According to Dictionary.com—

Humane: “characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed”

Educator: “one trained in teaching; a teacher”

In essence, a humane educator is a teacher

who shares the message of compassion for life, be it animals or people.

But the definition doesn’t stop there! A humane educator is anyone who teaches about the importance of kindness, respect, and responsibility for animals, people, and even the environment. The awesome thing about humane education is that we can all be teachers and we don’t have to be in front a classroom in order to share our message. Teaching about kindness to animals can happen at school, at home, at a friend's--anywhere!

Humane educators who teach about kindness to animals urge people to consider why being kind to animals is the right thing to do. They also challenge people to explore real-world issues that impact the well-being of animals, to look for humane resolutions to these problems, and to act upon them.

For instance, many humane educators visit schools to urge students to consider the importance of adopting cats and dogs from animal rescues as a way to help stray animals find homes and reduce their suffering on the streets. Hopefully, these kids will act upon what they have learned and adopt their next furry friend!

Finally, humane educators know that animal suffering doesn’t just harm animals, it harms all of us. People who are purposely cruel to animals may someday try to hurt other people too. Knowing this, humane educators work to share the message of kindness to all living beings and cruelty to none.