Behind the door of room N229, snakes, mice, and a lizard live in comfortable accommodations along the back counter of the classroom. Mr. Ames and his students care for a menagerie of animals in his Environmental Science and Marine Biology classes.

The lizard, Liz, is a green anole with a saucy attitude and is quick to judge all the other animals. She also enjoys gossiping about her neighbors in the classroom.

Her favorite story to tell is the upsetting back story of the tense relationship between Karen the mouse and Lucy the snake.  When Karen and her husband first moved into the care of Mr. Ames, they had expected nothing but love and commitment from the man.  Little did they know that Ames would then accidentally mistake Karen’s husband for the street rats he normally fed the snakes at the time.

As a result, Karen now suffers through depression, PTSD, and anxiety in her daily life.

When asked about the tragic death of her husband, Karen squeaked. Obviously she was scared as her whiskers twitched and she refused to answer further questions.

“The animals make the class more relevant,” Ames said. In addition to learning the traditional subject matter, students learn to care for these animals. Companies like Pets in the Classroom, provide “class pets” for teaching purposes.

Students get the opportunity to witness the circle of life and how to care for animals. When placed in combination with science classes, students’ learning comes to life.