Assuming that school is an institution for the development of the human spirit, we should also assume that it is a place of love, respect and support. A place where the human spirit, regardless of age, feels free, joyful and inspired to grow. A place where learning outcomes, achievements and success go hand in hand with the development of a free spirit, creativity and intellectual curiosity.
Probably every teacher has wondered what kind of teacher they want to be. A strict teacher who achieves good discipline, makes students fearful, keeps them silent, expects them to follow commands and instructions without question, gives them no voice and no choice, and demands complete obedience? Or, on the contrary, an understanding and compassionate person who does not punish because they believe punishment humiliates the individual? A teacher who sees each student as a unique person, respects them, values their opinions, listens to their thoughts, seeks their advice on improving the learning process, and motivates them through persuasion so that they genuinely want to learn because they believe in their limitless potential. A teacher who inspires success because they themselves are inspired by their work.
The first type of teacher is traditional and conservative and represents, generally speaking, authoritarian pedagogy, in which the teacher is the active authority while the student is a passive participant with very little choice, expected simply to do what adults decide is best.
Authoritarian pedagogy is based on commands, instructions, coercion and punishment. These are painful situations in which an adult instructs, commands, orders, coerces or punishes. The child responds with resistance because they want to be heard, understood and respected as a person, not punished. When you are constantly being commanded or shouted at, it is very difficult to listen to the occasional words of encouragement from the same person.
Being a student is not easy because you are almost entirely dependent on the adult world—your teachers. Your voice often seems unimportant. Others make decisions for you, and you simply have to hope that those decisions are fair, honest and in your best interests.
Very often, the classroom becomes like a battlefield, where teachers and students argue loudly, raise their voices, accuse one another of misunderstanding, and create an atmosphere in which the creative process that should fill every lesson turns into a painful struggle. Angry words fill the air while inspiration quietly waits for the tension to disappear. Unfortunately, it does not always disappear. This is a familiar scene in schools all over the world.
What kind of personalities are shaped by such an atmosphere and such a pedagogy? Perhaps people who are angry and disrespectful because they themselves have not experienced respect. It may also nurture indifference towards learning and even hatred of school because school becomes a place associated with anxiety, guilt and the constant expectation of punishment.
The second type of teacher is much rarer. Accepting that children are already complete human beings with lives that matter today—not simply adults in preparation—requires us to respect them, listen to them, learn from them and be inspired by them. It also requires teachers to continue developing themselves spiritually, becoming people who are free from the need for excessive control and who do not see education primarily as a means of control.
Teachers of this kind are representatives of what Shalva Amonashvili calls Humane Pedagogy. This approach to education is based on an individual approach to every child, on the child's own desire to act, on inner motivation, inspiration and the gradual willingness to take responsibility—not through coercion, but through free choice, supported by an adult who genuinely believes in the child's potential.
Schools today are increasingly becoming places that cultivate competition—environments in which examinations and examination results often take priority over the development of the human qualities that prepare young people for life beyond school.
In almost every country, consumerism has become a dominant force. Consumer society creates consumers—people who feel fulfilled only when a purchase gives them a sense of happiness, prestige or self-worth. Unfortunately, this mentality is often reinforced in schools, particularly in many Western societies, and others tend to imitate it. Only through humane pedagogy can this focus on consumerism be redirected towards cultivating the spiritual qualities that help people create meaning, experience joy and appreciate life independently of material possessions.
The school of the future should strive not to find a compromise between authoritarian and humane pedagogy, but rather to reduce the influence of authoritarian pedagogy and encourage more teachers to embrace the principles of humane pedagogy, while continuing to develop themselves spiritually as individuals.
Authoritarian pedagogy has evolved over centuries and become widespread throughout the world largely because it is easier to apply. It is based on the philosophy that the teacher possesses absolute authority, while the student's role is simply to obey. If the student refuses to obey or follow instructions, they are punished or criticised for poor behaviour.
Authoritarian pedagogy and Humane Pedagogy are fundamentally opposite approaches to education. The word authoritarian itself implies power and control. A pedagogy based on the unquestioned authority of one person is, by its very nature, anti-democratic and contains elements of dictatorship.
These are the main differences between Authoritarian Pedagogy and Humane Pedagogy, based on Shalva Amonashvili's Manifesto for Humane Pedagogy.
Authoritarian Pedagogy believes that children are preparing for life. They are seen as incomplete human beings who will one day become fully developed adults. As a result, children are often treated with condescension rather than genuine respect.
Humane Pedagogy, on the other hand, recognises that children are not preparing for life—they are already living it. This understanding fundamentally changes our attitude towards them. It is built on respect for the child's personality, equality and genuine partnership through dialogue.
Authoritarian Pedagogy builds relationships through rewards and punishments.
Humane Pedagogy builds relationships through spiritual connection, cooperation, co-creation and communication that comes from the teacher's heart and reaches the heart of the child.
Authoritarian Pedagogy focuses primarily on developing knowledge, skills and habits, making the educational process an end in itself.
Humane Pedagogy seeks first to enrich the child's heart and mind, seeing knowledge as the path through which this deeper development is achieved.
Authoritarian Pedagogy relies on psychological profiles and classifications in an attempt to understand children.
Humane Pedagogy accepts every child as they are, without trying to fit them into predefined models.
Authoritarian Pedagogy educates children in order to prepare them for life.
Humane Pedagogy understands that children are already living life and seeks to nurture them through life itself.
Authoritarian Pedagogy aims to adapt children to the world as it is.
Humane Pedagogy seeks to educate people who will become creators of life, capable of changing both themselves and the world around them.
Authoritarian Pedagogy is essentially monological in its communication.
Humane Pedagogy strives for continuous, equal and respectful dialogue between teacher and child.
The educational processes of Authoritarian Pedagogy are formal, strictly regulated and characterised by a didactic tone. Students are constantly instructed, reminded of their duties and expected to demonstrate complete obedience.
The educational processes of Humane Pedagogy, on the other hand, are built on cooperation, the development of a spiritual connection between teacher and students, mutual understanding, trust, patience, free choice, joy, love and knowledge achieved through all of these.
For Authoritarian Pedagogy, the guiding principles are straightforward: evil is punished, good is rewarded, laziness is criticised and hard work is rewarded.
Humane Pedagogy is guided by different principles: love is nurtured through examples of love, kindness through examples of kindness, success through examples of success, nobility through examples of nobility and diligence through examples of diligence.
Authoritarian Pedagogy is conservative.
Humane Pedagogy is innovative and creative.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, Authoritarian Pedagogy often creates an atmosphere of criticism, dissatisfaction, irritation, shouting, condemnation, punishment, rudeness and humiliation of children's dignity.
The atmosphere created by Humane Pedagogy is therapeutic, healing, inspiring and motivating because every child experiences a sense of inner acceptance, free choice, joy, spiritual connection, love and respect.
Authoritarian Pedagogy places the curriculum above everything else and expects it to be completed regardless of the cost.
Humane Pedagogy places the overall development of the child at the centre of the educational process, even if this sometimes requires compromises with the curriculum.
School should be a place that is fair to everyone involved in the learning process. Yet, in many cases, the child is still the participant whose voice is heard the least.
Only the teacher can truly change the atmosphere and transform authoritarian pedagogy into humane pedagogy. The teacher is the conductor who sets the emotional tone, shapes the spiritual climate in the classroom and establishes the ethical standards for relationships. If we want to educate children to build humane relationships, teachers themselves must first embrace these values.
Ultimately, Authoritarian Pedagogy produces authoritarian personalities—people who are trained to obey instructions and carry out the will of others. Students are judged primarily by their academic performance and their obedience rather than by their creativity and potential. If they do what the teacher wants, they are considered good students. If they do not, they are considered bad students. As a result, many develop qualities such as hypocrisy, excessive agreeableness and submission simply to gain the teacher's approval.
Humane Pedagogy, by contrast, nurtures creative, free-spirited people who respect both themselves and others and who are motivated to improve themselves and the world around them. This is possible because these are the qualities embodied by the teachers who guide them.
Is it possible to implement Humane Pedagogy in mainstream schools and classrooms? The answer depends on many factors.
It depends on the willingness of school leaders to embrace and promote the principles of this approach. It depends on the quality of teachers because they are the key people who bring the ideas of Humane Pedagogy to life in the classroom. It also depends on class size. The smaller the class, the greater the opportunity to build meaningful dialogue with every student. The larger the class, the more difficult it becomes to manage the learning process effectively and to respond to each child's individual needs.
It also depends on the willingness of parents to cooperate and support the principles of Humane Pedagogy so that these ideas continue naturally within the family environment rather than remaining isolated in the classroom. In this way, the seeds of Humane Pedagogy can more easily take root in the child's soul, regardless of age. Every child is unique, with their own personality, gifts and talents. They should not be compared with others but accepted as they are.
The development of positive character traits should go hand in hand with the learning process because the two are inseparable. The personality of the teacher is of enormous importance. The teacher's own personal growth, spiritual development and commitment to academic excellence inevitably influence the growth and development of their students.
The school of the future needs more spiritually developed teachers and teachers of strong moral character. This will make an enormous difference because children need meaningful human relationships and positive role models far more than they need technology alone. Nothing can replace genuine human presence and good communication in the learning process.
Art and nature, in all their forms, should become an active part of education. Regardless of the subject being taught, both can enrich, harmonise and deepen the learning experience, creating a more civilised and inspiring path towards knowledge. Art in all its forms—music, dance, painting, literature and other creative expressions—can become a powerful language and a valuable tool for building stronger relationships with students, regardless of the subject. Their therapeutic and calming effect on the human mind has long been recognised.
The fundamental principle of Humane Pedagogy is this: it is not the teacher and the subject that move towards the child. Rather, the teacher and the child walk together into the world of knowledge, represented by the school subject. Understanding this difference in direction is essential for laying the foundations of Humane Pedagogy.
Perhaps the most important message for teachers, school leaders and parents is this: children need to be loved exactly as they are. They are still developing, full of surprises, energetic and sometimes disobedient. That energy should be guided with love and given meaningful ways to express itself. It should not be punished or suppressed but transformed into creativity.
Because, ultimately, the most important thing is that every child feels loved and respected, and that school is a peaceful place, filled with joy and inspiration—a place they are happy to attend.
(Elena S. Lyubenova)
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