What MLK Jr. Knew About Teaching

Martin Luther King Jr. understood something about education that we're still trying to remember.

He said, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically."

Not to memorize. Not to comply. To think.

Real education develops the mind. It teaches students to question, analyze, and wrestle with complicated things. To think deeply about what matters.

When's the last time your classroom made space for that kind of thinking?

But thinking alone isn't enough. MLK knew that too.

"Education without morals is like a ship without a compass, merely wandering nowhere."

You can teach students to think critically and still leave them directionless. Brilliant minds without purpose. Sharp students with no moral foundation.

A compass doesn't just help you move—it helps you move toward something that matters.

Education needs direction. It needs purpose beyond performance.

Which brings us to what might be MLK's most important insight about education:

"Intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."

This is where it all comes together.

Intensive, critical thinking + moral compass + character = true education.

Not just smart students. Good humans who think deeply and act with integrity.

Not just high achievers. People who use their intelligence in service of something meaningful.

Here's what this means for teaching:

We have to create space for deep thinking. Not just coverage. Not just pacing guides. Real questions that require real thought.

We have to teach with purpose. Students need to know why this matters. How it connects to the world. Where it points.

We have to model and build character. Through how we treat students. Through the choices we make visible. Through what we celebrate and what we challenge.

Intelligence. Morality. Character.

All three. Not just the easiest to measure.

MLK understood this in 1947.

The question is: Do we remember it today?

What's one way you're teaching students to think critically this week? To build character? To find purpose?