Therapy Dog Brings Reading Confidence to Elementary Classrooms anon-Mac CANON-MAC SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
44 CANON-MAC
Students at Borland Manor Elementary read aloud to Zion, a 3-year-old Great Pyrenees mix therapy dog whose presence has helped transform reading practice into something students look forward to.
Zion, a calm and patient listener, visits Borland Manor every other week as part of a literacy initiative designed to improve fluency and build confidence.
“ I’ ve seen students practice a book all week long just because they know they’ ll be reading to Zion on Friday,” said second-grade teacher Jennifer Weiss, who has taught at Borland Manor for 20 years.“ They’ re motivated on their own— no assignments, no prompting.”
Weiss first connected with Zion through Pets in the Classroom, an organization that matches therapy animals with schools. After filling out an application, she was paired with Zion and her handler, Vesta, and began arranging classroom visits last year.
“ There’ s been a big push for fluency and for making the science of reading engaging,” Weiss said.“ Kids aren’ t always excited to read out loud to a grown-up. But a dog that comes to school? That’ s different and exciting.”
Most students meet Zion with enthusiasm, though one second-grader was initially hesitant due to Zion’ s size. Within a few visits, Weiss said,“ Zion was lying in her lap, and she’ s completely comfortable now.”
Beyond reading skills, the program offers handson lessons in responsibility and independence. Students manage timers during visits, rotate in pairs and follow protocols they practiced as a group when Zion first arrived.
“ At first I didn’ t know how to set it up, or even who to reach out to,” Weiss said.“ Now the kids handle the routine themselves. Another staff member supervises while I’ m teaching, and the whole thing runs smoothly.”
Zion also recently trained as a first responder therapy dog, and Vesta has introduced ageappropriate books about first responders during select visits. Students can choose to read those or other books from Weiss’ s classroom library.
“ I’ m a teacher who wants to make second grade fun,” Weiss said.“ This makes reading enjoyable for the kids, and that’ s all that matters.”