Every year we quote Martin Luther King Jr.
Every year we praise his moral clarity, his courage, his vision of justice and dignity.
At the same time, teachers are told to “be humanistic,” “be learner-centered,” and “support the whole learner” while working under conditions that quietly make dignity harder, not easier, to sustain.
That contradiction is not accidental—and King would have recognized it immediately.
King’s work did not emerge from abstract moral concern. It emerged from material realities faced by African Americans: segregated schools, suppressed wages, restricted housing, blocked civic participation. When he spoke of justice, he spoke about conditions—who carried risk, who absorbed instability, and who was expected to wait patiently while inequality remained intact.
He was clear on one point: moral language without material change is not progress. It is delay.
For teachers, that insight lands close to home.
Read More “Humanism Without Distance: What MLK Still Asks of Teachers” »