class pets, your opinion

[caseysmom]

I guess the thinking is that if they don't get contact with pets at home or something, I am not sure.

My daughters 5th grade teacher asked me to rescue the class rat because the teacher got pregnant and didn't want to deal with him over the summer so we adopted him, the other rat had already died.

We had 2 females already so she knew I liked rats, I won't have them anymore though because of their short life span. My younger daughter now has class mice in her 8th grade class and she said there are 3 of them and they get going on the wheel and one of them can't keep up so he kind of hangs on while the other 2 make the wheel go around, it sounds pretty distracting the kids end up watching the mice.

[Giselle]

Don't mind my pessimism, but IMHO school is for learning and, in my personal experience, class pets distract the students and detract from the learning enviornment. While the arrival of a class pet may interest the students for awhile, there are FAR too many risks, too many liabilities, and too many "if's" to ensure a healthy and happy lifestyle for the animal.

Beyond that, some parents may feel insecure about their child's safety and health with an animal in the classroom. There are many diseases that young children can contract from animal feces. I would hardly think it safe to allow young children to handle animal feed or excrement (which is what taking care of an animal is about). Besides *that*, in compliance with proper hygenics, the children MUST wash their hands after handling the animal. This will require a LOT of handwashing and a LOAD of supervising. I'm sorry, but parents don't pay their hard-earned money to watch their children to dawdle around a bunny or guinea pig.

Therefore, if the purpose of a classroom pet is to educate the children about the proper care of animals, what purpose does it serve when the children are not allowed to pet or care for it? It's just not a good idea... :/

[jesse_3]

I think that class pets are okay IF the teacher is fully responsible, and supervises everything that happens with the pets. The teacher should make sure that they are handled, but are not handled too much. The teacher has to watch their weight, and make sure the cages are clean. My teacher (in my animal class) has a guinea pig, a hamster, 2 birds, and a couple of fish. They are all healthy, happy, and well maintained. This teacher loves the pets, and really watches them.

So, if the teacher is responsible, and WANTS the class pet, then sure, go for it! - but if the teacher has doubts, I would definetely say no...that is just my opinion though...

Steph and Splinter