Winner of the 2013 Voyager Sopris Blog Contest

By Alexandria Mooney

    As a teacher, I look for anything and everything I can use to connect to my students, and get them excited about the learning that is going on in my classroom. I am not afraid to take risks, especially if my students will benefit from them.

    A few years ago, a colleague and I decided to take a risk for our middle school’s monthly “Club Day.” We were going to host “Dog Club,” where we would bring in our dogs (and have some of our colleagues bring theirs in too) and spend the day teaching the students about dog behaviors, training, maintenance, walking techniques, and much more. We had never brought our pets into school, and we weren’t even sure we were allowed to do so. After a discussion with our principal about the benefits of Dog Club, we got the green light.

    I cannot even begin to describe what I saw that day with our students: reluctant students were eager to jump in and show what they already knew about handling a dog; quiet, reserved students were no longer followers but leaders; and participation was overflowing at 100 percent! It was amazing: these animals brought kids out of their shells and into a new realm where engagement was high, interest levels were abundant, and students were begging us for more Dog Club time when the day was over.

    My colleague and I decided to make Dog Club a monthly Club Day occurrence. We began to partner with the APA (Animal Protective Association) for various projects. Our students began volunteering at the APA and their events, and APA representatives brought animals to school on a number of Club Days to teach us about animal abuse, grooming, care, adoption, and so much more. Our Dog Club was amazing, and started gaining some local attention. The animals were helping students learn. The impact was deep and lasting.

    Then I got to thinking: what if I could do something like Dog Club every day in my classroom? Obviously we’d stick to the curriculum and content, but could I have a classroom pet that could increase student engagement, learning, and interest with that content?

    I decided, again, to take a risk and (after getting another green light from my principal) get a classroom pet. Something that would live in our classroom year-round, but also be able to be taken out, handled, and even integrated into our classroom routines, lessons, and content. After some class discussions and student input, we settled on a fancy rat.

    Marbles the Rat became more than our classroom pet; she became the class of 2018’s family. She became a part of our lessons: bellringer activities revolved around her, technology class video projects used her as the main character, she became a calming shoulder partner for writing assignments, and she was the focal point for an art integration history project.

    I can honestly say the impact of a classroom pet was amazing. I had students begging me to let them play with Marbles, or clean Marbles’ cage after school, during lunch, or after they finished the assignment for the day. I had students who were reluctant to be near any animal (let alone a rat!) warm up and actually pet Marbles. Their interactions with this pet spurred conversations at home and outside of the classroom about what happened in class that day. Our classroom pet really opened up a lot of students, helped the content come alive, and added an interesting, fun, and even cute side to every school day.

     I encourage teachers out there to ask about having a pet in their classrooms. It can be anything—fish, a turtle, a snake, a rat. I promise the impact it will have on your classroom and students will be profound.

     Alexandria Mooney is preparing for her first year teaching technology at Ursuline Academy in Kirkwood, Missouri. She formerly taught seventh/eighth grade social studies and technology at Maplewood-Richmond Heights Middle School in St. Louis, Missouri. She has a bachelor’s in secondary education and history, and a master’s in educational technology. In 2012 she became a Google Certified Teacher. Visit her at: http://mooneyclasses.blogspot.com/