“I remember in the morning before class started, we would peek into their enclosure and we would try to find where they were hiding,” freshman Eva Mack said, remembering the multiple fire-bellied toads that could be found in the Lower School science room. Toads weren’t the only species that inhabited this frequently-visited room; sugar gliders, a box turtle, a tortoise, and a snake all drew in packs of interested students.
“In terms of student interest, animals are a great hook,” James Audrain, Lower and Intermediate School science teacher, said. For over 20 years, the science department has had a variety of species, chosen for their minimal care requirements over long weekends. Many of the animals challenge students’ aversions to certain species. “Our reason for having the ball python was because people come in with a fear…so as you handle and get to know the ball python, you discover, ‘wow, what an amazing animal.’”
At one point, third graders had the opportunity to sign up to become “animal rangers” and help take care of the pets. “It’s to nurture and enrich the curiosity of kids. You have to be observant to recognize how to best take care of [the animal],” Audrain said.
Audrain isn’t the only one who recognized the relationship between students and classroom pets. According to the American Humane Society (AHS), there are numerous benefits to having classroom pets, spanning from educational opportunities to social-emotional learning. A two-phase AHS study made possible with a grant from Pet Care Trust, titled Pets in the Classroom, found that having classroom pets can “encourage student interest in animal science and behavior” and “motivate children to actively engage in school.”
Mack also acknowledges this. “[The animals] definitely got me involved,” she said. In Lower School, Mack chose to spend her mornings before school spotting toads, observing a snake, or interacting with newly-hatched ducklings.
Despite the noted advantages, there are disadvantages that may limit the ability to own a classroom pet, such as financial responsibility. The most frequent challenge reported by 65% of teachers participating in the study was “additional costs for the pet outside the grant monies.” Recognizing this barrier alongside the impact of class animals, the nonprofit organization Pet Care Trust founded Pets in the Classroom, which works to aid teachers with costs associated with owning pets for their class.
According to their website, “The Pets in the Classroom grant program supports teachers in enhancing students’ educational and personal development through interactions with pets in their classroom.” So far, they have issued 262,924 grants to teachers across the country to help break the barrier of cost and help provide the experience of having a class pet to students.
At Parker, the costs for the classroom pets in the Lower School science department are covered by a fund dedicated to “enrichment,” and according to Audrain, Parker has always been “very generous with anything to support science and STEM.”
The animals housed in the Lower School science room are regularly cared for by Audrain and Lower and Intermediate School science teacher Heather Sheahan. Because Parker has significant breaks in the school year, families take animals home and care for them during these times. During COVID, the Charfoos family took home a box turtle named Fred that became a lasting member of their family. “When we returned [from quarantine], after such a long stay, we got so attached to her that we decided to formally adopt her,” sophomore Oliver Charfoos said.
It used to be more common for families to take home animals over break, but “that started to change for a couple reasons,” Audrain said. “It became harder to find families that would take the animals. And there seemed to be more questions that popped up, like they would worry about this or that and try to contact us, and I’d be on vacation and unreachable.”
Audrain stresses that if the animal falls ill or passes away, “we will never hold you accountable in any way. We appreciate the fact that you’re taking an animal and developing a relationship.”
“In my personal opinion, I think that people are having less interaction with animals on a personal level. And some of the [times] we aren’t always taking good care of our environment and habitats in our environment stem from the fact that we don’t feel the same kind of connection,” Audrain said.
Charfoos describes the relationship that other members of his family have with Fred. “When our golden retriever Cooper was alive, Fred would curl up in Cooper’s tail,” he said. “When it is feeding time, [Fred] takes a little bath in her container and eats blueberries and worms.” When asked if he would recommend the experience of taking home a classroom pet, Charfoos responded with, “It is our pleasure to have Fred around our house, and we hope that other people have the same experience.”
Through the years, this program within the Lower School science department has made changes–like not allowing mammals in the school, or picking species that don’t require extensive care over weekends–but has seen outcomes that support the program’s mission to enrich the curiosity of kids and foster a connection with other species.
