• About
  • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Disclaimer
  • Contact
  • Advertise
    • Cat Clout! Top Influencer.
    • Awards
    • Demographics
  • PR Friendly
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

The Tiniest Tiger

  • Home
  • Gracey’s Story
    • Gracey’s Blog
    • The Tiniest Tiger’s Habitat
      • Bad Kitty
      • Lazy Leopard
      • Bossy Backyard Blue Jay
      • Great Horned Owl
    • Gracey’s Place of Refuge
    • Bissell MVP 2010
      • Bissell MVP Pet Photo Winner 2010
  • Big Cat Conservation
    • Tigers
    • African lions
    • Jaguars
    • Leopards
    • Cheetahs
    • Mountain Lions
    • Smaller Big Cats
  • Domestic Cats
    • House Cats
    • Cat Behavior & Health
    • Litter Box Tips
    • The Tiniest Tiger Cats
  • CAT-egories
    • Cat Breeds
    • Names for Cats
    • Feral Cats
    • Product Reviews
      • Cat Toys
      • Cat Towers
      • For Cat Parents
  • Shop Triple T Studios
  • Cat Coloring Pages

Gracey’s Legacy Helping Kids in the Class Room

Joanne's Blog

10 Sep

Gracey’s Legacy  Living On

Gracey, The Tiniest Tiger

Gracey, The Tiniest Tiger

The end of August brought on a new wave of sadness for us.  August hasn’t been our favorite month for the past few years for a variety of reasons. Life threatening illnesses and injuries to good friends, losing loved ones, and this August was no exception.  Sadness has a way of sneaking up and taking you hostage if you aren’t careful.  I didn’t write  much in August and when September came, I realized that I let the month of August come and go and decided to shake off the blues.  I had some help.

Helping Kids in the Class Room

Gracey talking about The Tiniest Tiger at Denver Elementary

Gracey at Denver Elementary

I received the most wonderful message from a member of our The Tiniest Tiger community.  I asked if I could share it with you  and she said yes.

I have already bought An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night. I absolutely LOVE your books. I also use The Tiniest Tiger, along with the coloring book in my classes. A few years ago when I first started in the special ed classroom, I had an autistic student who really responded well to Gracey. I had a picture of Gracey on my desk, and when the student was having a bad day, she would take the picture of Gracey back to her desk so that Gracey could watch her work. She knew that Gracey had special needs, and that sometimes Gracey didn’t feel like doing what she was supposed to do.

So on days when this student wasn’t feeling like doing what she was supposed to do, we would sit quietly with Gracey and talk about what happened when cats – and people – choose to do what they are supposed to do, even when they didn’t feel like it. It really helped her to focus on those difficult days, to know that even though it’s sometimes hard, we all have a job to do, and Gracey had to do her job [eating right, staying off the counter, getting along with Bad Kitty and Lazy Leopard] and my student had to then do her job [finish her assignment, use kind words, talk about how she was feeling with a trusted adult.] I like to incorporate the peaceful presence of pets in my room. I am currently working on a Master’s degree in Counseling, and I’ll be squeezing pet therapy into my practice some day, somehow. Animals speak when humans can’t.

I am looking forward to more adventures from Annie, Eddie, and Maggie. Already, I can envision a way to incorporate their stories into classroom social skills – getting along with others [Annie pestering Maggie,] sharing [Annie and Eddie fighting for the top of the post,] etc. You just keep sharing, and my students will benefit from it! I’ll also keep voting for Gracey and her Tiniest Tiger dream, and supporting it however I can.

 

 A Little Help From Our Friends

This message really touched my heart.  It is easy to get lost in the day to day and forget to stay focused on our goals.  Today I scheduled two school visits for The Tiniest Tiger
and An Ordinary Toad’s Extraordinary Night.  I want to thank you for being a part of our The Tiniest Tiger community,  for caring for all cats big and small and for helping to carry on Gracey’s legacy.

SRS Kids in Library

Students learning about The Tiniest Tiger and all animals big and small.

 

Subscribe to our newsletter

 

Other Posts You Might Like
  • Vote for The Tiniest Tiger’s Snow Adventure in The Friskies
  • Petcurean Helps Feed Cats at PurrEver Ranch Sanctuary
  • Cat Seeks Advice on How To Survive Living With Kittens
  • Katie from Glogirly on Living With Kittens Giveaway
  • Cat Turf Wars Battle for the Top of the Cat Power Tower
Enhanced by Zemanta

This post originally appeared on The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club and is the sole property of The Tiniest Tiger, LLC.

Previous Post: « Petcurean Helps Feed Cats at PurrEver Ranch Sanctuary
Next Post: Does Your Cat’s Menu Have the Ideal Balance? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denise says

    September 10, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    Isn’t it heartwarming to know that a little life can touch so many others and bring such hope? I love your beautiful posts. Please keep writing about Gracey, Annie, Eddie, and Maggie. We all have much to learn from our animal friends.

  2. Christine Johnston Dutton Beeh says

    September 10, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    So beautiful. Moved me to tears. Beloved Gracey has touched so many of us in many ways, but what could be more profound than this?

  3. katsrus says

    September 10, 2013 at 10:08 am

    I wish I could think of words to comfort you. August not so good here either. Lost both of my older kitties a year apart. Sending big hugs and purrs from our house to yours. It is so wonderful they are using Gracey in their school. I think animals help kids to learn better. What a great letter from the teacher. I have been voting.
    Sue B

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to The Tiniest Tiger

Joanne McGonagle Namibia

Hi, I’m Joanne and I love all cats. With a Global Field Master of Zoology degree focused on big cat conservation, I like to learn and talk about big cats too. I share my habitat with Paul and we were adopted by our cats Annie, Eddie and Bob.

The Tiniest Tiger has a fierce following of cat lovers and we’d love it, if you’d join us.

More About Us

Wild Rabbit Coloring Book

Join Team Cat!


Easter Rabbit Coloring Book

Easter Rabbit Coloring Book

Cat Coloring Books

Cats in Libraries Coloring Book

Recent Posts

  • Do Cats Like Being Hugged?
  • Cat Adoption Tips
  • Why Birdsong Makes Us Feel Better
  • Are Orange Cats Stupid?
  • Wild Rabbits: An Overview
  • Happy Cat Crossbody Bag Giveaway
  • Bird Flu in Bobcats
  • Purr Power Cat Hoodie Giveaway
  • Cat Heart Condition: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy News
  • Happy Cat Slip-On Shoes Giveaway

Popular Posts

President Lincoln and His Cats

Is That an Old Lion? | How to Age Lions

The Cat’s Meow. The Evolution of the Manipulative Meow

Mountain Lions Maligned By Misinterpretation of Data

Lion Guardians Give Each Lion a Maasai Name

The Tiniest Tiger content including photos and text is the sole property of The Tiniest Tiger, LLC. The Tiniest Tiger is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

The Tiniest Tiger, LLC | Copyright 2009-2024 | All Rights Reserved