Tombi attends school almost every day. He rarely misses his classes or comes late. Tombi…
Tombi attends school almost every day. He rarely misses his classes or comes late. Tombi most of time sits calmly on a desk or takes a walk without disturbing his classmates, then takes a nap somewhere in a corner.
No, Tombi is not a child – he is a cat. He lived in the school garden before he started to attend his classes.
Photo credit: Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu
An adorable orange tabby stole everyone’s hearts when a teacher Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu shared photos of Tombi on social media, she took during one of her classes. She teaches a class of 33 children in one primary school in Izmir.
İzmir’in Bayraklı ilçesindeki Ticaret Borsası İlkokulu’nda öğrenciler tarafından sınıfta beslenirken bir velinin endişesi üzerine uzaklaştırılan kedi “Tombi”, İl Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğünün devreye girmesiyle yeniden “dostlarına” kavuştu. ( Evren Atalay – Anadolu Ajansı )
Photo credit: Evren Atalay/Anadolu Ajansı
The children adore him. They try not to make noise or talk out loud in class being careful not to disturb Tombi when he sleeps. Children do not leave the school without saying goodbye to him and every morning they check if Tombi has enough water and food. A teacher takes care of cat’s health, and keep his vaccinations up-to-date.
Photo credit: Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu
Not everyone was happy about Tombi’s presence in a classroom. One child’s mother thinks that a cat does not belong at school because it may pose a health risk for children.
“We, a school director and I, attempted to explain to her that a cat stays with us temporarily. All other parents stood behind us. It is such a shame, the education system leaves us alone to deal with caprices of parents.”
Photo credit: Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu
Following complaints from a parent, a teacher made a decision to find a home for Tombi. The postwith lovely photos of Tombi has received over a thousand of shares already. A cat was adopted quickly.
Children bid farewell to Tombi, sending him letters and drawings.
Photo credit: Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu
A person who adopted Tombi brought him back a few days later because Tombi was unhappy with his new family and did not get along with the other cat.
Photo credit: Evren Atalay/Anadolu Ajansı
It turns out that a teacher and children did not really want to find a permanent home for Tombi. They still hoped Tombi will be allowed back into the classroom one day.
Photo credit: Banu Şen
Luckily, the Provincial Director of National Education in Izmir, Ömer Yahşi, heard about Tombi’s story. He assured that the cat did not pose any health risks to the schoolchildren. Finally, Tombi could go back to his school and stay there as much as he wanted.
Photo credit: Evren Atalay/Anadolu Ajansı
One of Tombi’s classmates said:
“He is such a beautiful and well-behaved cat. Tombi is like our baby. When our teacher told us that Tombi had to leave us, we cried a lot. We are so excited and happy to have our cat Tombi back.”Atalay/Anadolu Ajansı
Photo credit: Evren Atalay/Anadolu Ajansı
The video of Tombi: https://youtu.be/zyGlc6_Wjrg
Cover photo: Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu
In Turkish:
· Tombi Sınıfa Geri Döndü. İşte İlk Görüntüler…
· Okullu Anadolu Kedisi Tombi’nin Öğrencilerle Dostluğu
· Anadolu Kedisi Tombi Sınıfa Geri Dönüyor
· Sınıfına Dönen Tombi’den Harika Fotoğraflar Gelmeye Devam Ediyor!
