Recommitting to Teaching Our Children True Human Centered Values

By Diane Whitehead, President & CEO, Childhood Education International

Today, Monday, January 19th,  is Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) day in the United States. I, myself, have always found this to be a day of inspiration, and I hope that others will also celebrate this day and take time to reflect on the words of MLK and other great leaders, past and present, who guide us in the values of love, justice, and equality for all.

MLK’s speeches and actions resonate far beyond their original purpose of fighting for the civil rights of African Americans. His words have deep meaning for advancing civil and basic human rights everywhere. MLK has indeed been celebrated as a global leader shining a light on the way that all of us can live in harmony and peace together. MLK cared deeply for children and many of his speeches alluded to the importance of teaching children human values that would help them to grow into loving and kind adults who could contribute to building a better world for all.

In today’s world it is more important than ever to listen to and read the words of wise leaders like MLK. Yet, even with the words of great leaders like MLK to guide us, our world is faced with significant challenges. Many of these challenges are created by people who are grounded in philosophies and values directly opposite to the teachings of leaders such as MLK- the values of greed, materialism, self-indulgence and self-importance are seeding dishonesty, war, aggression and violent actions across our world which are sadly becoming accepted as the norm. These values are even used by some leaders of various communities and countries to foster discord and division amongst people rather than supporting values that lead people towards a greater good for all.

At Childhood Education International our greatest concern is to ensure a world where children are educated, cared for, safe and loved and where they can grow up to be productive and content citizens with their human rights respected. We place an emphasis on the social emotional development of children helping them to build healthy relationships and to grow in their understanding of others, especially those who are different from themselves. It is therefore troubling to see the true values of what it means to be human  – compassion, kindness, empathy, honesty and peaceful co-existence – gradually slipping away in relation to what it means to be human.

As MLK knew, these are the true values that guide human centered decisions, build strong societies, and foster a sense of purpose, helping individuals flourish and live meaningful lives. They represent our shared human potential to connect, contribute, and rise above self-interest. 

It is imperative that as parents and educators and many others who love and care for young children that we teach them the true values of humanity that build strong and safe societies. These are the values that leaders like MLK and other great human centered leaders fought for, where all people are seen as equals and where everyone can be respected no matter their socioeconomic status, the color of their skin, the language they speak, their religion or where they were born.