In the New Berlin West classroom, 218, we have an exciting new addition of baby rats! Now you might be wondering what kind of teacher has baby rats in their room. At NBW, Kyle Navin, a high school science teacher, not only has baby rats but also has two snakes and an adult rat in his room.
When a student walks into Navin’s science room, their eyes will probably go to the big snake cage behind his desk or on his lab table, where his rat and his baby rats are. Navin had four adult rats back in February with the intention of feeding his snakes because feeding live rodents allows snakes to exhibit natural hunting behaviors. The rats that he had gotten in February came between the 9th and the 12th of May, which was later than he was expecting; he was expecting them to come at the beginning of April. Then the rats had given birth to rat pups, which also came a little bit later than he was expecting. So the original plan was thrown off a bit by the delays, but ultimately, the adult rats will be fed to the snakes. The rat pups will be brought home by Navin or given to Scott Cook, another teacher at New Berlin West. If Navin gives the rat pups to Cook, he also feeds them to his snakes, too.
Navin, at one point, had four adult rats, two of which he fed to the snakes; as of May 21, he has two. But now he is down to a mom and her 12 rat pups because the other rat has passed away, sadly. For the snakes, he will also be bringing them home, but his female snake, Kahleesi, is in the process of laying eggs. So he is going to have to monitor her on a more consistent basis compared to stopping in once a week over the summer. Navin had done this before with the baby rats last year. He does this because it provides the snakes with “free” food, and it replicates their natural diet.
There are not a lot of teachers at New Berlin West who have fascinating classroom animals in their rooms. For example, it is common for a teacher to have a fish in their room, but it’s more uncommon to have interesting classroom animals in their rooms. Kyle White, a science teacher at New Berlin West, has a big fish tank in the middle of his classroom, which adds a lively element to the learning environment. Cody Smith, an athletic and activities director at NBW, also has fish in his office. Shanna Bradley, a science teacher at NBW, has fish in her room, too.
Navin has a unique approach to incorporating live animals into his science classroom, offering students hands-on learning experiences and an engaging and dynamic educational experience. His collection of snakes and rats, along with the baby rats, adds an exciting dimension to the classroom that few teachers can match. While other educators, like White, Smith, and Bradley, enhance their learning environments with fish, Navin stands out by fostering a deeper understanding of biology through the maintenance of a living ecosystem.
