Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:
- 01:11] Melinda Thomas on fostering a positive learning environment through pets
- [03:03] The wide geographic reach and inclusiveness of Pets in the Classroom's program
- [04:56] How teachers can incorporate pets into their curriculum
- [07:40] The community-building aspects of the Pets in the Classroom initiative
- [15:28] The importance of marketing and fundraising in spreading the program's mission
- [24:58] Giving Tuesday: how your support can transform the future of education
In this episode…
How can something as simple as having a pet in the classroom transform learning? With the mounting pressures on educators to utilize innovative teaching methods, could the solution lie in the paws of our furry, scaly, and feathery friends?
Melinda Thomas shares how her organization addresses these challenges by providing grants to teachers for classroom pets. But Pets in the Classroom doesn’t just offer financial support; it equips educators with lesson plans and resources that integrate pets into the curriculum, enhancing student engagement and development. Adopting this learning approach, according to Melinda, can help educators foster empathy, responsibility, and social skills while boosting attendance and learning outcomes.
In this episode of Marketing Tails, Mark Bevington chats with Melinda Thomas, Executive Director of Pets in the Classroom, about enhancing emotional intelligence among students through pets. Melinda discusses the organization’s aspirations to impact 30 million students, the profound effects of pets on child development, and the value of community and innovation transforming the educational sector.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Quotable Moments:
- "Being with pets in the classroom is a combination of my life, right? I grew up on a dairy farm."
- "We provide financial support for teachers to have a pet in their classrooms in public or private schools."
- "Every one of us has a pet somewhere in our personal story, right? Whether it was a childhood pet or a neighbor’s."
- "We've impacted more than 10 million students. Our next milestone that we want to get to is 30 million."
- "A rising tide raises all ships; if we all work together, we can make some really positive changes."
Action Steps:
- Promote awareness of Pets in the Classroom program: Engage with educational communities, including school districts and teacher conferences, to spread awareness about the Pets in the Classroom program.
- Foster emotional and social development: Incorporating pets into classroom activities teaches students empathy, compassion, and responsibility.
- Integrate STEM learning with pet care: Use classroom pets as a practical tool to teach STEM subjects, like measuring growth or calculating nutritional needs, as a real-life application.
- Collaborate with parents and community: Encourage parents and community members to support the program through awareness and fundraising efforts.
- Utilize available educational resources: Teachers should take advantage of the lesson plans and educational tools provided by Pets in the Classroom to integrate pets into their curriculum creatively and effectively.
Sponsor for this episode
This episode is brought to you by Ninedot.
Ninedot is a digital marketing agency specializing in UI/UX and web design to grow your business.
Our growth-centered team provides web design, web development, user experience development, graphic design, and SEO to maximize scaling.
We are humbled to call Pet Food Experts, Animal Care Centers of NYC and Potter League – some of the world’s growing and most-established brands – our clients.
We’re excited to build a relationship with you.
If you’re ready to turn your underperforming website into your best sales tool, go to Ninedot.com or email us at hello@ninedot.com to learn more today!