Opinion
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor

Schools Need to Teach Respect for All Creatures

November 13, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Given that schools are rightfully cracking down on bullying, they should be at the forefront of encouraging students to be respectful to each other and all those around them—and that means everyone (“Inside the Mind of a Bully,” Oct. 16, 2012).

Over the last few years, there’s been a troubling trend in schools to hold events involving animals, such as “kiss a pig” contests and donkey basketball games. These promotions are ostensibly designed to reward students for reading or to motivate them to do fundraising. But what they teach students is that animals are theirs to laugh at, ridicule, and use as they please. The lessons kids are unintentionally taught can hold just as much weight as those in the formal curriculum.

It’s cruel to haul animals into school gymnasiums and subject them to the frightening and confusing environment of hundreds of screaming kids. Schools should recognize that encouraging students to kiss pigs, eat bugs, and shoot baskets off donkeys fosters derision and disrespect toward both animals and educators. It is important for students to understand that animals are thinking, feeling beings who deserve kindness and respect.

Good teachers know that, as the saying goes, “Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.”

With so many innovative and humane ways to get students involved, schools are failing themselves and their students by promoting animal exploitation for cheap laughs.

Jennifer O’Connor

Staff Writer

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation

Norfolk, Va.

The writer has worked as a substitute teacher in California and Texas.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the November 15, 2012 edition of Education Week as Schools Need to Teach Respect for All Creatures

Events

School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Social-Emotional Learning 2025: Examining Priorities and Practices
Join this free virtual event to learn about SEL strategies, skills, and to hear from experts on the use and expansion of SEL programs.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Leader To Learn From One Leader’s Plan to Cut Chronic Absenteeism—One Student at a Time
Naomi Tolentino helps educators in Kansas City, Kan., support strong school attendance.
9 min read
Naomi Tolentino Miranda leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Tolentino Miranda showed school administrators recent data reflecting positive progress in combating chronic absenteeism.
Naomi Tolentino leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Tolentino showed school administrators recent data reflecting positive progress in combating chronic absenteeism.
Erin Woodiel for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Opinion Schools Can’t Just ‘Return to Normal’ After a Climate Disaster
This is what’s missing when education leaders urge schools to return to normalcy too soon after crises or disasters.
Jaleel R. Howard & Sam Blanchard
5 min read
A jungle gym melted and destroyed by the Eaton Fire is seen at a school, Jan. 15, 2025, in Altadena, Calif.
The Easton Fire melted a jungle gym outside a school in Altadena, Calif.
John Locher/AP
School Climate & Safety Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week is tracking K-12 school shootings in 2025 with injuries or deaths. See the number of incidents and where they occurred.
3 min read
Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety As Wildfires Devastate Los Angeles, Educators Offer Help and Refuge
As wildfires rip through the region, educators band together for support as they work to help students and families.
9 min read
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025.
Ethan Swope/AP