Share Your Voice: What is the Biggest Challenge Facing Education Today?

At the U.S. Department of Education blog, readers are invited to answer this question: What is the biggest challenge facing education today? I wrote the following, and I hope you will share your thoughts as well: I believe the biggest challenge in education today is that our current purpose for schooling is inadequate. We are [...]

Campers at the Institute for Humane Education

Last week, we hosted 23 people, children and adults from local Camp Featherfoot for a day of reverence-building activities. Our summer intern, Emily Peake, introduced the group to such activities as Wonder Walk, Find Your Tree, Smell Teas, Seton Watching, and Gnome House Building and Ecology Discussion. Watching the children share their love of these [...]

Chart a Course for A Better World, A Meaningful Life

On September 6, the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) will be offering its acclaimed course: A Better World, A Meaningful Life. This month-long, distance learning course is meant for everyone who wants to deeply assess their lives and values and explore how to create changes that add meaning to their own lives while making a [...]

Animal Rights Hall of Fame

On July 17, I was inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame. To me, this award is a validation of the power of humane education to help create a compassionate world. Having spent my life teaching about the interconnections between human rights, animal protection, and environmental preservation, it’s incredible to have this vision [...]

Thank You, Khalif Williams!

For 8 1/2 years, the Institute for Humane Education (IHE), the organization I co-founded in 1996, has been blessed by Khalif Williams. He joined our organization as an office manager and development director in 2002, and two years later became our executive director. Khalif has not only been a tremendous asset to our organization and [...]

Building Empathy and Critical Thinking: A Lesson About Animals

At our Summer Institute for teachers at the Institute for Humane Education, participant Betsy Messenger, who is the humane educator at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York, created a lesson on animal issues that was so effective and powerful, I wanted to share it with you. She gathered our group outside and “borrowed” my [...]

Observing the Natural World & Creating Poetry

During our Summer Institute, June 28-July 2, we introduce the participants to a form of nature observation called “Seton watching.” Each of us finds a place at the Institute for Humane Education’s meadow, woods, or by the pond to sit and observe a small window of nature for 25 minutes. It’s always remarkable how much [...]

What Superhero Would You Be?

During our Summer Institute for teachers, June 28-July 2, participants offered the group short presentations on any humane education topic. Andy Beardsley, a high school English teacher, explored superheroes with us and then invited us to consider what superhero we would be, what powers we would have, and how our superhero story would originate were [...]

Reflections on Our Summer Institute

Last week twelve educators gathered for the Institute for Humane Education’s summer training institute for teachers. One teacher came from down the road a half mile, and another from Hong Kong. We ranged in age from 19 to 69. What we had in common was an interest in bringing the most pressing issues of our [...]

Kids’ Responses to Humane Education

I received a packet of thank you letters from a middle school class that I taught for several days, and I wanted to share some excerpts with you: “I was blown away by all of the surprising discoveries you talked about…. I liked the idea that we get to discover so much by ourselves about [...]