Teacher's pet

Kevin has the best personality, and everyone who meets him falls in love instantly. He’s incredibly smart and we love to do all sorts of different classes together. Kevin helps me decompress after a long day, and he’s great for my physical and mental health. He’s brought a lot of joy into my life and he’s so special to me.

Jelly Bean is a box turtle. She is unique, cute and fun to watch. Students are intrigued by her. She can completely hide in her shell if she is scared and she is faster than people think. She is an omnivore; she eats live worms as well as fruits and vegetables.

Jelly Bean comes to the classroom a couple of times per week. She increases interest and engagement. The students love becoming turtle experts and helping with her care.

Harvey has a quirky personality, a unique mug and is often the topic of conversation with my students and colleagues. Harvey encourages me to take some downtime by going for lots of walks, visiting friends, eating good food and snuggling with those I love! 

Hank touches hearts and connects instantly with all humans and other dogs. He is the most popular dog in our neighbourhood and is known by people his owners don’t even know.

My job can be very heavy at times, but when I get home and Hank jumps on my lap for cuddles, all the worries of the day melt away. 

This little dog brings more happiness to my life than he could ever understand. He is confident, sassy, silly and makes me laugh every day. 

What makes him so special to me as a human and teacher is how his presence simply fills my bucket (as we say in elementary). He’s a 10-month-old puppy going through the awkward “let’s test boundaries” stage. He has literally toilet papered our house. The bottom half of our Christmas tree is naked. He runs away with my socks in the morning and thinks it is hilarious. 

But he also forces me out of my head, which is often swirling with anxious, nervous thoughts. Mental health is a struggle for me. It isn’t fun, but you know what is? Hanging out with this guy every day — mischief and all. I love him so much.

Mickey has been with me for my whole teaching career. He was given to me one week before I started my first year of teaching and has been by my side through every transfer, every move, every meltdown and every victory. 

Mickey has helped me numerous times in my profession. He is a reliable alarm clock that makes sure his morning meows and face-prodding paws wake me up in time for work (and of course, prepare his breakfast on time). His purring and cuddles are also a great way to wind down after a particularly stressful day. I love my Mickey!

My pups keep us entertained every day. Ruby steals shoes, drags around her heavy food bowl and hangs off Dudes when she’s bored. My cats were a Covid Christmas gift to our kids and they have been the best mental health boost we could have given to our kids.

My pups help in my profession by spreading happiness. I bring them to work every once in a while and they bring so many smiles to everyone they meet. Students love to pet them and always walk away with a smile on their face. My cats are just nice to come home to at the end of a long school day. They greet us at the door and just want love. It lowers everyone’s heart rate to just hang out with them and relax.
 

Jurgen & Lily

Luna is a wellness dog and comes into my school once a week. She loves coming to school and meeting students. Having Luna in my space is wonderful when I meet one on one with students, as she is a great conversation opener and allows me to meet with students who may not have come into my space before. 

Luna puts students at ease with her gentle nature and empathetic eyes. She is also a wonderful help to our neurodiverse students who will read her stories and take her for walks.