Dogs help struggling students read

Diane Lau-Yee, a concerned principle in San Francisco’s Chinatown noted the family tragedies happening in student homes and lives. It was impacting children and their ability to learn.

“Some of the students were acting out their feelings of confusion and anger by starting fights with their peers, while other children shut down and stopped participating in class,” says Lau-Yee.

Divorce, death of a family member and trauma do often make it harder for children to concentrate. Even just witnessing community violence can cause kids to be a little more on edge, making it harder to tolerate frustration, control impulses, and manage aggression. This is why Lau-Yee wanted to give her students access to emotional tools to aid in coping and calming. This came in the form of a school dog named Stanley.

Read the next page to learn how Stanley helped.