We at Pets in the Classroom believe that other teachers are a great resource for understanding the benefits of classroom pets, the impact they can make, and the teaching tool they can be. Here are a couple of great letters that will give you a little more insight into our grant program and the classroom experience with pets:
I am writing to express my thanks for your generosity. I very much appreciate the opportunity to have a unique classroom pet and your grant program has allowed me to have that chance.
Teachers, as you well understand, work with a very limited budget. It’s because of programs like these that teachers are able to continue improving their classrooms and lives of their students.
Our new Leopard Gecko will be a great addition to our classroom. The students have already been involved in this process. We began voting with the entire list of pets that you had to offer and have since, obviously, narrowed it down to the Leopard Gecko. The students are already very intrigued by the limited information that I have shared with them about Leopard Geckos. I plan to inform them of our success this week and begin talking/learning about the habitat that will be required. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to do this with my students.
Again, thank you very much for your generosity. It is very much appreciated. Please know that this program does make a significant difference to students and teachers that are involved. Thank you!
Derek Niss
Science Instructor
Educational Service Unit No.5
Thank you so much for granting us money to care for our classroom pets. We have cared for 3 goldfish and 1 plecostomus for over 4 years in my kindergarten classroom.
The pets are very positive part of our classroom environment. Last week we were learning about naming words. I wrote a requested naming word (noun) for each of my students and they then taped it to the appropriate object in our classroom. Two of the first “objects” to be labeled were the fish and the rocks in the fish tank. I have one special needs student this year (I had him last year, also). His favorite part of the classroom has always been the fish. The first thing he looks for when he comes in every morning is the fish. He can sign fish and loves to feed them, as do the other students. Being the fish feeder is a very important job and our fish seldom go hungry.
We live 120 miles from the nearest chain pet store. Therefore, being able to purchase the tank and supplies from our local pet store not only put a smile on the pet storeowner’s face, but also made my job of purchasing the items much easier (and cheaper).
Thank you for your time and generosity. I feel pets are a very important part of the kindergarten curriculum and should be in the lives of all small children. They truly do love them and learning from caring for them.
Stacy Hasler
Kindergarten Teacher
