Lions, Tigers and Bears

On Thursday of this week I was sent to Spearfish, South Dakota, along with the a handful of other elementary teachers at my school, to be trained in the new reading curriculum we will be using in our classroom. While there, we watched two different first-year teachers implement the curriculum in their classes. It was really neat to watch and very helpful. I picked up a variety of tips for my class. One of the more promising ideas was to have a class pet. Rather than choosing the pet myself, I thought I would let the children throw out them some ideas.

I have typed up some of their responses--unedited

Dear Miss Queen of the Class Miss Brendsel,

I love snackes [snakes] and hamsters but I would love a snack and I love its name to be Tony and please I seen snack where I live and at first I was scared I cryed and screamed or its name could be Norha and I think it should be to take care of the pet should be me and I love snacks adn I hate raddle snacks...Or a hamster and its name could be sweetness or if its a boy it could be Tyler or Ramon. I like Ramon best but I like a hamster best or a snack best a snack because it is slimmy I didn't touch it and I know that cause I watch it on TV Please I mean I beg u to u Brendsel not a crab or a spider and its name could be Terry or Tina I dont' want to get a snck or a hamster or a crab pretty please and with a cherry on top I love spiders and I got bit by one in the summer vacation I bite was big it bit me on the back and I love hamsters to but hamsters are ok with me pretty please I know it confused to.


Love, J.N.N




Dear Miss Brendsel,

I think our class room pet should be fish and the same is gonna be gold fish and if you get a pet you have to feed it and you have to take care of your own pet and you could look at it and if you don'tn take care of it and my pet is name gonna be Rose and I liek fish and horse and I like both of them and it wil be my favrate both pet and i will feed both of them and I like horse and fish so I will take care of both and I love both kids of pets and it will be asome to get them and I love you Miss Queen Brensdel and I like it when i get it and it so coll when i tkae care of it ill feed them both and im gonna name the horse is mustang and i will feed it with grass and ill feed the fish is fish food and i like any kind of animal and miss bendsel and please miss berndsel ill take of them to, miss brendsel.


Love, M



Dear Miss Brendsel,

i want a monkey i will always take care of it i will teach it some math and read and i will allways take care of it...it must be a world changer to...we must give him a notebook and bag.


A.A.


Other worthy suggestions:

Platypus
Anteater
Mustang
Porcupine
Baby lion (whom we would keep on a leash)
Anaconda
Tarantula
Crocidile
And my personal favorite--Buffalo

After such amazing ideas, I suggested a T-Rex which I might keep in my closet, only to unleash upon unruly students. They seemed to like that idea too.



I finally decided on a Betta fish. It is a pretty purple color and a good starter pet. I think some of the kids may be slightly disappointed :) It looks just like the picture below. We will see what names the kids select.