Classroom Kitten

There is a group of students that regularly hangs out in my room (before school, in between periods, during lunch, and after school). Needless to say, I have developed close relationships with the students in this gang of friends. This morning, I looked up to see 2 of the girls, Flo and Lynn, enter my class. This was nothing new, but something caused me to double-take. Flo was carrying a kitten! 

They were on the bus headed to school, when a kitten hoped on board before the bus pulled away from a stop. Being the animal love I am, I quickly told them that I would let the cat stay in my room for the day. They played with it until the morning bell rang, and then I had the kitten all to myself for my prep period! After exploring the room thoroughly, the cat jumped up on my desk and took interest in my bag of cereal. I dumped the food out on the desk, and Ms. Kitty chowed down. With a full tummy, she plopped down next to my computer for a nap. 

I was worried how my 3rd (and very rowdy) period would react to the cat. Would they be mean to it? Would it be such a distraction that no work would be done? To my surprise 2 students took ownership of the kitten. It stayed in their laps the entire period while we worked on our activity. While some students were not so fond of Ms. Kitty, many students showed great sensitivity (something that is rare for many students when interacting with animals).

At the end of my 3rd period one of the cat’s caretakers came up to my desk holding the sleeping kitten gently in his arms. Known for his chicken chasing and rough ways with animals, his attitude toward the cat had greatly surprised me. I ask, “So you like cats don’t you?” And he responded with an eager head nod. I then said, “Well, I’m sure glad that you didn’t chase her all over the classroom the way you chase the poor chickens.” He laughed a bit and then responded, “Cats are different than chickens. They are like my friends so I have to treat them different. I love cats.” While this may seem like a simple statement, it was profound to me. They boy, while filled with personality, is one of my lowest level students. His English is broken, his writing is at the kindergarden level (seriously...no joke), and his critical thinking skills are practically non existent. His rationale, though quite simple, was the highest level thinking he had ever displayed; he differentiated between types of animals and the respective treatment they deserve. For me, as a teacher, this was a huge moment, and I was glad that the kitten had come for a visit.