"Service learning" is at the heart of a successful initiative focusing on responsible pet care at Delsea Regional Middle School, attracting the attention of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association.
As a result, the NJVMA is soliciting applications from public and private middle school teachers statewide to apply for mini-grants up to $1,000 to implement the program into their own school curricula. It took a nasty dog bite for Delsea Regional teacher Lauren Boerlin to recognize the need for such a program. "A couple of years ago, I got bit by a neighbor's dog that was running loose. After all the shots and doctor visits, I said, 'There's a lesson for kids here.' The community needs to know that when we don't take care of what we can take care of, bad things can happen," said Boerlin. The resulting middle school program, "Taking Care of Your Community by Taking Care of Your Pets," is now fully integrated into the eighth-grade course of study. The three-week program incorporates state Department of Education Core Curriculum Standards in language arts, social studies and science. The program was written by Boerlin and fellow teachers Denise Arizzi and Joyce Tenenbaum. "The class incorporates reading texts on pet care, writing about it, and speaking to others about proper care of pets," said Boerlin. "One important aspect is that our eighth-graders 'turnkey' what they've learned and present their knowledge to third-graders at the local elementary school." Each year, the students hold a "Bring Your Pet to Training School" day, said Boerlin. "We've had all kinds of animals here -- dogs and cats, and sheep, goats, horses, even a bull. Many of the kids care for farm animals as well as household pets." "Last year I got a clipping about the program," said Paul Wolcott, NJVMA communications director. "It struck me that the VMA would be supportive of this effort, since animal welfare is a major concern of our organization." Wolcott contacted Boerlin and arranged to travel to Delsea Regional for a meeting last fall. "I was so thrilled that he met with us," said Boerlin. "He told us how impressed he was with the value we were putting on educating students about animal welfare." Wolcott asked the three teachers to put together a curriculum teaching guide, based on the service learning project at Delsea Regional. The teachers then traveled to the state VMA headquarters in Springfield. "We wanted to make sure the guide would reflect the VMA's ideas, but that was really no problem, as we were all in accord from day one," said Wolcott. According to Wolcott, the NJVMA expects to award 15 to 20 grants during the program's pilot phase. For a grant for the 2005-2006 academic year, the application deadline is Oct. 15. For teachers applying for a grant in the 2006-2007 year, the deadline is Dec. 31.
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Author"I am Canine-dian" TM ID Tag in a beautiful "Classic" Antique Brass finish, with a red maple leaf in the center. Reverse side has name and phone number spaces where pets' information can be engraved. ArchivesCategories |