class pets, your opinion

[icedtea]

our class is thinking about maybe getting a pet. what are your thoughts on the matter????

[king2005]

I think its a good idea, BUT only if the teacher knows how to care for it & willing to take the critter in if it doesn't work out in class.

Back in grade 7-8, the grade 4-5 teacher had a HUGE ginniepig pen in her classroom. She taught the students about animal care, respect & so on. Every year she breed one of the females & would let kids take them home as pets, BUT the kids parents HAD to show up to the parent teacher interview to claim the one their kid wanted & had to listen to care tips & so on about the animal.

In my grade 12A english class, we decided to get a goldfish. I supplied the bowl & airpump. I made sure they only got a little goldfish & said at the end of the year it had to go to a bigger home, like a pond. So as far as I know there was a new fish every year & it went to the bio teachers pond at teh end of the year.

[dab_20]

It's a good idea AS LONG AS this animal is treated with respect by your class mates. In 5th grade my class got a rabbit named Cocoa. The teacher ended up having to give it away because it became vicous and starting biting and lunging at the kids. It was because the kids did not treat Cocoa with respect when the teacher wasn't looking.

[lute]

i think a class pet is a good idea as long as it's being cared for properly and isn't being abused by the children/teacher. we always had hamsters,gerbils, guinnie pigs, parakeets, and snakes in our class rooms. on weekends and holidays we'd draw from a hat to see who got to take the pet home.

i like the idea of having pets in class rooms because if the kids don't have pets at home it teaches them about the responsablility and what it takes to own a pet.

[Chilli]

I agree with what everyone else said, and I'll say it again, its a great idea as long as everyone treats it with respect and knows the proper care.
Also, you must have a back-up plan incase the head of your school suddenly declares a "no-class room pet" rule (it happened at my cousin's school). You also need to make sure that the animal has a home to go to during the summer and such.
Our teachers at our school are too lame to have classroom pets. We had one in science last year. A goldfish. But everyone would shake the tank and poke at it and such. As a result, the fish died.
I wouldn't really suggest anything such as a rabbit or any other larger furry animal. I think you all you try something like a tarantula, lizard, scorpion, or other non-everyday-house-pet. In other words, something that no one in your class really has as a pet so that they can learn something from it.
I hope you all decide on a good choice!

[IRescue452]

As long as its taken care of properly and students are taught proper care. If I ever saw a goldfish in a bowl in a classroom I would go off on the teacher. Proper care cannot be taught if the animal isn't in a proper situation.