What My Dogs Remind Me About Teaching

I was not always a dog lover. In fact, after being bitten as a child (barely broke the skin but very scary when they're the same size as you!), most large dogs scared me. As soon as we bought our house though and started walking around the neighborhood, the idea of having on to stroll with us sounded better and better. I was thinking a something small like a Boston Terrier. However, having grown up with large dogs his whole life, my husband wanted one he could wrestle and play with (and was larger than our cats).

The search began, and after spending weeks looking through Petfinder, we came across Bones, soon renamed Porter. He was a three month old black and white puppy that had been found living in a car with his mom and siblings in Detroit. We put in the application and a couple weeks later he was ours! Shortly after adopting him, the warnings began. "He'll turn on you." "Don't let him near the cats." "Aren't you guys planning on having kids someday? They're dangerous."

We did our research refuting all of the myths surrounding dogs like Porter and worked to make sure he'd be a great ambassador for all the block headed dogs out there. About a year later, we adopted his new "sister," Arcadia. With her brindle pattern and stockier build, many perceive her to be even scarier than Porter.

Having two dogs will teach you a lot, but having two that fall into the very broad classification of "pit bull" will drop much more learning on you than you anticipated. Here's what my two dogs always make sure I remember:

• Not Judging Books By Covers. Just like dogs, every kid is an individual and deserves to be treated as such. Assumptions based on appearances or initial behaviors do nobody any good. We need to dig at the root of their behaviors and find ways to help them work through their issues whether academic, social, or otherwise. We have to get to know our students as people and...

• Differentiate. Porter is the kid who's really good at "doing school" but not so good at putting it into practice. He'll run through every answer he's ever learned to try and get that treat, but when it comes to remembering "stay" when we really need it, nothing but cute head turns and tail wags. Arcadia on the other hand is the one asking "Why do we even need to learn this?" She'll figure it out in her own time and when she does, it'll be because it was her idea and clearly not ours. Just like with our students, we have to work with their strengths and weaknesses and try to...

• Set Them Up for Success. Leaving our toddler's leftovers on the dinner table is just too great a temptation for Porter ("leave it" is another one of those phases we're working on actually putting into practice). Within minutes, he'll be enjoying a tasty treat. Arcadia came with a few more emotional problems when we adopted her, so we learned not to take her into spaces where there are off leash dogs. Teaching and training is important, but so is planning ahead. We can't get angry at students for acting out when we have not thought through a lesson or set up clear expectations. Failure can be a great teacher, but there's a big difference in letting them try something new or completely setting them up to fail. Unfortunately whether things are going right or wrong...

• People Will Judge You.  People cross the street and run away on paths to avoid us. I get suspicious looks from people at the vet's office, and have encountered remarkable changes in people's attitude toward me when I share that we have two "pit bulls." As teachers, we get judged for a lot of things: poor test scores, being teachers in the first place (those who can, do, right?), getting "summers off," crime rates, world hunger, etc. In the world of both teachers and "pit bull" owners though, many allies can be found for support and advice. We just need to reach out and find the resources that work best with our students But (and you probably knew this was coming)...

• They're Worth It. Though I've cleaned up more disemboweled stuffed animals than I'd like to count (my inner child who grew up on Toy Story still cries inside whenever I throw one out), and have basically given up on ever having a well landscaped back yard, I wouldn't trade my dogs for anything. Nor would I give up teaching. There are days that I come home frustrated and angry, but the joy I gain from spending my days with middle school musicians is not something I would give up on. Luckily we've got two big, silly dogs always ready for a walk and some moral support on the ruff days.