From turtles, to fish, to rabbits, to mice, class pets are usually simple animals. The argument whether these simple animals are beneficial to the classroom or not still stands, however. 

In 2011, the Pets in the Classroom grant program was established by the Pet Care Trust. This program handed financial support to classrooms to purchase and care for a pet living in the class. The program took a survey in 2021 about the pets in the classes and the behavior of teachers’ students. “The student was rarely talking, now he sits and talks with Hani, the class hamster, all day,” Sarah Bankhead said about one of her students according to Pets in the Classroom. 

Teachers claimed that the class pets were “helping the students be more involved”. They claimed there was an “increase in empathy and compassion” as well as a “decrease in student anxiety” according to the survey. 

Although pets can help with the engagement of students, it is argued that class pets should be stopped because of endangerment to the animals and a distraction to the class. “Classrooms are stressful, dangerous, and even deadly for animals,” Liz Cabrera Holtz wrote in her blog “4 Reasons to End Classroom ‘Pet’ Programs”. Holtz continues to say that pets should not be in the classroom because it is an endangerment to the students. How some reptiles can carry salmonella which can harm the students or whoever is handling the animal. 

In the survey from Pets in the Classroom, teachers also said that “the test scores did not increase” and claimed most students were “distracted” by something the animal did or just by its presence in general. “For students with attention and focusing needs, class pets can provide too much stimulation and distract them from their work,” said an article for teachers on “The Pros and Cons of Class Pets”.

So even though class pets can be distracting, they can be a big help to the students. And at the end of the day it all depends on the classroom environment and the teacher.