By: Shakela Brown, WHS Humane Education Outreach Program Manager
As Trooper continues to heal, we continue to learn from her ordeal. Her story can teach us about empathy and courage.
Empathy is one of my favorite lessons to teach. It teaches students to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Trooper’s story does just that. Children will be able to think about Trooper and what she endured before she was saved. Everyone throws stuff in the trash can, but a dumpster is a large smelly dark space.
Empathy can be taught everyday. Students can call us if they see an animal in need. They can think, “What if that was me, I would want someone to help me”. Kids can also help by simply doing good deeds. They could collect and donate items to their local shelters.
The Washington Humane Society also helps people. Many times the homes officers investigate are in need of other services, so WHS often contacts other agencies for assistance.
Teaching students to think about other people and animals is important, but we must also teach them to do something about it. This lesson will empower students and teach them to care about others.
The last lesson we can learn from Trooper is courage. It took courage for someone to call us about Trooper. Every day the Washington Humane Society receives calls from citizens who are concerned about animals in their community. The citizens are courageous and are heroes to the animals. We depend on the public to be our eyes and ears.
Trooper’s courage and determination also helped her survive her ordeal. Many times people fight through sickness and pain. Trooper definitely demonstrated to everyone that she is a fighter. She is getting stronger ev ery day.
We can teach students to have courage daily. Many students face difficult situations. We need to encourage them to be brave and to do the right thing. It is a hard lesson but it will help them mature and develop integrity. Students face a lot of peer pressure, to fit in, to be accepted and to be liked.
Students can also learn about courage by simply opening their history books. They can look up to those who stood up for civil rights. The District of Columbia if filled with museums, monuments and other enriching activities and sites that can help them understand the importance of having courage. Courage can also help build a student’s self esteem and self worth which helps them to not only stand up for people but for animals as well.
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