Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm starting school soon (1st year teaching h.s. biology) which is why I've been too busy to post pics of my older corns, as well as almost a dozen new 04's. Anyway, I was wondering if there are any other teachers here that can offer some advice/tips/ideas on keeping corns/snakes in class.

I am curious about your experience(s). For instance, reptiles in general are often feared so asking the wrong person or asking the wrong way for permission can be an obstacle from the start. First, I need to find out my school's policy regarding live animals. My second concern is the snake's safety/health. Many of you 'know' me on this (and other) forums from the past 2-3 years of posting. For those that don't, I have over 10 years of experience (some in professional herpetology) so I'm NOT looking for general tips on snake husbandry.

I'll leave you with some interesting stories/experience to read or amuse you before you reply....
I have successfully brought snakes into other schools in the past as part of lessons but never as class pets. During my student teaching at one school, I thought how great it would be to learn/teach using a few of my corns. Well, my co-op would not allow it (maybe due to fear?). My friends and I still joke about how biology is defined as the study of living things but God forbid you bring a living thing into a classroom to study??????lol. Glad I never had that teacher for bio or I wouldn't even be posting here.lol Anyway, I had a friend that worked in another school where a parent fought to ban all living things, including plants, b/c of a child's allergies.lol. Finally, at another school, I had another friend tell me about how a group of animal loving students released a bunch of guinea pigs and mice that were class pets in a similar way that extremists/PETA work.

Any tips/ideas or stories and experiences shared would be great...thanks in advance
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Sincerely,
Jason
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www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

I had a science teacher in 7th grade, I still keep in touch with, who had about 10 snakes in our classroom. She had a red ratsnake, an albino red rat, a ball python, and a number of others...id say around 5-7 total. She kept them in 10 gallon tanks around the perimeter of the classroom. They are always fed after school lets out, students werent allowed to be in the classroom for that time (unsure why to this day). She would take them out herself and if the students want to they can come up and touch it and possibly hold it after half the year went by, but she wouldnt ever make any student do this. The only two incidents I know about that were somewhat negative from this were one time when I had her class we found a red ratsnake out in the playing field and thought it was her so a few other kids and i picked it up and carried it back to her...it wasnt hers lol. but just the fact that we felt comftorable enough to do this could create some sort of threat...I think the students would need to be educated about at least all the venemous snakes of your area, along with the ones that will bite. Thankfully none of us got bit. The only other problem I know about she had was actually just this past spring, she left the room for a few minutes and one of the students dared another to put her hand in the cage with the ball python, (this is her homeroom class, not a regular science class where she would have gotten onto them about never touching them unless she was around..which she still did but not as intense) she did, and got bit. And this raised a big commotion about if she should have them or not, but she ended up keeping them. The two students both got written up on a discipline thingamabobber lol.

From the students standpoint though, I loved having them in the class with me. They were all full grown and I thought it was cool to have the snakes around...and it turned out by the end of the year none of the kids were afraid of them. I think it really helps increase reptile/snake awareness and realize they arent all slimy nasty things that are gonna kill you.

But thats my 2 cents.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

Battling ignorance one stupid person at a time.

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat(Lola)
1.0 Neonate Black Rat (het for Lic Stk's) (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds ("Bill" and "The Bride aka Beatrix Kiddo"

Well, one way to prevent kids from getting into the cages while unsupervised is to get a cage that you can padlock. Then in order to get in they would have to destroy the cage, which, while I'm sure a few delinquent kids may be up to, most wouldn't even think of it.

As for how to go about getting permission, first just ask if you can bring in animals in general. Also, you might want to check with the janitors too. This may not be something you would have thought of, but they are going to be seeing them after hours, so making sure that they at least know they are there will help if one of them has a phobia.

Maybe you could arrange to have an assembly where you could bring in various herps to educate all of the school's kids, then once other teachers/principals see the snakes, they may not be as hesitant to let you keep them in your class.

You also need to check out the temps in the classrooms during the weekends and, if you don't take them home with you, during holiday breaks. I know in the school my mom works in they turn off all heating/air-conditioning once the kids leave. So you need to take that into account.
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alstiver@hotmail.com

3.3 cornsnakes
21 cornsnake eggs

First, regarding permission.... I never asked! I just brought in my critters, and nobody ever complained. Case Closed.

Kathy Love, recently, knew someone who wanted to donate some corns to a teacher to be the classroom pets. It worked out for me to be the one to get these corns for my High School MATH classroom.

I've already established a reputation as a teacher who has pets in the classroom. This year my students were mostly disappointed that I had no animals in my classroom (School started the 5th). I told them there was a person who wanted to donate two animals to our classroom, and when they arrived they would be our permanent class pets. They were very excited, with a few frightened faces. Overall it was a nice atmosphere of expectation.

I just got them this weekend (BEAUTIFUL!). I brought them into the classroom and the kids immediately noticed that there was something new in the back of the class. For a five minute period in each class, I introduced the two cornsnakes to the class. A few students showed "learned fear"... fear inspired by upbringing, but luckily nobody this year demonstrated a serious pathological fear. (I had a student like that one year, she turned GHOST WHITE, but was able to be in my class so long as I didn't take the snakes out with her there, and I sat her across the room from the snakes).

Tomorrow's opening quiz in my classes will be to ask them to come up with a boy and a girl name for the two snakes.... I'm going to pick out 5 female and 5 male names I like, and then at the end of the week, the students will be able to vote on their favorite names for each.

The only complaints I've ever had was when I kept rats in the classroom, and they were too messy and/or required too many cleanings of their cages to remain odor free.

I've never had any concerns from the administration regarding the animals, and I've always been very open about having them.

One thing I do want to share.... Being a math class it doesn't seem that the animals are that relevant. Last year I taught freshmen for the first time. I was amazed to find out just how strongly those animals effected my students. The freshmen, while doing their best to be young adults, still had a lot of the child inside. The animals I had "touched" that not-very-deeply-buried child within my students, and I really had a stronger impact on those freshmen than I would have expected to have. I have students this year who tell stories of coming into my classroom and seeing my animals from previous years, dragged in to see them by their friends. My students know I'm not a robot, know I'm human. All of these things make a difference in the actual learning environment. I won't go without animals in my classroom, as they really do make a learning difference.
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~Sasheena

Two years ago I brought 4 baby corns into my sixth grade class. At first I did the feeding and handling by myself. After about a month and constant demands from the children I sent home a permission slip in regards to handling and feeding. Before I knew it, every kid in my class and almost every sixth grader gave me a permission slip to handle the snakes. The year went quickly without any situations and complaints. Last year everyone knew me as the "snake guy". I didn't even use permission slips. During the year I picked up two more corns, 4 bearded dragons, 2 geckos, and a chamleon. We had a rain forest exhibit in my class and over 1000 people handled the snakes without a problem. I also gave lessons to most of the classes in my school and walked around with a snake at all times.

I never had problems with children not following rules or going into the tanks without permission. The snakes were easier to maintain in regards to temperature. I used an under the tank heater and heat lamp on a timer durung the winter. In the summer the class kept the temperature fine.

This year I switched to another school in my district and into 5th grade. I will send home a permission slip and go slowly. My new school isn't familar with animals.

In regards to permission, I never asked because I was able to relate it with the curriculum. I also brought animals that I wasn't concerned about into the classroom.

Lastly, I can say the whole reptile experience has been wonderful and I would never go to a school that didn't allow my babies. I also know a lot of children that don't have fears anymore and at least 10 families that have new pets as a result of my introduction.

Best of luck and if you have any questions you can email me at soccerdale1234@aol.com

Brian