Now when I say to my Art students that I want them to learn how to critically analyze their world so they can learn the truth about their world and how to deal with it. Talk about preparing Children for the future. Then I say; now let’s take a look at how Artists shape our world and drive morals and values. And so we visually analyze the Milk Mustache Ads in our cafeteria to find a perfect example of how Art has the power to shape our world. And with this knowledge, we can use it for good and reshape our world into a better one than our parents care to leave us. My 8th grade students are wonderful and I love them very much. For me to perpetuate this myth in fear of what uniformed know-it-alls might say about my Art teachings or in fear of losing my job or any other fear/excuse, I would have to abandon humanity. So, for all those who know more than I do about teaching, art, and morals, I am willing to always entertain new information. It is just these same ignorant remarks, partial truths, and twisting of things, I do not appreciate.
Because, I have now made these things evident, we have a duty to act on them. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. Any school that helps to fund Factory Farming, and more importantly, uses beings of “lesser” worth, needs to re-examine the real message they are sending Children. It is no wonder that some of our young Acme Students drive knives through the centers of frogs’ bodies to watch them squirm and wiggle, as they die an unimaginable and horrifically slow death – do you see the connection or do you shrug it off as boys-being boys. Teaching these same boys a reverence for life is really the end of war, school shootings, and violence in society. Additionally, this is the answer to pollution, our medical crisis, and a whole catalog of societies’ ills.
nowingly, setting up children to live shorter lives, filled with illness and disrespect, and knowingly funding the misery, death, and destruction of the earth when you are given information that will do the contrary, is a crime against humanity. This is not the type of employer I want to work for, nor, is it the legacy I want my generation to leave for our beautiful, innocent, and loving Children who trust us to do the right thing. Too, is it that people understand that it is absurd for men to sit around and talk about whether a woman should be permitted to have an abortion, but then, a child should not be able to think about things regarding their own lives.
As soon as a child is old enough to pick up a fork, they should be told the truth. Animals are not ours to do whatever the damn well we please with. If Children trust us to make decisions for them, shouldn't we be absolutely certain it is good and right? Furthermore, shouldn’t we always be willing to discuss these issues instead of avoiding them in fear of change?
Please, I am tired of this, it is my choice, my kid, none of your biz - I say, then home school your kid, because, otherwise your child will most likely, spend 45 minutes a day with someone who cares enough to look into the truth, but then, you might look bad. No longer a personal choice when it infringes on others and the future of humankind. If a child insists on eating Animals, he can bring them from home, but Public School has no place serving Factory Farming’s dirty little secrets to our trusting and unsuspecting students. Lastly, how telling it is of our ignorance, to find we only consider our real, true friends, when we see they can help us in some way.
Definition of Humane Education:
Humane education makes the acquisition of relevant knowledge, skills, and commitment to living ethically, sustainably, and peaceably on this planet the very purpose of education. It does this by infusing the curricula at all levels of education with meaningful information, inspiration, and tools for creating a safe and humane world for all.
Humane education examines the challenges facing our planet, from human oppression and animal exploitation to materialism and ecological degradation. It explores how we might live with compassion and respect for everyone: not just our friends and neighbors, but all people; not just our own dogs and cats, but all animals; not just our own homes, but also the earth itself, our ultimate home.
Humane education helps raise a generation that cares, that realizes that what we do matters, not just to ourselves but also to everyone our lives touch; a generation that understands the connections between both our personal and cultural choices and the fate of other people, other species, and the Earth, and takes responsibility for creating a better world. Humane education achieves these goals by inspiring people to identify the values that will guide them through life and by teaching them the process of embodying these values in the face of complex problems and needs.
The birth of humane education as a national effort dates back to 1915. In that year, “Be Kind to Animals Week” was inspired Dr. William O’Stillman, leader of the American Humane Association. AHA’s primary goals were: visiting local schools to promote the development of humane education and publicizing the good works of the nation’s humane societies.
Quality humane education uses a four-element approach that includes:
• Providing accurate information about the interrelated issues of human rights, environmental preservation, animal protection, and culture.
• Teaching critical thinking so students can discern fact from opinion and resist forms of manipulation, whether from advertising, media, peers, or social norms.
• Inspiring the 3 Rs of reverence, respect, and responsibility so students will have both the passion for, and the commitment to, bringing about positive change.
• Offering choices for both individual decision-making and group problem-solving so that students can become part of a growing effort to develop sustainable, peaceful, and humane systems by which to live.
(105 ILCS 5/27‑13.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 27‑13.1)
In every public school there shall be instruction, study and discussion of current problems and needs in the conservation of natural resources, including but not limited to air pollution, water pollution, waste reduction and recycling, the effects of excessive use of pesticides, preservation of wilderness areas, forest management, protection of wildlife and humane care of domestic animals.(Source: P.A. 86‑229.)
(105 ILCS 5/27‑12)(from Ch. 122, par. 27‑12)
Sec. 27‑12. Character education. Every public school teacher shall teach character education, which includes the teaching of respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, trustworthiness, and citizenship, in order to raise pupils' honesty, kindness, justice, discipline, respect for others, and moral courage for the purpose of lessening crime and raising the standard of good character.(Source: P.A. 94‑187, eff. 7‑12‑05.)
(105 ILCS 5/27‑15)(from Ch. 122, par. 27‑15)
Sec. 27‑15. Moral and humane education ‑ In institute programs. The superintendent of each region and city shall include once each year moral and humane education in the program of the teachers' institute which is held under his supervision.(Source: P.A. 79‑597.)
Strange - I never had any training inservices about being humane to Animals in my 8 years with the district. I was never trained - none of us have been! Schools all over. Superintendants want the lazy easy road. Ever notice how they cringe when you ask them to read something. They say, Oh, looks long. And then they hope maybe you won't follow up, then they say, not yet, and eventually they say, they will never read it. Even when I say it is grave and serious! This man has a Doctorate in Brain Research and can't look at some simple stats on an e-mail containing the 1989 Realities. These are the tactics admins use. They hide info from teachers, and heaven forbid, a teacher finds out, they make it impossible to teach Humane Education at every step of the way. And I never backed down and did it anyway. Now here we are, .......
