Janusz Korczak

Janusz Korczak was a pioneer of progressive education and child psychology. He founded and ran two orphanages for Jewish and Polish children in Warsaw, where he implemented his ideas of democracy, self-government, and respect for children. He also wrote many books and articles on children's issues, such as How to Love a Child, The Child's Right to Respect, and King Matt the First. He was a popular radio speaker and a social activist. He devoted his life to the welfare and dignity of children, especially those who were poor, orphaned, or marginalized. He refused to abandon his orphans when they were ordered to be deported to the Treblinka extermination camp by the Nazis in 1942. He died with them, becoming a symbol of courage and compassion.