Most people have grown up with pets in their classrooms. What most people don't know is that it scars these animals, in some ways beyond repair. Although some will argue that having class pets is educational and fun, helping children learn about responsibilities, I believe it only teaches speciesism and domination.
Keeping animals as class pets comes at a cost:
Animals are kept in extremely small cages
Animals develop diseases from an improper diet
Animal's sleep cycles are messed up
Animal's lives are shortened
Animals are often forgotten during natural disasters or breaks
Guinea pigs and rabbits are sometimes deprived of necessary hay
If you ask almost any teacher if the pets are included in the fire escape plan the answer is no. This teaches children that animals inferior and their lives are not valuable
I'm have experienced all this first-hand. Thank you for joining me in the fight against classroom pets. Hopefully, if anything we can raise awareness to the fact that animals are not teaching materials. They are living breathing beings that belong in the wild.
Dear Everybody,
I am a fourth grade student and in every classroom I've been in, there have been pets. I am deeply saddened by the living conditions and confinement of these creatures. Although some argue that animals in classrooms are opportunities to teach children about animals and responsibility, I believe they really teach about degradation and domination.
