industry & reform
Micky the Groodle provides therapeutic support to the St Michael ’ s school community . Picture : Supplied
A furry friend
Staff have become happier in their job , and children feel calmer .
Classroom dog helps to reduce stress among Sydney staff and students .
By Emilie Lauer
As long as she could remember , Sydney principal Alison Felici always loved dogs . “ I ’ ve had a lot of rescue dogs over time ,”
Alison told Education Review . “ Now I have two pugs , and Micky .” In the aftermath of back-to-back Covid-19 lockdowns , Alison returned to work at St Michael ’ s Catholic primary school in Meadowbank and noticed high levels of stress and anxiety .
Students were refusing to come back to school , and worried parents were ringing into the office asking for help .
“ At the time , we still had restrictions , and we weren ’ t quite sure what was coming next ,” she said .
The former relief teacher had toyed with the idea of acquiring a wellbeing dog for a while .
“ I had already thought about bringing a dog to school when I was assistant principal , and then Covid hit , but that was the right time to do it ,” she said .
“ From the moment we got Micky that first morning , the positive vibe in the staff room - it was electrifying .”
After finding Dogs Connect , an organisation which pairs trained therapy dogs into Australian schools , Alison found Micky - an 11-month-year old blonde Groodle .
Micky now visits into St Michael ’ s several times a week , splitting her time between classrooms , sitting in the principal ’ s office , or playing ball in the staff area .
“ She is so gentle and loves everyone , there are no favourites , she is just so happy to be with people ,” Alison said .
“ Staff have become happier in their job , and children feel calmer around her .”
A March analysis from the Black dog institute showed teacher ’ s in Australia experience four times higher rates of anxiety , stress and depression than the general population .
Another recent also showed more than 95 per cent of school principals nationwide were worried about staff stress and burnout .
At St Michael ’ s , having Micky around has helped to uplift the entire school community , Alison said .
“ Everyone talks about Micky . They all have funny stories about how she was in their classroom and even exchange pictures of her ,” she said .
Alison describes Micky as being a gentle soul with “ sass and determination ”, who is grateful for any toys but always ready to do her job .
Micky ’ s soothing role also works on students , with the school reporting a decline in reports of behavioural issues . “ We actually use her as motivation . Students have a reward chart , and once they do something good , they get a picture of her ,” Alison said .
“ Kids that were reluctant to come to school now detach from their parents as soon as they see her .”
Boosting people ’ s confidence and helping others has always been Alison ’ s primary motivation since she began teaching more than 30 years ago .
“ When I was young , I liked playing ‘ teachers ’, making sure everyone was okay , and I had probably the neatest writing you ’ ve ever seen ,” she said .
Every day Alison takes the time to build relationships with teachers , support staff , students , parents and stakeholders , a task in which Micky plays an essential role as an ice-breaker .
“ Relationships are the most important part of my style of leadership , making sure people feel comfortable , gaining their trust and listening to them because everybody has different needs ,” she said . “ I want our community to feel valued . “ Micky definitely helped me in my role as a principal .”. ■
14 | educationreview . com . au