Most teachers always want to think of different ways to teach their students how to make a difference. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. But they don’t give up. They keep looking for new ways.
That is exactly the intention of second-grade teacher Kensey Jones of St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond, VA.
She always had a persuasive writing assignment for her students every year. This time, she wanted the assignment to connect them with real, local community issues. Well, it turns out Ms. Jones volunteers at the local animal shelter, Richmond Animal Care Control, which is perfect for this assignment.
“How do you feel about the second graders writing persuasive paragraphs through the eyes of one of the shelter animals?” Ms. Jones asked Shelter director Christie Peters.
She was going to ask her second-grade students to write persuasive letters to get the dogs adopted. And who can say no to that, right? Director Peters loved the idea!
More than that, they decided to feature the dogs that they’ve been having trouble getting adopted.
“We were very careful to include animals that were not easily adoptable — animals that maybe are older, maybe had a health issue in the past, they just require a little extra TLC, maybe needed to be an only pet in the home,” Ms. Jones shared.
And not only did they write letters but they drew and colored pictures of the dogs as well. She printed out the photos of each dog so the students have a better idea of the dog they were writing for.
“I… sat down with the class and told them about each of the dogs and a little bit about their personality and then assigned each student an animal,” Ms. Jones explained.
And not only did they write letters about their dog, but they also wrote stories from the perspective of each dog. How smart are these kids?
Director Peters decided to go an extra mile and brought one of their dogs, a puppy named Snow. While the students played with Snow, Peters also shared with them how animal shelters operate and how dog adoption works.
This insight helped the students to better write the letters. And do you know what?
It worked!
“The speed in which they were adopted after we did this promotion really gives merit to it,” Director Peters, reported to TODAY. “These were dogs that were overlooked for some time and the (essays) really did bring people into the shelter and maybe make them think about those dogs and the one cat in a different light.”
And some of the parents loved what this assignment did for their children.
“Writing is not always the first thing that they’re drawn to,” Jaclyn Witthoefft, the mother of Parker, one of the students, told TODAY Parents. “Parker was chomping at the bit. He had so much fun connecting with the story and with the dogs.”
At the end, eight dogs were adopted that weekend. Since then, 20 of the animals have been adopted as well. Wouldn’t you be persuaded as well when you read their stories?
“Hi, my name is Sleigh Ride. Do you want to adopt me? You can train me if you want. Can you put a heart on my collar. I am a girl. Who are you? You can snuggle with me. I promise that I will be a good dog. You can even sleep with me if you want. I love going on walks and playing outside. I am a medium sized dog. I’m getting bored at this place. Would you love me forever? Love, a cute puppy.”
“Hi, I’m Gail Weathers. I would like a home so much. I have a fine life here but I would like my own dog bed a lot. I would like a toy and a big yard. I would like to be the only pet in the home.”
Ms. Jones wanted to share this experience because she wanted it to inspire other educators to create impactful assignments like this for their students.
“As an educator my biggest hope and dream is that I want the students to know no matter how young you are, you can put your mind to something and you can make a true difference,” Ms. Jones said.
Would you like to see more of the dogs, the pictures the students drew, and their stories? Watch this video.
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