PETA offers alternative to pets in classrooms

Independent Newsmedia

Stacy Mantle’s recent piece on animals in classrooms should raise an important question: How does keeping animals in classrooms affect the animals themselves — and what lessons do children absorb from that?

Keeping animals caged in classrooms 24/7 teaches students that it’s acceptable to treat living, feeling beings as teaching tools rather than individuals with needs of their own. Small animals such as hamsters, guinea pigs and reptiles kept in tiny enclosures are unable to engage in their natural behaviors like burrowing, climbing or foraging.

Many of these animals are nocturnal, yet are forced to spend their days in brightly lit rooms and endure stressful repeated handling.

PETA has received disturbing reports of animals in classrooms who suffered neglect and even horrific, fatal abuse.

“Caretakers” often leave animals alone overnight, on weekends and holidays, and forget them during evacuation drills. This teaches children all the wrong lessons.

Instead of keeping live animals in classrooms, teachers can foster kindness and responsibility by adopting classroom plants, participating in community gardens or arranging field trips to accredited sanctuaries.

PETA’s TeachKind program also provides free resources such as “Ratty,” a plush classroom pal who teaches compassion as part of TeachKind's Share the World empathy-building curriculum.

Educators have an opportunity and an obligation to instill empathy in their students. After all, the best lessons show respect for all living beings.

Editor’s note: Lisbet Chiriboga, M.S. Ed. is senior program manager of PETA’s TeachKind program. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.