Being human: Compassionate education rather than behaviour management

To explore alternative perspectives that challenge the notion of 'behaviour management'. To understand the ways that humanism offers an opportunity to support teachers and learners in schools. To reflect on Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Approaches as mechanisms and structures towards a compassionate education. This chapter explores alternative perspectives that challenge the notion of 'behaviour management'. It aims to understand the ways that humanism offers an opportunity to support teachers and learners in schools and focuses on Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Approaches as mechanisms and structures towards a compassionate education. N. Noddings's quotation is fascinating when framed within the current dominant discourses and ideologies around what constitutes a 'good education', particularly in English schools. A compassionate approach to education would encourage explicit focus on the relational dynamic inherent in teaching, seeing each individual in students' care first as a child, and then as a pupil. So humanity, with its features of empathy, compassion, feelings and kindness, has a clear connection to teaching and a 'good education' and many schools have humanity at the core of their teaching and learning ideology. Creating a school built on humanistic theories of education takes energy and continual effort.