All of our staff and students get so excited when they see our furry friends arrive at Schafer! Volunteers from the PAWSitive Therapy Dog Troupe bring their specially trained dogs to read with our students. Reading with a therapy dog can be such an enjoyable activity for children. Students tend to feel less anxiety as the dogs provide children with a calm listener. It can also help with a student’s self-esteem in reading out loud because the dogs are non-judgmental.
At Schafer this year, we have three dog teams coming monthly. Students generally come with a couple of books at their independent reading level for 10 minute slots. Students have 1:1 time with these dog teams. Our goal is that all Schafer students should get a chance or two to read with the dogs during their time with us if they so choose.
“The kids seem to really enjoy it. I’ll never forget when I heard a student say how sad they were to move schools because their new school doesn’t have reading dogs,” shared Literacy Leader Diana Wirth.
We are so thankful for all the volunteers at PAWSitive Therapy Troupe. To learn more about this amazing organization, please visit https://pawsitivetherapy.com/
