Discussion: "Animal Care and Training" in schools

The final task of your exam asks you to write an article for your school paper in which you discuss the importance of teaching “Animal Care and Training” in schools.

Text 1, Text 2 and Text 3

All three texts presented in the source material discuss, to some extent, the importance of people being able to take care of animals or train them.

Text 1, for example, presents the way in which Nick, a teenage boy, has managed to see his dog as his best friend after rescuing it from the pound:

“At night, when Banyan came into my room and curled up on my bed, I’d tell him how I felt,” Nick says. “I guess I treated him like he was an equal – like a human equal – and he listened faithfully. It felt good.” (p. 2, ll. 8-10)

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Positive and negative aspects

When writing your article, it is very important to think of both the positive and the negative aspects of teaching “Animal Care and Training” in schools.

First, let us focus on the positive aspects. On the one hand, students can escape the stress and spend at least a few hours per month in an environment which may make them feel happy and content. It is also very important for them to learn taking responsibility and be aware of the way in which their efforts can change the life of an animal.

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