A great way to help a bunch of students preparing for Final Exams in school? Rooms full of cute and fluffy to cuddle with, talk to, and, in doing so, de-stress enough to handle Exams. -- BKF
Much has been done to improve education within the Alliance. Reduction of class sizes, multiple teaching methods, the reduction of varying crisis factors. Nevertheless, exam time ends up putting many students into a mental spiral where their best effort could be better, and doing it all is never enough.
They're being melodramatic, of course, but telling them never stops them.
What does work is the seasonal petting zoo and kitten/puppy adoption drive. Every exam season, petting zoos set up near education facilities with very cheap admission for students. The animal shelters do a similar thing, asking for people to help socialise the baby animals. And maybe give them a new home. And it works every time.
Stressed students in desperate need of a distraction are lured by soft, fluffy, and harmless things. Almost tricked into chilling out with baby animals for some good, old-fashioned, haptic therapy.
Occasionally, a student will be in tears with their arms around something small and fluffy, but the supervisors are trained Therapists. Ready to act in case of such a breakdown.
Therapist Jarl caught sight of a student weeping in the middle of a host of puppies. The wriggling pups were doing their doggy best - wagging tails and licking tongues could only do so much. She intervened to help a tiny dachshund busy lapping up tears by offering tissues. "All okay over here?" she asked.
"I don't have enough hands," they blubbered. "I can't pet them all, and they're such good puppies..."
Empathy for the goodest doggos was the last straw for this poor person. Jarl sat beside them and took over petting an enthusiastic Shih Tzu. "Whenever a task seems impossible, having extra hands around to help can make it more possible."
A Spaniel pup squirmed under the student's hand and laid across their lap. Taking up a surprising amount of territory for such a small dog. A couple of Mastiffs, understanding the assignment, bracketed their legs for a nice nap in the sunny patch.
Other students, cooing and chirping at the more active pups, took over the sacred duty of petting and playing with them.
Jarl scritched one of the Mastiff's chins. "Want to talk about what's got you into this state? I'm listening."
The student accepted the tissues and, one hand on the Spaniel, took a deep breath to detail their chain of woes. Now their healing could begin.
[Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash]
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