“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.” – John Muir.
Our classroom guinea pig, Oreo, has truly made our classroom community larger and better in every way as he teaches us compassion, collaboration, and caring.
My fifth grade students attend an urban public school in Chicago.
They live in a high-poverty community, and many of them are experiencing homelessness. As a result, our school has a high-mobility rate. This amplifies the need for our classroom to be a safe and stable space for them. They come each day to be loved, to learn, to grow, to stretch, to struggle, to laugh, and to share.
My students come from linguistically, ethnically, and culturally diverse backgrounds, and bring their unique experiences to our classroom every day. Their families have traveled to Chicago from Ghana, Ethiopia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Vietnam, Guatemala, and the Philippines. In part because of their hugely varied background experiences, they sometimes struggle to see eye to eye with one another. In our classroom, we work hard to develop empathy and solve problems collaboratively. Our classroom guinea pig has become a safe space to learn to work with others towards a common goal.
My Project
Through feeding and caring for Oreo, students learn the importance of listening and paying attention to the needs of other living creatures, whether animal or human. They learn to step outside of their own needs, and they see first-hand the value of kindness and compassion as they earn Oreo's affection. They learn to work as a team to meet his needs, as they practice sharing responsibility, delegating, leading, and listening.
Pets are enormously expensive, and for many of my students, this will be their first experience caring for a pet.
By donating, you are helping to open my students' eyes to the power of relationships with animals, to engage them in learning about science, and to spotlight and celebrate collaboration and responsibility.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Mirisola-Sullivan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.