Students in Mrs. Byrne-Emmerson's classroom were visited by special guests during a SEL Purposefull People lesson. Dog rescuer Mrs. Newman visited the class to talk about responsible pet ownership, bringing three of her dogs with her.

Before the visit, students discussed the furry friends who would be visiting their classroom to prepare for the discussion about responsibility and how it applies to pet ownership.

The class had an engaging discussion about what the students thought about the special needs dogs after meeting them. Students expressed feelings of happiness, excitement, love, nervousness, friendliness, and more. During the discussion, not a single student mentioned the dogs' disabilities, instead focusing on the personalities of each dog and the way they responded and behaved. The lesson stressed the importance of focusing on who the animal is, similar to how we should focus on who another person is.