At the annual event known as Snake Day, Patrick Myer has seen the same scene play out plenty of times at William Peace University.
Students will stand far away in the corner, not wanting to get too close to the yearly visitors he brings to campus. Inevitably, after watching their friends cozy up with the snakes, the students will make their way over and join in on the fun.
Welcome to Snake Day, when Myer, associate professor of biology, fills the auditorium in Flowe Academic Building with snakes from a collection he breeds, allowing students, faculty, and staff to get up close and personal with the reptiles.
Myer brought the snakes to Peace for his Biology 101 class, fresh off a lesson on the animal kingdom. The first half of class on Monday was review for an upcoming test, and the latter half was more immersive.
“The students want to see the snakes,” Myer said. “It’s actually amazing with the transformation and growth that happens in the class. It’s really fun, really unique.”
Myer started the session by informing the room about which species he brought. One by one, he pulled the snakes from their resting place — a pillow case — and showed them off to the room. The more eager students jumped at the chance to get their hands on one of the snakes, while it took others a while to warm up. Eventually, the cameras came out, pictures started to snap, and everyone was all in on Snake Day.
That’s How Students Learn
Myer called the annual event life-changing for some of the students.
Myers observed that most people only see snakes on TV — or if there is one close to them, they either run away or try to get rid of it.
Myer’s class recently discussed reptilia, which is a biological group of cold-blooded vertebrates, including turtles, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles.
From an immersive learning standpoint, touching and feeling the snakes recently discussed in class is a valuable experience. Students go from studying them in class to seeing the snakes from a distance, hesitant to touch them at first, to holding them in class with their peers.
“I teach a lot of my classes like that. That’s how they learn,” Myer said. “We’re producing a lot of field biologists. Our job placements are massively high because of these experiences.”
Myers said Peace graduates have gone on to work for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the North Carolina Division of Water Resources, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the North Carolina Natural Science Museum. A recent Peace grad was just named Environmental Engineering and Science Officer for the Army in Hawaii.
Myers teaches an ecology course where the students are in the field every week catching wildlife for research. They catch fish in the Neuse River, learn about lizards, and examine both up close. And, of course, interact with snakes. It all makes for good additions to the resume.
“It’s a whole different experience,” Myer said. “So they’ll apply for these jobs, and they’ve done this field work, and they get the jobs.
Professor by Day, Breeder by Night
Myer has been breeding snakes for more than 30 years. He breeds them for zoos, museums, and collectors.
Currently, he has 75 species in his home. He puts a set amount aside for Snake Day, while the rest are in hibernation. On Monday, Myer brought everything from little snakes to mid-sized snakes that are more interactive. Some were docile, going with the flow throughout the day, while others slithered up the arm of the student willing to hold it.
This year, Myer brought a bucket of 25 baby snakes, electing to go with the smaller breeds instead of the bigger ones from his collection. The ones Myer had on Monday maxed out at six feet.
“I brought in a couple of pythons, young ones, that I want to start getting people used to handling,” Myer said. “Because they (pythons) are really sweet, and they are beautiful.”
