By Clara M. Bird, M.Ed
As a PETA staffer and former educator, I recently had the opportunity to attend the California Association of Science Educators (CASE) conference in Palm Springs, California, with members of the TeachKind Science team, the humane science education division of PETA. I’m so excited to see the wonderful impact CASE has had on K–12 schools across California, and this event provided attendees with an opportunity to engage with hundreds of teachers.
One of the highlights of the conference was the promotion of non-animal dissection methods, such as the revolutionary SynFrog and cutting-edge computer simulations. The best part? Thanks to PETA’s generous donors, TeachKind Science’s pilot program distributes these resources to qualifying schools free of charge. There were 30 participating schools in 2022, and 41 schools are already signed up for this academic year. SynFrog was a real hit among the teachers at the conference, and we were delighted to see them having a ton of fun dissecting it. This innovative tool not only offers an authentic hands-on dissection experience but also prevents countless animals from being killed.
We were pleased to introduce our humane education curriculum and classroom materials to these dedicated educators. Their enthusiasm for our curriculum was contagious, and they were eager to incorporate these resources into their teaching, empowering the next generation with knowledge about animal rights, ethical decision-making, and compassionate living.
It’s important to emphasize that none of our work would be possible without the support of our donors, whose generosity fuels our mission to protect animals and enables us to bring humane education into classrooms across the U.S.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of our supporters for helping PETA’s TeachKind Science program make a difference. Educators and parents can find resources at TeachKind.org. Please consider a donation to sustain all of PETA’s educational outreach for animals.
Clara Bird is an Associate Philanthropic Specialist at the PETA Foundation. She holds a Master’s in Education from UC San Diego.
