We received the following letter from a teacher that we just have to share with you!

I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know about the wonderful things our bearded dragon (Charlie) has brought to our classroom. I teach fourth grade and getting students to write is often difficult, but if I ask for research on Charlie they all jump right to it and I get more work from students than ever before. My students who have difficulties concentrating perform much better on these assignments. I also have a couple of Autistic students and he often sits with them and helps them on days when things are out of sorts. It is amazing! The biggest success story for Charlie is we have a student in an Emotional/Behavioral Class that has a really hard time fitting in. He gets very angry at times and when we weren’t able to calm him down with the usual strategies, we found just holding and talking to Charlie for a few minutes when he gets upset works every time. He simply comes to my room and we take Charlie out and he holds, rubs and feeds him by hand and that does it. It’s like a small miracle. I just had to take the time to thank you for what you do and tell you, for some kids pets are a break-through addition to a classroom.

Thanks Again!
Erica Hornick
4th Grade Teacher

This teacher’s story is just one of many that teachers share with us on how their classroom pet is making a difference in the lives of their students! To learn more about the Pets in the Classroom grant program and to apply for a grant, visit https://petsintheclassroom.org/grant-app/.