One of the most common questions in the teacher training courses offered by Aula Animal in conjunction with CGT Enseñanza Aragón concerns how to avoid problems with families. This concern is understandable, as controversial topics can generate tension, and no sector of the educational community benefits from this situation. Speaking in favor of animal rights means questioning the values transmitted in the educational process, not only at school but also within the family environment. Therefore, it is necessary to proceed with caution to avoid anyone feeling attacked. So far, none of the members of Aula Animal, nor any family, school administration, or inspector has criticized us for addressing the topic of animal welfare in the classroom. This is partly because we carefully consider when and how to approach the issue. Before presenting an alternative viewpoint to the one offered by society on animal issues, it is important to get to know the students. Only in an atmosphere of mutual respect will the new ideas presented be respected and valued. Therefore, it's not necessary to start talking about speciesism in September; we have a whole school year ahead of us. We can wait for the right moment without forcing the situation. We should present our ideas, not impose them. To avoid anyone feeling attacked, we should refrain from questioning practices that students engage in daily, such as eating animals. We can simply say that we believe animals are not in this world to satisfy our needs, but to enjoy their lives, just like any of us. This will most likely lead someone to say, "Then we can't eat animals," which provides an opportunity to say that we don't eat animals. There's no need to hide this either. The idea of not eating animals will be a conclusion reached by someone in the group, not a pre-processed idea presented by the teacher. Once the discussion about how we treat animals has begun in one group, it will naturally spread to the other groups. Students love learning about the lives and personal beliefs of those around them. The moment you mention that you don't consume animal products often creates an atmosphere of attentive silence in the classroom, hindering the best explanation of strictly curricular content. This information about you will soon spread not only among your students, but possibly to students you don't teach, and they might even tell other teachers and their families. When you go to the next class, if you've managed to create a climate of trust, someone will ask you, "We've heard you're vegan, is that true?!" But, as we were saying, respect for animals can be perceived as an attack, even if that's not our intention. The first year I worked as a teacher, a student told me that he went rabbit hunting with his father every Sunday and many afternoons. I asked him that the next time he had an animal in his sights, he should remember that the decision to let the rabbit live was in his hands. That if he shot, that particular rabbit would lose the chance to enjoy the rest of its life, and its family would grieve its death. A few days later, he told me he was still going hunting, and that his father had said I "talked a lot of nonsense." I found his father's comment amusing, but I don't think his father appreciated what I had said to his son. A few months later, I had a meeting with the mother—childcare and education are still largely tied to the maternal figure. I know that, although she hadn't expressed it so clearly, she shared the father's opinion, and that they both knew I was aware of their point of view. The conversation at the meeting revolved strictly around academic matters; both sides avoided discussing the animal issue. I thought that talking about it wouldn't contribute anything positive, and she was aware that my having expressed my point of view hadn't changed the family customs—father and son continued hunting rabbits—something that surely comforted her. But I also think that my relationship with her son helped to avoid confrontational situations. At no point did I speak to him with contempt for being a hunter, and I tried to help him with the difficulties he was having in the subject. We teachers cannot forget that students who enjoy killing animals are, to a large extent, victims of an education that has robbed them of empathy beyond the species; judging them is a mistake we must not allow ourselves to make. I have addressed even more controversial topics in the classroom and have not received any formal complaints. Questioning religious aspects is, for many people, something that should never be done. That is why students are often surprised when I say, for example, that school should foster rational thinking and not faith, which consists of believing in supernatural events without proof. Therefore, the promotion of faith should be restricted to the church. Families who want their sons or daughters to develop religious beliefs are free to do so, but in the appropriate place, respecting the secular nature of the school, just as secular and atheist people do not try to express their views in churches, because we respect the activities that take place there. I imagine that after addressing these issues, the dormant WhatsApp group of mothers in the class will revive and exaggerate my words. The ideas will be considered eccentric, but I also suppose that I won't be spoken of as a bad person, and it will be acknowledged that I treat their sons and daughters well. But a day will surely come when a mother or father has a complaint about me—usually regarding an exam grade—and they will use the animal issue as a trump card to criticize the teacher. It's possible—though less likely—that this complaint will come from the school administration or even the inspectorate. I will have to respond truthfully. These debates arise spontaneously; they aren't sought out, but neither are they avoided. In my classes, we can express ourselves freely, including the teacher. If I were to defend opposing viewpoints (that using animals as a teaching tool is acceptable or that religion should be present in schools), no one would object. I also believe that showing a different point of view from that defended by most of society fosters critical thinking, especially when dealing with topics that are rarely questioned, such as religion or the use of animals.