Walk into any preschool classroom today and you won’t find what dominates most conversations about the future of education: algorithms, dashboards, learning platforms, AI tutors, or adaptive assessments. Instead, you’ll find something far more radical. A child cracking open a walnut they found on the playground. Two friends negotiating whose turn it is with the […]
Cara Zelas
Cara Zelas is an early childhood educator, Montessori teacher, and educational entrepreneur with expertise in social-emotional learning and community building. She holds degrees in Media Communications and Elementary Education from Macquarie University (Sydney) and earned her Early Childhood Montessori Certification at West Side Montessori School (New York). A passionate dog therapy advocate, Cara champions the role of therapy dogs in learning spaces to support children’s well-being and SEL. As the founder of Big World of Little Dude, she develops story-driven books for families and the humanKIND Curriculum for educators, empowering children to grow in kindness and resilience. Inspired by her real-life therapy dog, Little Dude, Cara’s work brings play, connection, and compassion into classrooms and homes worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.worldoflittledude.com/.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
When My Therapy Dog Became My Co-Teacher, and Changed How I Teach
The first time I brought my therapy dog, Little Dude, into my classroom, I expected curiosity, excitement, maybe even distraction. What I didn’t expect was how instantly he transformed the energy of the room, or how profoundly he would reshape the way I think about teaching. I had been volunteering with Little Dude through The […]