SEATTLE — A 2nd-grade teacher from Seattle has invited a frenzy in to her virtual classroom, much to the delight of her students.
“Frenzy” is a 6-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog that students at home have watched grow over this school year as their virtual class pet.
Cedar Park teacher Christine Lackie noticed her students were concerned about what happened to her virtual fish tank that filled the online screen before class.
Her students seemed upset that the cartoon fish was suddenly gone so she decided to see if she could find a virtual class pet.
While a dog wouldn’t be allowed in the traditional class setting, the online schooling platform provided an opportunity to have a puppy.
Lackie reached out to her childhood friend Stacy Slade who trains dogs. She happened to have a puppy named Frenzy who was perfect for the job.
The class puppy makes weekly visits to engage the kids and even helps teach. Frenzy is used as a teaching tool for language and math.
She has become so popular that she’s now also the virtual pet for classrooms throughout Washington and has virtually visited schools as far away as Alaska and Texas.
Slade launched a Youtube Channel called “My Friend Frenzy” and chronicles the weekly growth of Frenzy and features new tricks and playtime with Frenzy’s sister and other puppy friends.
"I was absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to help out in any way I could," Slade said. "It’s been a hard year for everyone, teachers and kids especially. Plus, who doesn’t love puppies?”