Kids could learn a lot from kids

There’s nothing quite like springtime in Alaska schools. This long-anticipated, but rather short, season greets us with muddy boots coming in from the playground and with Alaska kids thinking that anything above freezing temperatures is warm enough to go out to play without a jacket on.

It’s also the season when teachers begin to haul in plant trays, potting soil and seeds, and students have the opportunity to watch seeds sprout to life. Rulers and notebooks come out as students record dates, growth and other observations. We plug in incubators so students can experience the excitement and delight of watching baby chicks hatch, and then become caretakers for their little dependent baby animals. At our school, it’s also time for third-graders to use their measuring skills as they finish building Birchtree Charter School’s chicken coop so our newly hatched chickens will have a home to move into.

These traditional spring activities are anticipated, but I really laughed a couple of weeks ago when one of my colleagues called to discuss an opportunity she thought would be exciting for students this spring. It’s something that would help them practice virtues such as caring, compassion and responsibility.

She had just gotten off the phone with a woman who had a pair of baby goats that needed to be bottle-fed. She was certain there would be enough room in the chicken coop for the goats to be on one side and the chickens on the other. Animal husbandry is a traditional component of the third-grade curriculum in a Waldorf school, but goats? At Birchtree?

The more we chatted, though, the more excited I became, picturing our students holding these baby goats, feeding them with a bottle, taking turns taking them outside for walks during recess, reading to them and knowing that their captivated audience wouldn’t mind if they struggled with a few words and learning the value of doing chores with animals. By the end of our conversation, we both agreed this would be a perfect project for our school.

Our principal, who also values providing children with authentic opportunities to practice caring, compassion and responsibility, was also on board, so my colleague quickly called the woman back. Unfortunately, by this time the baby goats had already been adopted.

“Bummer,” my teaching partner said. “But, no worries. I found two baby guinea pigs instead, and they are absolutely adorable! The students will love to raise them!”

I’m stuck on the baby goats, though. I’m still picturing students rushing to get to school early, so they can check on “their” goats. I’m picturing them holding these little baby goats on their laps, feeding them with bottles and reading to them. I grew up on a farm and took it upon myself to try to rescue every little runt of the litter. Many hours of my childhood were spent trying to nurture baby piglets that needed a little more TLC and more of a boost in order to make it in life. I just knew that they depended on me, and that’s a pretty powerful feeling. What a gift we would be giving the students in our community if they were in charge of taking care of animals, and if those efforts resulted in an animal growing to be healthy and strong.

I bet it would increase school attendance. I also bet the responsibilities that students practiced with animals might transfer into responsibilities in other areas of a child’s life, like schoolwork. I wonder if students who learn to nurture and be care-providers for needy animals as children become more nurturing adults when they have their own families. It’s certainly an interesting thought.

So, if you hear of any baby farm animals that need to be bottle-fed a little more TLC to help them catch up to their age-mates, we just might be able to help you out.

Diana Sloan-Basner is a fourth-grade teacher at Birchtree Charter School. She has had many classroom pets over the years, including a rabbit, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds and fish, but never a baby goat.