The moment Tucker, the therapy dog, entered Mrs. Isoldi’s seventh-grade U.S. history classroom Oct. 3, he was enveloped in a flurry of hugs and kisses, courtesy of Mrs. Isoldi herself. After a few seconds, Mrs. Isoldi peeled herself off of the dog and sent four kids out of the room to read him an article about the Reconstruction Era. 

“I think that Tucker’s best quality is just helping kids chill,” Mrs. Isoldi said, laughing. “I know my blood pressure immediately lowers when I’m around him. And I think that’s really cool, because it can help a lot of kids.”  

“Chill” seems to be the general consensus with Tucker’s presence in the classroom. “Tucker really makes the room feel more welcoming,” says Lucas Go, a seventh grader on Dream Team. “It’s a very nice feeling.” Another shared sentiment between the teacher and students was whether or not they would like to meet Tucker again—to which they responded with an enthusiastic head bob and grin.

“Tucker really raises morale. Reading to him is so much better than just doing worksheets,” says Jacob Layton, another seventh-grader on the Dream Team. “I think I remember more by reading to him.”

According to Vice Principal Sybil Terry, Tucker’s main purpose at Carson is to help kids focus and deal with stress more effectively.

“I think he could potentially really help us with our issues,” Jacob said. Then, with a wry chuckle, he added, “Then again, I read to him for a minute, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”