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What’s in a Name?: Introducing Humane Educator

A new school year brings new ideas, new resources and this year, a new name for our e-newsletter. We are excited to introduce Humane Educator.

We chose the name Humane Educator because we wanted our e-newsletter to speak directly to the audience it is created for — you! When you receive it, we want you to know that you’re part of a community of educators who are helping foster compassion, empathy, kindness and responsibility for animals, people and the environment.

Being a humane educator isn’t about teaching a particular grade or subject. It’s about creating opportunities for students to think about how the choices we make affect others and encouraging them to approach those relationships with care, compassion and respect.

Every time you use a resource, start a conversation, ask students to consider a fresh perspective or help them make a thoughtful choice, you are contributing to that work — that’s what Humane Educator represents.

The e-newsletter will continue to bring the things you’ve come to expect from us: classroom resources, information and ideas, opportunities and more. But now, it has a name that recognizes the important role you play in making those resources come to life.

We’re glad you’re part of the community and we look forward to another year of learning, exploring and making a difference together.

Humane Educator is your e-newsletter. If there’s a topic you’d like us to explore, a classroom success story you’d like to share, or a resource you’d like to see, let us know. The best ideas come from educators like you and your feedback helps to ensure Humane Educator continues to be useful, relevant and inspiring.

Not receiving the e-newsletter?

If you’re an educator who is looking for practical resources and ideas to bring humane education into your classroom, sign up for Humane Educator. You’ll receive the latest updates from the teachers at the Alberta SPCA in your inbox, once a month, throughout the school year.

Humane education… in music?

I recently gave a presentation to a group of teachers on incorporating literature to foster positive attitudes, empathy and knowledge related to animals, people and the environment (humane education!). We discussed how humane education concepts from wide array of books can be woven into many

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The promise, some pitfalls, and how to practise EMPATHY

Empathy is our theme for this year and a core focus of humane education. Empathy has been shown to improve communication skills, prosocial behaviours like cooperating, sharing, and helping and reduce bullying. But empathy is complicated as we don’t always apply it equitably to people

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Recommended Summer Reads (and Listens)!

Hello teachers! With summer around the corner, you might be looking for some interesting books that you will finally have time to read or audio for the car, on a walk, or just relaxing at home. Here are a few suggestions that will challenge your

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The Benefits of Humane Education

Humane education is an approach to teaching that fosters empathy and compassions towards animals, people, and the environment. When we teach students to be kind, to show compassion and to be respectful to animals, not only does it have a positive impact on animals, it

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Record-Breaking Kindness Challenge!

This past December, a record breaking, thirty-eight Alberta classes committed to participating in the Kindness Challenge. Students from kindergarten to grade 7 spread acts of kindness towards self, others, animals, and the environment for the first half of December. Each day students completed a different

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Meet Gloria Ho: The Artist Behind the Posters

For the past six years, the Alberta SPCA has been fortunate to collaborate with local artist, Gloria Ho, in creating our character education classroom poster series. Each year Gloria paints animals that help convey the annual theme. Over the years, thousands of these posters have

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Using Books to Create a Caring Classroom

This school year started like no other. As we transition through these challenging times, it is important for everyone to show a little more compassion and empathy towards others. It is important for us, as teachers, to begin fostering these qualities in students at the

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A Message for Teachers:

Dear Teachers, Thank you for your hard work and dedication to students in this exceptional time. The need for caring for others is becoming ever more salient and we recognize and value the important role of teachers and learning communities in proving support and care

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