HUMANE EDUCATION
"Much of the indifference, apathy, and even cruelty we see
has its origin in the false education given the young concerning the rights or animals and
their duty towards them."--J.
Todd Ferrier |
Humane
education is not a new concept – as early as 1933, the National PTA Congress issued
the following statement in support of humane education:
"Children trained to extend justice,
kindness, and mercy to animals become more just, kind and considerate in their relations
to each other. Character training along these lines will result in men and women of
broader sympathies, more humane, more law-abiding – in every respect more valuable
citizens.
Humane education is teaching in the schools and colleges of the nations the principles
of justice, goodwill, and humanity toward all life. The cultivation of the spirit of
kindness to animals is but the starting point of every race and clime. A generation
of people trained in these principles will solve their international difficulties as
neighbors and not as enemies."
Humane education is mandated by law in a number of states.
(Visit the website of Educators for
Animal Rights to find out the laws in your state). Unfortunately the law is not
always enforced. In addition, the definition of humane education is subject to
interpretation that impacts on the quality and quantity of time devoted to these studies.
There is a great deal of valuable humane educational material
available to the public, much of it free of cost. However, it can be a
time-consuming process to locate specific material. This Humane Education
Database was developed in an effort to facilitate the search for material.
It allows you to search by subject or grade level and provides a direct link to the
organization providing the material so that it can be ordered easily. While the
database was developed primarily with teachers in mind, the items listed can be used by
anyone interested in animal issues or by anyone interested in educating others such as
family, friends, co-workers, community groups, etc. The Database is a work in
progress – it will be updated on a regular basis as new material becomes available.
It is the result of several months of research and includes almost 200 items from
dozens of organizations. If we have missed something, please let us know so that it
can be added. We are trying to make it as comprehensive as possible.
The actual database is in the process
of being added and will be available shortly.
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