Pros And Cons Of Class Pets?

Cons Of Class Pets

Have you ever seen those heartbreaking videos and commercials on tv about animals and how their owners just leave them or do not care about them anymore? Well, when teachers bring in animals as a class pet to the school it is the same thing, it is hurting the pets and the education for kids too! And some teachers may not even notice it. You may think that many animals are just being left alone at home, lonely and sad, but another problem is also occurring, and has occurred already: pets are being left in classrooms, in small cages, for long periods of time. Others may say classroom animals are a perfect way for great learning experiences, like how to care and nurture for them, but I firmly contradict with this statement,

This demonstrates that pets are just like us, and when they are not in their natural habitat or home they can not learn new things and will not be able to experience the real animal life. Would you like to sit in a small cage for long periods of time, and not be able to do anything? Another example of why schools should not have class pets is in the article of “Pass On the Classroom Pet” it says, “Busy, noisy classrooms can be stressful, and small animals can be very adept at hiding symptoms of illness or injury (a lifesaving attribute when trying to avoid predators in the wild, but less

For example in the article “Classroom Critters: To Be or Not to Be?” it quotes, “ ‘In addition to carefully choosing a suitable animal for their classroom, teachers need to address potential health concerns. "There can be some health risks for students, such as Salmonella carried by reptiles, and asthma, allergies, or other conditions that could be aggravated by the presence of animals," says O'Brien.’ ” O’brien is a communications coordinator for the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE) (Simmons paragraph 8). The essential part of this is to show that some of these animals can cause sickness even to the kids in the classroom, and even worse to kids with allergies. A second example is shown in the article of “The Pros and Cons of Class Pets” it says, “While class pets can be a great teaching tool, they can also be a huge distraction. For students with attention and focusing needs, class pets can provide too much stimulation and distract them from their work” (Jordan paragraph 3). This illustrates that some kids may not be able to handle a pet in the classroom, they can get off topic and might not be able to focus. This reason is also shown in another article: “What’s the Problem With Classroom ‘Pets’?” it states, “Animals such as guinea pigs, sugar gliders, spiders, and snakes can also easily nip or bite students if they feel threatened, frustrated, or even hungry.