Inappropriate Classroom Activity

In my third-grader's classroom, the teacher feeds a live mouse to the class pet snake once a week. Watching the snake pounce on the unsuspecting mouse really upsets my child. I know this happens in the wild, but is it really an appropriate activity for young children to see? - Animal Lover
Answer: Classrooms are supposed to be warm, safe places where young children feel comfortable while learning. Seeing one animal eat another could absolutely shock them and at the very least would be upsetting for most children. At this age, they are simply too young to understand this very graphic aspect of nature and do not have the emotional ability to distance themselves from such an event.
We spoke to experts at several organizations devoted to the prevention of cruelty to animals, and all agreed that watching a snake eat a mouse is not an acceptable classroom activity for young children. While we understand the teacher's desire to bring nature into the classroom, there are far more appropriate ways to do this, such as studying the way the snake sloughs its skin.
Speak to this teacher at once about your concerns. The teacher needs to know how inappropriate this lesson on nature is. You will be more effective in changing this teacher's behavior if you take other parents who have similar feelings with you.