Last Friday after school I noticed a small group of toddlers huddling together on their playground. They weren’t moving around like they usually do, so I sensed that something was up. Looking closer, I saw Erin, our Preschool 3s teacher (who was helping out with after school), sitting on the concrete holding her bunny, Bayley Blue. The children were enthralled.
After seeing how excited and interested the toddlers were about the bunny, I thought of what an impact Erin’s previous bunny had on children throughout the school. When that bunny, named Brewster, recently died, children who weren’t even in the Preschool 3s asked me randomly, “Did you know Brewster died?” I decided to dig deeper into Erin’s story with bunnies.
She got her first rabbit, named BunBun, over 20 years ago. He was white with a bit of gray and very sweet. Erin taught toddlers at the time and quickly found that having a bunny made drop-off easier! She told me a story about a boy who was in her 2s class with BunBun. Seven years later, she ran into his family. He didn’t remember her as his teacher, but he remembered BunBun! This experience reminded her how impactful a pet can be.
Brewster, her first bunny at the Seed, came after losses in her personal life, including her beloved dog, Nala. She thought a bunny might be a good fit for her classroom, and Brewster was a bit hit immediately throughout the school. Over the next couple years, Brewster was well loved by children in the Preschool 3s classroom, their play pals and buddy readers, and other students who randomly found their way to Brewster. They learned how to handle him gently, how to feed and care for him, and how to be a loving friend to a pet. Erin also modeled how to be a nurturing pet owner.
Unfortunately, after just two and a half years, Brewster died unexpectedly. His death led to discussions that covered a range of emotions, and realization about the joy Brewster brought. One mom shared she felt that her child’s experience with Brewster helped him learn how to treat their family dog with proper kindness. Erin felt both sad and happy after the loss of Brewster, but knew the experience was more than just her own, so that made the decision to get a new bunny easier.
Bayley Blue is the precious recent addition to the Preschool 3s class. His blue eyes, smaller size and calmer manner, are showing the class that even bunnies have unique personalities that make them special. Like Brewster, Bayley will continue to be available to visit other classes, and teach children in the class how to be loving and kind to a living creature. It’s another way, thanks to Erin, that the Seed can offer practice in loving kindness. It’s a perfect reflection for today, World Kindness Day.