Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and while we here at Advantek believe teachers need to be appreciated this way all year long, we wanted to give a special shout out to those that take the chance and have animals in the classroom as pets.
There are so many benefits to having pets in the classroom. Not only does it take an animal that might not have had a home and surround it with a family, pets in the classroom have the ability to assist in educating our children.
Did you have pets in the classroom while you were in school? What kind of pet was it? What are your memories? What did you learn? We’d bet your take away was a lot more than you realize. That’s why, this Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to mention those furry and or scaly classmates that bring our children added benefits and thank the teachers that take the chance on bringing in pets for our education.
Have you said thank you during Teacher Appreciation Week?
Pets in the classroom is a website the advocates such a practice. Some of their insights and research reveal that, “Classroom Pets Stimulate Learning Classroom animals are wonderful resources for teachers to make learning fun in all subjects!” They go on to say, “Whether it’s Math (“how much does a hamster weigh?”) or Science, (“what does a snake eat?”) Geography (“what part of the world do ferrets come from?”) or Grammar (“what words would we use to describe a goldfish?”) students will approach learning all these subjects with a new enthusiasm and interest. Other classes can even come visit your classroom pets and your students can create special presentations about the animals.”
They also talk about how having a pet in the classroom enriches the learning experience.
“• Even kids with no exposure to animals or nature in their home environment can see, feel, touch and make connections to the wide world of animals.
• Observing and caring for an animal instills a sense of responsibility and respect for life.
• A pet brings increased sensitivity and awareness of the feelings and needs of others—both animals and humans.
• Kids learn that all living things need more than just food and water for survival.
• Students will see directly how their behavior and actions affect others.
• Studies show that the presence of animals tends to lessen tension in the classroom.”
Read more about pets in the classroom here.
One teacher that we spoke to said this about pets in the classroom, “It’s not solely about responsibility, it’s about respect for animals (my passion.) I plant a seed to one day try and have all animals loved, resulting in no animal shelters and no animal abuse.” We couldn’t agree more.
The Be Humane website has findings on pets in the classroom. They say, “A class hamster, guinea pig, lizard, or even goldfish can be fun and exciting for schoolchildren, but it also has real educational, leadership and character-building value, according to a new study from American Humane Association in collaboration with the Pet Care Trust. Phase I of the two-phase “Pets in the Classroom” study features surveys and interviews of nearly 1,200 teachers and reveals that having a class pet can teach children important values like compassion, empathy, respect, and responsibility for other living things, as well as give them much-needed leadership skills and stress relief.” Read the entire article here.
There’s been a lot of dialogue about having pets in the classroom and the benefits involved. An internet search reveals a lot of content on the subject.
The website Animal World listed a bunch of bullet points in their report. Below are three of them. Visit their page to read all of the benefits.
1. Pets teach compassion – Children learn to care for another living creature. They don’t always know how to interact with other creatures and this can teach them to touch softly, feed an animal and become in tune to their feelings. For instance, petting comforts an animal.
2. Pets teach responsibility – You are never too young to learn how to coexist with other living things. Pets are dependent on their owners for feeding and care. Children can learn how to feed a pet on a regular schedule, give them exercise and also clean out their cages.
3. Pets teach kids to think – While children learn to read and write in school, they also need to think through situations. If a pet is limping, something is wrong with it that needs attention. Cleaning a cage takes thought. The pet needs to be moved to another location before the tank can be cleaned. Where will you put the pet?
What are your thoughts about pets in the classroom? What benefits do you see?
Make sure to tell your teacher thank you, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week, but as much as you can.
