Update: First few days of School

[Scooter_in_Kindergarten]

Thank you to everyone who gave me such good advice. The support from this site is just wonderful!
Here is an update on my little Scoot. Today was his 3rd day in the classroom, and he is doing GREAT! The kids start Monday so that is when the real test is, but I've had him in the room since Monday and he is just super happy. Very active and very interested in all the teachers that come in to see what a cool class pet I have. (1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade all have a bearded dragon) Kindergarten is special with Scoot
It hurts a little when some people compare him to a snake and get "creeped out", but I guess it is very common. I just think he is so cute and wonderful, it's hard to see him as anything else.
I will update again soon after the kids start.
I just wanted to let everyone who helped me out with awesome advice, that he is doing great and no longer "hisses" when I reach in to handle him.
Thanks again.

[Coomassie]

Glad to hear he is adjusting! I didn't realize that reptiles were such common classroom pets. There is another guy around here who keeps his skink in a classroom. His handle is Eegore.

[phaemas]

Ya, Marvin(my skink) gets compaired to a snake,with legs, all the time and it's pain full.

[Spindown]

lol i like snakes too so i dont mind the comparison, i just point out there tiny little legs and let it go

I mean to most people (i.e. non herp people) anything that is scaly looks like a snake to them, legs or no legs ^_^

Glad to hear Scoot is doing well!

[critterguy]

It is interesting that many people mistake them for snakes. They frequently claim their heads look snakelike as well. I suppose they are more snakelike than an iguana.

[Lea]

Hi! I've not been on the site for a bit, but hopefully I'll be around enough to catch up a bit on your story.

I would have loved to have lizards in the classroom when I was at school! I think it's less common in England, too. But I can't complain- we had two ducks, a whole cage of reproducing guinea pigs and a couple of rabbits when I was at school! I think I remember more about the class pets than any other education I got at primary school

Just shows what an impression animals can have at a young age- definitely good for skinks and other reptiles, which get such a bad reputation in later life. Maybe it will help reduce the fear factor in adulthood

[Adalon]

My favorite teacher in elementary school was when I was in 2nd grade. He had a cage filled with fire newts and fire belly toads and would sometimes bring his iguana in from home that would stay on a big perch type stand all day. I think it's wonderful that you are able to teach kids about reptiles through having class pets, it's rare to see that these days in my district apparently.

[Linnea]

class pets dont exist here, maybe an aquarium at the most, but i would have loved to have a reptile in the classroom when i was younger. would have brightened up my day a lot.

[Coomassie]

We had rabbits in elementary school and we hatched chicks and ducks. My mom was a teacher and she hatched quails. The baby birds always went to a farmer before they started to get their adult feathers. We definitely didn't have any reptiles. My high school AP biology teacher had really elaborate fish tanks and some hissers but that was it.

[MissMeg]

I rember one year we had a hampster (grade 4) and his name was Marbles. Everyone got to take him home for the weekend except me. My dad was too allergic to furballs. I was so upset.

Another year we had our own swamp in the class room. It was in a fish tank. We got to go over to the pond across the yard and collect "gunk" and make our own swamp. We studdied the organisims and stuff that lived in it. But boy did it stink on those hot days.

I was always the cool girl with lizards lol. Id bring my Iguana or beardie to school on show and tell. Everyone loved them.

Now that Im older mind you I dont know if bringing my Lizards were such a good Idea, It probably stressed the heck out of them.`LOL

[Nae]

I never had a class pet