Cat in the classroom

I took our kitten Jamie to the first grade classroom yesterday (Friday) morning. The kids waited very patiently (although a bit agitatedly) while I read a story about a kitten, and then I let Jamie out of his carrier. He initially was a bit nervous around the kids, but quickly grew comfortable, letting them pet him and then wandering around the room sniffing everything.



One of the kids, however, was not a fan of Jamie. This young boy has a fear of animals, although he thinks they are cute and interesting. I had observed him last week when Mary Ellen (the teacher) had some family members bring a couple of dogs to visit (that visit was held outside on the basketball court, not in the classroom!), and it was interesting to see how he was torn between his fear and his desire to see the dogs up close.

During our visit, while I was reading a second story to the kids, Jamie jumped up to sit on Mary Ellen's lap. The child with the fear of animals happened to be sitting next to his teacher, but was looking at me and so did not immediately realize that the cat was so close to him. Then, when he did see Jamie, he was somewhat afraid, but did not immediately bolt and run. It was as if he realized, "hey, this cat has been there for a while and hasn't hurt me, so I guess he is okay." This is in line with many recommended methods for dealing with fear by facing instead of avoiding it. I don't know about you, but I have certainly regretted not choosing to do certain things in life because of fear. Sometimes I eventually got around to doing them, once my faith overcame my fear, and some things I have yet to do. I was inspired by my first grade friend, especially by his excitement about what he had accomplished. Hopefully I can turn my inspiration into action!