In the city of Lyon, turning for the Rue Jean Desparmetat number 16, there is a small school not attended only by the teaching staff, by the administrative staff and its small students. His classrooms are a wrapping of different dogs but united by the carry on a common mission.
At that address you will meet private elementary school The fourmi, Where during lessons, children can caress a dog in moments of anxiety, learn to manage their emotions in contact with others and much more thanks to the presence of animals. It happens every day among the desks of the famous elementary institute in the area.
Established in 1993 as a specialized school for children with learning disorders, ADHD or surplus, Fourm It offers a type of differentiated teaching also thanks to a special team of four -legged friends.
They are tala, a female of husky, ripper and chouquette and every morning they turn class in class to greet the children of the section, support them when something is wrong, transmit calm through a caress or a reassuring look.
The first approach is the work of Chouquette, a small dog who is responsible for the task of introducing pupils to the other two adventure companions. Socialization intends to teach children to trust the dog and in its miraculous support, while promoting a different perception of the neighbor.
Once the relationship is established, Tala and Ripper intervene in the most natural way possible in difficult situations. They relax close to children, they make themselves caress that attention falls on them and, at the same time, through touch, therapy makes effect.
The benefits are really manifold. Through contact with dogs, children learn to elaborate emotions and feelings, replacing the tranquility of agitation. They feel safer, comforted, motivated in their training course and are pleased to go to school.
If for many children the school can be synonymous with stress, fears and judgments, thanks to the support of a dog or other animals used in the pet therapy That same school can turn into a positive and enriching experience. However, we would like to emphasize some reflections.
The support that animals can give in a school environment to encourage the cognitive and emotional well -being of the students should not be reserved only for special schools, where neurodic pupils are separated from the neurotypical companions and therefore frequent different environments.
The approach should extend to the entire school system of each order and type, without creating distinctions. Fortunately, examples exist. One of these is a school in Türkiye, where children share the desks with abandoned cats.
