An In*crow*dable Lesson

Being a humane educator, I need to be very long sighted since what I am teaching will continue to yield results in 20 years if I'm doing it correctly. Lately in Virginia Beach, we've been hearing a lot about wild animals, mostly birds, that have been caught in fishing line with devastating results.

Within our organization, we are fortunate to have a group of wonderfully dedicated wildlife volunteers that are committed to going into waterways and locations that have been identified as troublesome and cleaning up the fishing line and other trash that pose a threat to wildlife. That selfless commitment to clean up has been on my mind a lot, lately.

I decided to assist the mission of the ongoing community clean up through the lens of Humane Education.  Since this month's lesson has been on animal habitats, I wanted to teach children the importance of caring for wildlife by respecting our environment.  All month, I have been reading the book, "Osprey Adventure" which was written by Jennifer Keats Curtis.  Her story takes place on the Chesapeake Bay, and it addresses the real problem of fishing line in bird nests.  Thousands of second graders have been read this story throughout the month of April; I can practically recite each page, word-for-word!

This week, I had the assistance of a crow named Mickey, a federally permitted educational animal who is unable to be released due to injury. What better way to illustrate the importance of protecting a species than by bringing one to school?    Mickey gave me the context to discuss the significance of protecting all wildlife, not just the colorful, flashy animals.  I also had the opportunity to discuss the positive attributes that are unique to crows:  each morning, I am greeting cheerfully with a "hi" from Mickey who has since learned how to talk during his stay at the shelter. I certainly wish everyone had manners like Micky....and, once again, I have been a part of another opportunity for both children and teacher to learn from an animal.

Thanks for your service, Mickey, and a "good morning" to you!
-Amy

My morning with Mocha

As a Humane Educator, part of my job entails bringing an animal to schools throughout Hampton Roads with the hope of providing them with a lesson that is aligned with the Virginia State Standards of Learning and the Beach SPCA's mission to promote a compassionate community.  While this month's lesson was regarding Habitats, I think the teachable moment was brought to the children by the animal I selected to accompany me, this morning.

Mocha is an 8-year old yellow Lab that was found tethered to a handicap sign in the VBSPCA parking lot, last week.  When my coworker arrived at 7 am, he was already there:  shaking, wet, and terrified.  It was quite obvious he had been there for several hours, and he had a note which stated how much he was loved but couldn't be kept; however, it is hard to muster sympathy for a family that would resort to abandoning a loyal dog after 8 long years of companionship.  Would he have done that to them?  I think not.

So, while I was teaching the children of Ocean Lakes Elementary School about protecting wildlife and their habitats by not littering, Mocha was teaching those same children about the importance of loyalty, responsibility, kindness, and compassion.  At the end of our 30 minute lesson, it was obvious who the true teacher was, today.

Thank you for the lesson, Mocha.
-Amy