Eye On Education: Dog Makes Big Difference In Special Needs Classroom
BOSTON (CBS) - He could be the most loved, tail wagging student in all of Plymouth. His name is Beamer, a 2-year-old yellow lab assistance dog.
"The best part is you get to take care of him," said Anthony.
"He's silly all the time," said Cassidy.
Beth Keane came up with the idea of getting a highly trained dog for her classroom of special needs students. The NEADS organization quickly matched Ms. Keane with Beamer and he's been a member of the class at Nathaniel Morton Elementary School since September.
"It's been a learning experience for me as well for the kids in the class," Ms. Keane told us.
Beamer is now part of the entire school day. He is a reading buddy, he helps with motor skills, and students have daily responsibilities when it comes to Beamer, like giving him food, water, practicing his commands, and taking him out for walks. It's a priceless learning experience for these kids but there is a price for training and having an assistance dog.
"We had to raise a certain amount of money to keep him," Cassidy explained.
These nine special needs students were not about to let Beamer go, so they all got to work raising the $9,500 needed to keep him around. "The fundraiser has actually been, for our classroom, was one of the most beneficial parts of having Beamer with us," said Ms. Keane.
The students wrote letters looking for donations, they spoke at the local Rotary Club, and sold arts and crafts. And just this month the class hit their fundraising goal.
"That was the best thing that ever happened to me," Kylie said with a broad smile.
"We all feel happy," Carlos said.
"Their self-esteem this year is not even comparable to anything in the past," Ms. Keane noted.
Adam, once terrified of loud fire alarms, is now in charge of getting Beamer out of the building during a drill. Other students have learned to speak up, a necessity when giving Beamer commands.
Ms. Keane couldn't be prouder, "There has been no other project that's made them as unified and as confident in their own abilities as this."
After school Beamer heads home with Ms. Keane who had to go through some intense training to become the dog's handler. Classrooms in Beverly and Holden also have assistance dogs through the NEADS program.
