Each student in the program reads aloud to a dog
with the help of a trainer.
THERAPY DOGS HELP STUDENTS
BUILD READING SKILLS
S
ome Mansfield ISD students who need a little
extra help with reading are visited by a few
four-legged friends every week that provide
additional support.
The therapy dogs, provided by a local chapter of
Pet Partners, visit the school every Wednesday
morning. Staff members have received a lot of
positive feedback from participants and their
parents.
Glenn Harmon Elementary School launched
its Rover Reader program this school year. It
is designed to encourage struggling readers to
build confidence in reading aloud and build
reading fluency.
“Our first time that we had the dogs come, the
kids came to school with bags of treats because
they were excited to see their dogs,” Scott
continued.
Trenell Scott, assistant principal at Harmon
Elementary School, started the initiative at her
campus because she has seen the program work
in other schools to address a student’s academic
and emotional needs.
Program organizers said they enjoy seeing the
students bond with the animals while achieving
their literacy goals. They hope the program will
be a staple at the school for years to come.
“The greatest benefit for the children is to
build self-confidence,” said Scott. “Because the
trainers are retired teachers and retired school
counselors, there’s a mentoring component to it
as well.”
Rover Reader gives students the ability to read
aloud in an unstressful setting. The children in
the program said the canines help brighten up
their day.
“I love this program because it helped me,
and it helped me be special,” said third-grader
Kemarreon Carter. “It makes me feel happy and
better from reading to the dog.”
The students read to the canines for
approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
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M A NSFIELD ISD.O RG