Students stressed out over impending college acceptance and rejection letters drop by a teacher’s class to spend time brushing the therapy dog in her class just to calm their nerves.
At another campus, a first grader practices reading aloud while absentmindedly playing with the ears of a therapy dog that visits his class once a week.
Man’s best friend is playing an increasingly important role in maintaining student mental health as more becomes required of students to succeed academically.
Vicky Warren, a health teacher at Casa Roble high school in the San Juan Unified School District, has been bringing her golden retriever Cooper to class for the last five years. Warren said that having him in the classroom makes it feel more like home, which has helped lower student stress and made it easier to learn.
“He comes with me almost every day,” Warren said. “I've had students with anxiety and even Tourette Syndrome pet Cooper to feel calmer. Students come to my classroom at lunch, during passing periods, and a few stop by regularly for their daily interaction with Cooper.”
[For more of this story, written by Alisha Kirby, go to https://cabinetreport.com/huma...pe-with-daily-stress]
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