Last Wednesday students learned first-hand about empathy when they met Tucker, a dog 
from Animal Care Sanctuary shelter. Why empathy? Kelli Krieger’s class assignment was “Writing Our Way to Empathy: Shelter Dogs and Teenagers.”
Tucker’s handler Jesse talked about shelters and the nearly 6.3 million dogs and cats entering shelters annually. All of them have stories. After interacting with Tucker and discovering his story, students were assigned to write about the experience centered around Tucker. Whether it was a bio about Tucker, a heartfelt poem from the dog’s perspective, or a story documenting his journey, the overarching theme was empathy.
The assignment aligns with the social and emotional learning curriculum and collaborating with community organizations. And like many stories, this one comes with a happy ending. One of our U-E families drove to the shelter on Saturday and adopted Tucker!
