DISTANCE LEARNING GETS NEEDED PAWS
Household pets and exotic creatures adding fun and comfort to online lessons
For many Southern California families, students and teachers taking part in distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic, animals offer solace — and a much-needed laugh — in tough times.
From beloved household pets to wild animals, they’re providing comfort and a chance to see, and even learn, something new for those behind the computer screen.
From accidental appearances on Zoom to creative online lessons to therapy and support, animals and pets have been finding their way into the virtual classrooms of many students and teachers across the region.
STAR Eco Station, an environmental science museum and wildlife res
cue center with more than 100 animals in Culver City, brings Los Angeles Unified School District students weekly visits from exotic animals — online, that is.
In summer, the nonprofit group partnered with the district for virtual programs, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, when it became clear that students wouldn’t yet return to campus. Participating students are from Title I federally funded elementary schools in the L.A. and Beverly Hills unified school districts.
Wildlife-trained teachers showcase, over Zoom, exotic rescued animals, from squawking, colorful birds to 50-pound crawling reptiles. Safely behind a computer screen, teachers spend about an hour talking about the animal, its characteristics and answering students’ questions while holding the animals.
“We haven’t seen a child’s smile in months, behind the masks,” Assistant Wildlife Director Danny Osborne said. “So when I’m on these Zoom classes, I see their smiling faces. … That’s why I’m here.”
Osborne, who has taught and handled animals at the Eco Station for 16 years, said showcasing these animals for students will spread awareness of animal preservation and the dangers of extinction.
Katiana Bozzi, who cofounded STAR Eco Station, said that seeing curious-minded kids virtually interact with animals and each other brought her to tears.
“It’s an opportunity, and we make it fun since they can’t visit us in person,” she said. “We hope to give these kids a small sense of normalcy.”
Dog is teacher’s pet
A dog affectionately dubbed Professor Ginger is the star of the show for longtime Riverside teacher Jessie Bekkedahl.
Bekkedahl, 40, teaches kindergarten at Emerson Elementary School. When the pandemic sent classes online through Google Classroom, Bekkedahl wanted a way to keep her students engaged through the screen.
“When we first shut down, I was like, ‘What in the world, how am I going to stay connected?’ ” she said. “And then I had the idea of making fun little videos with my dog and sharing them with the kids.
And they loved it.”
Bekkedahl created more than 50 videos that show Professor Ginger “learning” to read, counting, barking letters of the alphabet, performing tricks or playing games. Sometimes she and Ginger walk around the neighborhood, pointing out shapes. Sometimes Bekkedahl includes her other pets — a cat, Axle, and a dog, Hannah — in the short videos.
“At first it was silly. I didn’t know what I was doing. And now it’s at the point where, when I go outside and set up a chair, Ginger will jump on without me asking,” said Bekkedahl, who adopted Ginger in 2018 from an animal shelter. “She’s like, ‘Oh, I know what to do.’ And then she’ll bark, play, and do whatever I need her to do.”
The videos became a hit with her school, then the Riverside Unified School District and were shared with elementary school teachers across the state and nation. Bekkedahl shoots them at home on her phone and posts them on Professor Ginger’s YouTube channel and on social media, where she has gained a following.
Bekkedahl hopes that, along with teaching, the videos will simply make people smile.
“This virus is scary, and I don’t know if I’m going to see my [students] again. These kindergarteners don’t know what real school is,” she said in February, before Riverside Unified announced plans to reopen elementary schools in March. “But I hope this provides some comfort, like, ‘Here’s my dog, hopefully you’ll like her.’ ”
Emotional support
For some, pets can offer more than just companionship. They’re also a lifeline.
Lina Gramata, a thirdyear student at the University of Redlands, said her teacup Yorkie dog, Izzy, brings her comfort in stressful times. Izzy, a registered emotional support animal, lives with Gramata in her dorm room and is approved by the university.
Izzy is loved by the other students in Gramata’s dorm building, students who, like Gramata, are isolated living on campus during the pandemic.
“She’s my childhood best friend, my guardian angel, and I tell her every day,” said Gramata, 21, who is from Kentucky.
Some people enjoy watching funny cat videos online. For others, funny cats are an everyday occurrence.
Brothers David and Jack Reid, both in the acting conservatory at the Orange County School of the Arts, said their two adopted cats, Henry and Ellie, bring joy to their virtual classroom. The cats have accidentally appeared on screen, walking on top of desks and jumping on keyboards.
“The girls in class think it’s funny,” said sophomore Jack Reid, 16.
The Long Beach-raised boys said their beloved cats have gotten in the way of the self-tapes, auditions, and other class video assignments before, but all in good fun.
“It’s nice to have them here,” said David Reid, 18, a senior. “It’s comforting, like having a furry friend to hang out with.”