Classroom pet

[1] Research and literature in the 21st century has shown the main reasons for having classroom pets is to capture the attention of students, improve relationships, provide the opportunity for creative activities, be a resource for humane education, and act as a motivator for students.

[6] The study found that both parents and teachers reported that the students in the class with the guinea pigs had greater increases in social skills and decreases in behavior problems at the end of the 8 weeks.

[1] Additional findings have shown that classroom pets, not only improve compassion and empathy but also teach children to have respect for the living things in the world around them.

[4] Classroom pets can also have a positive effect on the social-emotional development of students with autism spectrum disorder.

[8] Through the use of a dog-assisted activity program in a multi-cultural elementary classroom, researchers found that teachers are more aware of student difficulties and strengths after interacting with dogs.

[2] This suggests that the presence of classroom pets does not only benefit students but also results in increased teacher awareness.