Abstract
Keeping small exotic animals in classes is on the rise in Czech schools. Czech schools have been experiencing a turn one might call the “re-turn to animals” during the last two decades.
Teachers buy various animals for their classrooms because they expect a positive animal-induced effect on individual students and on the class as a whole. This quantitative research shows that their expectations are justified (development of student’s communication, development of cooperation between school and families, lull of hyperactive children, develops fine motor skills, limits stress etc.).
The paper presents teaching-staff experience in this area, and discusses the conditions (teacher’s foreknowledge of pets, choice of kind of pets) under which the positive effects of the pupil – animal interaction are the most profound. The paper is discussing transformation of conditions (renewing the tradition of farm animal breeding is not probable at the present time, but it is possible to keep smaller animals – pets).