Does your classroom pet have summer vacation plans? I never had a classroom pet—however, at the end of my first year teaching, I learned a very valuable lesson about making summer arrangements for a classroom pet. The lesson? Communication is key! 
That year, Freckles the hamster had resided in the classroom next door. No one in Freckle’s classroom could offer the little guy a summer home, so one of my students volunteered to care for Freckles until school started in the fall. I assumed that my colleague followed through with the parent. My colleague assumed that I followed through with the parent. Come to find out, the parent only learned of Freckle’s planned stay on the last day of school. The parent flipped out, I felt badly, and Freckles the hamster spent the summer with me. 🙂
What tips do you have when it comes to making summer plans for a classroom pet? Please share!
Smiles,
Diane
I bring the class pet a fish home for the summer. I have to laugh each fall when my husband gets upset that I am taking his fish away.
Over breaks I always ask the Parents who wants to care for the fish and then I draw a name or rotate it.
When I had gerbils no one would take them and I had to lug it all home. So now I stick to fish.
I take the class hamster home during the summer. I also asked my families but no one wanted him. Not even his orginal owner.
In our class we have a hamster, a rabbit, a newt and a fish. All four will come home with me and be cared for and loved on by my own children. I won’t see any of my school kids next year and I don’t want to have to get new pets!
I’ll be a first year teacher next year and I can’t decide what sort of classroom pet to get! If I get fish, how do you take a tank home for the summer?
I have fish and usually they don’t make it through the summer. I’m really hard on fish, I guess. Because of this I only buy feeder fish…nothing fancy.