thoughts on class pets?

[Aercadia]

Alright, I'm going to jump in here because this thread looks like it's headed towards becoming a multi-page personal spat over what constitutes a qualifying response to a post asking for opinions, and as much as I enjoy thumbing through internet drama, it's not actually helpful or relevant to OP, so let's wind it back around.

I'm going to be a first year high school science teacher in a few weeks and will be moving my BP into the classroom this Saturday.

Excellent! As the daughter of a former English teacher, and the birth-daughter of a current Math teacher, good on you for bringing your objects of enthusiasm to the classroom. We need more people like you, who have a passion for their subjects and a vested interest their students' learning experience.

It sounds like you've gotten some sound advice from other members already. The permission slip is a fantastic idea. The lock, also. I assume you have already gotten the OK from the administration to keep a live animal on the premises. Just a couple of other things to take into consideration:

I remember classrooms being cold af. Make sure snek's enclosure temps are not going to be compromised by ice blasting out of the AC. I was ridiculed all through HS, and still today, for wearing a coat inside if there is the slightest breeze. 78 degrees ambient is lovely. 78 degrees with a fan on is the arctic wastes. I can't.

Feeding on Friday and having the weekend to digest could be a good plan, but in the event of regurgitation, that's an unpleasant thing to come back to after it's been sitting for a day or longer. If you can feed before classes on Monday, nobody is going to notice that snek is being antisocial while he digests his meal in privacy. Nobody is awake on Mondays.

Ensure that the cleaning staff is not going to touch the enclosure. I have seen many an irritated teacher complaining about the cleaning crew erasing their boards, knocking down their posters, moving desks, etc. Make sure you don't have a Windex-happy character trying to clean the tank every night - I imagine that a wayward spray into the tank would be v bad for snek.

I was just wondering if there are any other teachers with BP's as class pets and how people generally feel about having BPs as class pets.

Not a teacher, but I distinctly remember 2 class pets during my sordid years of primary education. The first, in Kindergarten, was a clutch of eggs that hatched into chicks. I remember NOT CARING AT ALL because 1) eggs are not fun or interactive, and 2) when the chicks came out, we were not allowed to hold/pet/interact with them at all, and as a 5 yr old, if you cannot play with it, then WHY IS IT THERE. The second, in the 3rd grade, was a [rodent of some variety], and the teacher would assign a different student to take it home each weekend (with parental permission), it was sort of like a reward for good behavior in class. I remember being very excited when it was my week. And my mom being a lot less excited.

All in all, pretty neutral experiences, which is what I have come to believe is par for the peripheral aspects of the classroom during our educational years. I would take the age and maturity level of the student population into consideration when selecting an appropriate classroom pet. I think the chicks were great... but maybe for an older audience (grades 3-5). The [rodent] was fine. Snek as a classroom pet, for 9th graders? I think that's totally doable. At that age, they're going to have formed opinions about sneks, or regurtitate their parents' opinions about them, but BP is a slow-moving snek, interesting to look at, and not scary in the face. Not super interesting to watch for a long period of time... but your students shouldn't be looking at him for long periods of time, they should be doing their work. ;) And for those few brave souls curious enough to come back after school for some 1:1 interaction, after careful instructions about how snek should be handled, there's very little risk of danger - probably not going to bite, and the students probably won't drop him because of squirms like a Corn.

To the OP: If you think that you can handle the proper husbandry for this animal in a classroom setting, go for it.

I think this sums it up nicely. If you feel like you have enough control over the situation to make it a positive experience for your students, and a safe and healthy experience for snek, do it. Do the thing. Be the guy. Score the points. Win the object. GO TEAM.