“I have been teaching for 22 years. I didn’t grow up in the best environment but I wouldn’t trade it because the pain and things I have endured make me compassionate and help me connect with my students. I was looking for a way for my 2nd grade students to learn the inclusion of others who are different and come from different backgrounds. God put the Pet Pal program in my heart this summer at the checkout line when I saw about a magazine about letters to a dog. I thought it would be neat if people would write my students from a pet’s perspective. It could bridge the gap with my kids. They could write to pets and get some lessons in kindness and learn about the world. It became our Pet Pal program.

This is our first year and we have pets from Kuwait and Brazil and across the country so they also teach us social studies and geography. It is a positive thing both ways. The pet owners write the letters and some are reclusive or homebound and all they do is write to my students. Some of the teachers have pets and their classes write letters to us. Journey is from Pennsylvania and has special needs. She was abused as a puppy and is paralyzed. We have watched her growth and saw her get fitted for her wheelchair.

One of our most famous pets is Piglet. He is deaf and blind and we are learning about his mindset. His mother is a vet in Connecticut and runs a mission for Piglet teaching compassion through him. My students are learning to see others for who they are. I have five kids in my class who speak Spanish and we now know how to give love to children who may not understand what we say and are scared. We learn to look through each other’s hearts through these animals. I started the Piglet ambassador program and each week we vote on the best Piglet ambassador and they wear the special shirt all day. It means we accept everyone no matter what they look like because we know we are all the same on the inside.

I ask my students do you think Mrs. Anderson loves her dog Hank even though he is a brown color? Would you ever be mean to any of these animals? I tell them they are hurting these animals’ feelings when they hurt their friends’ feelings.

We have cats, a horse, and a gecko. Peaches is from Tennessee and she is a storyteller. Her biggest dream is to milk a cow. We have a fish from Lake Mary, Florida. Finley talks about his routine and what he eats. Some of the pets have come to visit. Barley from Alaska sent us sea glass from a beach there. We did projects on where we live and hurricanes and sent them to some of our pets so they could learn about it. Some animals send us books and make us cookies in the shape of dog bones.

My administrator at a Foley Elementary School supports all of this and pays for the stamps and envelopes, no matter where we send it. When a letter arrives at school, the office ladies fight over who gets to bring it into the classroom. The kids go nuts and are learning to write by sending letters back. I have one child who has never written except to a dog. He lives for writing to her.

I am still on fire for teaching and it is the greatest the job in the world. There is joy in bridging gaps and making this world a happier place. I believe animals have souls and there are gifts we need to appreciate and treat well. I want my kids to see how that the way they love these animals how different they are is how you can love other humans. All of them are different and so are we.”

What have you learned about your pet pals?

Brooke: Cinnamon takes naps for 17 hours.

Levi: I draw and make books for Libby. She is smart and playful. I got to talk with her on Facetime.

Aiden: Finley is a beta fish and lives in a tank under a pineapple. She goes to bed ad 7 p.m. and gets up at 8 p.m.

What have these animals taught you about yourself?

“I have learned from them that they are smart and I am smart.”

“If you make a mistake and have to go back and fix it.”

“I learned Piglet can be smart without his hearing and eyes. He still has touch, smell, and taste.”

“I learned I can keep a good conversation going.”

“I learned I don’t have to have everything they have.”

“I learned I deserve love even if I look or act different.”