was well-organized and knowledgeable, and shared stories past and present from the Kennedy family. And we learned that RFK's daughter, Kerry Kennedy, was going to review our work. Did that add any pressure? Not much more than I already felt!

As seasoned instructors, we didn't feel overwhelmed by the pressure as much as we felt inadequate given our monumental challenge: to summarize the enduring legacy of a political icon, a champion of the underprivileged in high-quality lesson plans that would meet state standards and be completed in a very tight time frame.

Robertson (second from left) and team members listen as Ambassador William vanden Heuvel shares memories of working with Kennedy.

On day two, after another agitated night, we all met, appropriately, in the Albert Shanker Conference Center Auditorium to listen to Richard C. Iannuzzi, NYSUT president, and to Ambassador William vanden Heuvel speak in the most stirring terms on the linkages between union activism, civil rights and Robert F. Kennedy.

The ambassador was an aide to Kennedy, authored a book about him, and shared remarkable particulars of his life. We learned details of Kennedy's successful fights such as ones where he took on Alabama Gov. George Wallace; protected James Meredith at the University of Mississippi, and created and opened schools for black students in Prince Edward County, Va., after town fathers closed them all following the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

The setbacks were in fact just as numerous, but neither stopped nor discouraged Kennedy.

Despite some tangible success, black leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., felt he should be giving even more assistance. And many northern whites turned on him too, as Kennedy said he felt more hatred directed toward him in Chicago than anywhere else.

Personally, this moment was the turning point in realizing that the lesson plans would come to fruition. After an equally invigorating lunch discussion with the two aforementioned distinguished gentlemen, we resumed work in our grade-level teams, where we worked until the early evening.

My teammates for 11th grade lesson development were well selected and certainly up to the mission. They included Clifford Huen of the Hamburg TA and Arthur Jacoby of the UFT, both of whom had personal memories of Kennedy. Susan Halpern of Chenango Valley TA and Lisa Byheny of the UFT rounded out the team. They brought tenacity, wisdom, computer savvy and determination that inspired us all. We researched, typed, talked, discussed and pored over minutiae until we had a framework. We then filled in fine points sandwiched around a viewing of a PBS presentation and dinner. When I left that day, I felt we were close to completion, yet still unsure if my portion would be up to standard.

Day 3, the finale of the intensive development conference arrived with optimism. We met as separate teams with NYSUT's Larry Waite, who worked with the 11th-grade teachers. Larry's role was to facilitate, assist and keep our eyes on the finish line! His colleagues Elizabeth Sheffer and Kathleen Frederick did the same for the other groups. Their assistance and support were invaluable.

After a brief discussion, we engaged in peer review, then editing, followed by a repeat of the process. I gave Larry and Lynn a copy of my work and waited with great apprehension while they pored over each aspect. They suggested only minor revisions.

Sometimes teachers get bogged down with the seemingly mundane, day-to-day activities that comprise the bulk of our careers. We forget why we joined this most noble profession. Driving back to Dunkirk in heavy rain and reflecting on the previous days was invaluable to reacquiring my own personal perspective.

I realized how lucky I was to participate in the NYSUT Robert F. Kennedy Education Project. I realized how our union, NYSUT, in its fight for economic and social justice, is inextricably linked to Kennedy's quest for the rights of all. It reinforced why I am a union activist and historian: These stories need to be told, shared, and modeled to all students so they might become motivated enough to go out and change their world.

Walter Robertson of the Dunkirk TA is chairman of NYSUT's Subject Area Committee for Social Studies.