Transcriber: Kelly Bae Reviewer: Zsófia Herczeg
I have a question for you, a big one.
What if, what if the equation for educational reform,
the kind that gets kids increasingly jazzed about learning,
included not only all the great ideas
you've heard from these terrific speakers today
but also included man's best friend?
And for the purpose of my story, not just any canine
but a wounded shelter dog
that had traveled hundreds of miles looking for another shot at a better life
and became a therapy dog and a school hero.
And not with just any human, but with me,
a mom who'd lost her only son and was wounded too.
Someone with a huge commitment
to helping all children succeed in education.
What if all students got schooled by a dog?
(Laughter)
I'm Judy Winter.
I'm an author, a newspaper columnist,
a photographer, a special needs activist,
mom of two great kids, and a proud Michigan State alum.
You can say "Go Green."
(Laughter)
I'm also shamefully addicted to sea salt caramels
and salt and vinegar Pringles
and Thin Mints,
and I'm going to indulge in them fully right after this gig is up.
(Laughter)
Yeah.
I believe strongly in the power of one
to make a difference.
One.
Especially in education.
(Laughter)
Nobody in this room can save the whole world,
but each and every one of us owns a piece,
including a canine rock star
that's changing lives inside the classroom.
My job - I get to manage hundreds of groupies.
Today's focus is all about big ideas, right?
But I think it's really important that you also understand
some of the backstory of how we got to our success
so that you understand that you can run with your big old lofty dreams too.
Because the reality is there are no overnight successes.
None.
Just lots of hard work, thinking outside the box and pure guts.
Here's a piece of my past.
My son Eric passed away in 2003 at age 12.
He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth,
and our family did everything in our power to ensure that he had a terrific life,
and we celebrated his abilities, including a gift for music.
When he passed away, we were devastated.
It was and remains every person's worst nightmare.
Now you have two choices when you lose a child.
You can head to the corner with a bottle of Boone's Farm,
curl up in the fetal position and check out,
which let me tell you is really tempting,
or you can take action to honor a child's remarkable life.
Now, I've never really cared much for Boone's Farm -
I think it goes back to the college days -
but recently, I've discovered sangria is actually quite tasty.
(Laughter)
And I've given it as gifts because it's cheap.
(Laughter)
But somehow, instead of drinking, I chose to resume breathing,
got out of bed,
and became more determined than ever
to make a difference in the educational lives of our kids.
In part, to further honor my son,
who I had to advocate for every single day in his neighborhood school
to insure inclusion success.
It became, for me, a full circle educational moment.
Now fueled by grief, the first thing I did was pen a parenting book
that I promised him I would write
in order to help other families.
I traveled the country doing book tours and also lots of media,
and I co-founded a popular music therapy summer camp
right here at MSU
in order to honor his gift for music.
But when all the glitter of all of that excitement
fell to the ground,
I was still left standing with a horrific loss
and asking myself, "Now what?"
The answer was waiting at my local animal shelter,
where I was volunteering as a photographer five years ago.
Now my husband did not think that was a good idea,
and he's darn lucky I only came home with one dog instead of five.
My first week there,
I met a malnourished, one-year-old
Australian shepherd-Bernese mountain dog- Border collie with a bobtail,
also known as a mutt,
with the face of the most adorable stuffed animal come to life.
We chose each other.
Jack was a canine diamond in the rough.
He was afraid of his own shadow.
He hid behind me. He didn't know how to be a dog.
And he was fear-aggressive toward men, who we believe had abused him.
I spent weeks rehabbing him.
We took endless walks, and he got to explore his new world.
I knew he was worth my efforts.
Just like the most challenged student is.
We healed each other.
And when Jack was ready,
I thought we've got to share this magic with others,
and we chose to do it by supporting education.
To become a therapy dog,
Jack first had to pass
the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test
to prove sound temperament, including that he wouldn't bite somebody.
That was followed by tougher Therapy Dogs International testing -
of which we are members -
the largest non-profit testing and registering therapy dogs organization
in the country.
They provide insurance that covers liability issues in the workplace.
Did you know
that we are a nation that loves dogs
to the tune of 69.9 million pups?
Wow.
TDI currently has 25,000 of those dogs registered in 50 states
in this country.
Can you guys guess where I'm going with this?
Recent articles and lots of research
strongly supports the power of dogs to heal.
Did you know levels of oxytocin -
the happiness buzz like we get when we eat chocolate -
are raised significantly when people interact with dogs,
especially when they're gazing into the dog's eyes?
Interacting with dogs
positively effects heart rate, blood pressure, our immune system,
and it helps soldiers returning from war
to deal with post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Therapy dogs equal the potential for pure educational-reform magic.
So why education?
Wise words of Nelson Mandela -
"Education is the most powerful weapon
which you can use to change the world."
Well, that and a therapy dog.
So how did we get this school gig?
Well, first, we got our paws wet,
volunteering at a children's grief center and at my son's camp.
And then we approached our neighborhood school,
where the superintendent and the principal
wisely gave us the green light to work our magic.
Three years later, we spend approximately 20 hours monthly
volunteering at three schools,
K through 4.
We work directly with the school counselor,
visit all the classrooms
and spend time one-on-one with kids most in need of support.
I am convinced, after this time,
that placing therapy dogs in schools positively impacts educational success
by addressing a wide range of complex issues
that get in the way of learning.
Therapy dogs provide emotional support.
They're there to be hugged and loved and kissed,
and the kids feel great just being around them.
Jack is especially powerful when words and, yes, humans fail.
He doesn't judge,
loves unconditionally,
looks beyond the obvious.
He could not care less about MEAP scores.
(Laughter)
Every kid is worthy in his eyes, which is a great lesson for us as adults.
Jack's good with kids throwing up in the office, too,
(Laughter)
which is not my strong point.
(Laughter)
His rules for cool - school cool - hang throughout the school building,
and they include important messages
about bullying - not cool;
be nice to everybody - friendship;
school rules - no barking in the hallways;
and differences are okay.
Jack has no tail, which the kids just can't stop talking about,
but I tell them he has a really big heart,
and that's much more important than some fuzzy tail.
Kids take his tough puppyhood lessons to heart,
thinking if he can overcome what he's overcome,
maybe I can too.
We've been there to comfort students after school safety drills.
They thought it was funny that Jack had to be locked down too.
And they're comforted that he's there.
Some kids have told that me they think Jack should run for president,
which I like because that would make me first handler, right?
Move over, Bo.
Those directly in the educational trenches,
especially, God bless them, the teachers,
cannot make educational success happen alone.
Kids' needs today, and you guys know it, are increasingly complex,
and it truly takes a village to raise some of these kids.
You and I are the village.
What a sacred honor.
You want to change education?
Work with kids.
It is such a cool gig.
We have what I call "drive-by pettings" regularly in the hallway.
Jack visits the library.
He likes to check out the computer center and the new technology.
And some kids get the honor of walking Jack down the hall.
It's a really simple way of building self-esteem
that fosters confidence and leadership skills
and calms the kids down.
They can't walk him if they're not calm.
And, oh yeah, the staff loves him too.
And I know that some days they need him more than the kids do.
One of the things I love most about working with kids
is their honesty.
I've coined the unedited words that come from their mouths "dog bits,"
and if you don't want them telling me, don't do it or say it in front of them.
They can be powerful,
like the young child who said,
"Miss Judy, I wanna be you when I grow up, and I wanna do what you're doing."
They're watching us all the time.
What are we modeling for them?
Are we delivering the goods?
The wise little Buddhas are really funny too.
One kid said to me,
"Miss Judy, when the school year is over, will you release Jack back into the wild?"
(Laughter)
I can't make this stuff up, people.
(Laughter)
And after we'd read to a class for March is Reading Month,
a little girl said to me,
"Miss Judy, with your glasses on, you look just like my grandma."
(Laughter)
To which I quickly replied, "Your grandmother must be beautiful."
(Laughter)
They keep you humble and on your toes.
Halloween last year, Jack and I were sitting on the front porch,
and when kids saw him,
they dropped their candy bags and ran yelling "Jack!" to hug him.
Hmm, Jack versus big bags of free candy?
School dog won.
Now that the kids know where Jack lives, I'm afraid we might have to move.
Now the kids can also break your heart
with honest words that defy simple answers,
like when after yet another school shooting,
a young boy asked me nervously, in almost in a whisper,
"Miss Judy, if a robber breaks into the school,
will you and Jack protect us?"
Yeah.
Each school shooting, like you, leaves me horrified and angry.
And Jack and I head back to school
more determined than ever to help the kids have a great day.
After the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting,
when the loud call came for armed guards in the schools,
I did some real soul searching, and I countered with my own battle cry.
Certified therapy dogs in every school in the nation,
and we'll put the well-trained, well-loved German shepherds and pit bulls
at the front door with skilled kid-friendly handlers.
Yeah! A much better alternative in my mind, don't you think?
And guess what? It cost the district nothing.
It's a free service.
Jack and I spread canine love.
We want kids to love school,
not to hate it or fear it.
We've experienced some amazing educational success,
and when we first started working with one child, he was really struggling,
and he was deathly afraid of dogs.
He made impressive gains.
And his mom told me at the end of the year,
when she thanked us for being there,
she said she came into the school one day,
and she saw a little boy from the back, petting a dog, petting Jack.
And she said her heart sang because in her mind she said,
"I wish that were my son."
It was her son.
And he went on to get his own therapy dog.
This educational reform works, and it can happen at your school.
The high ranking district I work with
has been doing it successfully for three years.
February 16th was the eleventh anniversary of my son's death.
Before Eric left us,
we had talked about the possibility of getting him a service dog
to help further his mobility and independence.
That dream was cut far too short.
But I know that Eric is proud
that Jack and I are patrolling the hallways at school,
helping other kids succeed.
My son would have loved having a school dog,
and he would have loved Jack.
Hey, I believe he sent him to me.
Next week, when the glitter has settled from today's big event
and the salty caramels and Pringles have all been eaten,
we're going to head back into the trenches
and do our best to support educators and staff in helping all children learn.
I hope you'll join us,
preferably with a therapy dog.
And Jack says, "Please adopt."
Don't be the snark in education -
be a change agent.
The job of positive educational reform belongs to all of us,
including one furry, four-legged, certified-therapy-dog wonder
and my adorable Aussie buddy, Jack.
Together, we're changing lives and education,
and you guys can do it too.
Isn't that cool?
Come on up, big buddy. Come.
And Jack just wants to say to you -
Up! Well, he was supposed to come up on the stage.
Come here, Jack.
(Laughter)
Up.
(Laughter)
Come here. Alright, there we go. Sit.
As we say in education,
thank you for putting your listening ears on today.
Jack gives you all a standing ovation.
(Cheering) (Applause)
Thank you. Come on, buddy.