Many avid readers fondly recall their childhood days and the first books that ignited their love for reading. For some it was Pippi Longstocking, while for others it was Matilda. Sadly, as we move further into the 21st century, there are far less readers – children prefer tablet games over fairytales. This decline has a stark effect on their academic achievements as well. Brooke Hughes, an elementary school teacher, noticed this decline and found the most creative – and fluffy – way to boost her students’ grades.
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An elementary school teacher brought puppies to school and it was a massive success
For most of us, 2020 seems like a hazy memory. Our brains, in order to protect us, conveniently forget the time we were locked up inside our houses, unable to see anyone or do anything fun. Some people chose to play Sims until 4am and others participated in endless Zoom parties. Brooke Hughes from Delaware decided to give her newfound free time to those in need. She began fostering little puppies and instantly fell in love with their wet noses and wagging tails.
Although it seemed like the lockdowns would never end, Brooke was already hoping for brighter days. She noticed how happy and calm the puppies made her feel and she started to think of the ways to incorporate them into the learning process once the schools reopened.
“I just couldn’t stop thinking of all the amazing benefits that the puppies could bring to the actual classroom,” recalled Brooke in an interview. “It could bring so much mental health support and reading support, not only for the students, but for the staff too.”
When teacher Brooke began fostering puppies during the lockdown, she began to dream about bringing them to class to aid her students
Once everything went back to normal, Brooke wrote a proposal to bring pups to school. She called her program Foster Tales Puppy Therapy and after a very successful one-day trial run, it was officially launched in January 2023.
“The principal let me bring in three puppies for one day to see how it went and it was amazing. It brought so much joy to the school,” the teacher said.
And January is a perfect time to get a little boost from four-legged friends. It’s cold, everyone is still in winter slumber after the holidays and has little to no motivation to work. As it turns out, the community of Hanby Elementary School decided that every day is perfect for puppy time.
“The puppies just lifted everyone’s spirits and ever since then, we haven’t had many days without puppies in our school.”
In 2023, Foster Tales Puppy Therapy began operating in Hanby Elementary School. Since then, the school welcomed more than 50 puppies
Since the program launched, the elementary school has welcomed over 50 cute foster puppies. Their age usually varies between 6 and 12 weeks old and they all come from Rags 2 Riches Animal Rescue in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania. Little ones then get assigned into the several classrooms where they eagerly await the reading sessions.
But how can children concentrate when there is an adorable little puppy nearby? Turns out, they actually boost productivity and provide relaxation as they snore away most of the day
“People think that my classroom must be a zoo and straight chaos. But the puppies are actually very calming,” Brooke mentioned.
It might seem that puppies would bring chaos to the classroom. However, their presence has been exceptionally calming as the little ones spend most of their day sleeping
“Our productivity is up because the students have to get all their work done to have puppy time,” rejoiced the teacher. So the dogs never eat their homework?
This program is mutually beneficial – students get to play with puppies and improve their grades, while puppies get a safe and warm place to stay while waiting for their forever home. Students and their parents sign up to care for small canines during the week, while the shelter handles the care necessities and financial cost. Many prospective families are looking for a well adjusted, sociable dog and get impressed with the puppies’ “CVs”.
Brooke revealed that puppies get adopted within a couple of weeks and some have even ended up with the students‘ families. They’d better keep up with their reading routines at home!
“People think that my classroom must be a zoo and straight chaos. But the puppies are actually very calming,” said teacher Brooke
The program has been running for just over a year now and the teacher has already noticed many benefits of it.
“We’re collecting data on the reading scores from fall to spring, compared to other years where we didn’t have puppies. And just from fall to winter, we’ve noticed almost a 32% increase,” teacher Hughes said.
“My class makeup was very similar and so we’re just so excited to see the final results from fall to spring. It’s mostly just extra practice because they’re eager – they want to read and they want to practice, and that is going to always increase scores.”
The puppies came just in time to help the students, as reading and math scores have been on a steady decline, largely due to the effects of the pandemic learning. Many young kids feel frustrated when they are unable to perform well and want to give up all together – even adults experience this. But pooches are there to remind them that they can do anything.
“The puppies don’t care if you get stuck on a word. The puppies don’t care if you try to read one word for five minutes. They’re just happy to sit in your lap. So, so much confidence has come from this program as well.”
Since the introduction of puppies, there has been a massive improvement in students’ scores. On top of that, they learn compassion, responsibility and empathy
“The puppies don’t care if you get stuck on a word. The puppies don’t care if you try to read one word for five minutes. They’re just happy to sit in your lap”
The program has proved to be effective – will it encourage other schools to try puppy therapy?
On top of improving their academic skills, the students have been learning many life skills such as responsibility, empathy and compassion. They also communicate better both with adults and peers. Should all schools have puppies now? I think so. The school staff have also benefited from the help of little puppies and are even more excited to go to work every day.
“I call it a win-win-win-win. The staff benefits because we like coming to school with puppies, the students benefit from learning so many life skills, the puppies benefit because they’re getting out of the shelter and loved on completely, and then the rescue benefits because we’re freeing up another spot at the rescue for another animal to be saved. So four-way win, can’t beat it.”
What do you think of this? Do you think you would’ve been a better student if you had four-legged pals assisting you?
People in the comments loved the idea of having such adorable reading buddies
