What is the elephant in the room? Is everyone’s elephant the same? Have I met your elephant? It is easy to miss what you aren’t looking for. Can I be aware of the elephant of others if I don’t know where to look?
http://drawthelinemidwest.org/ohio/transparency-report/
Seeking to connect with others is critical. Empathy is a beautiful gift to offer. Understanding others furthers relationship. Love one another. Make it safe to be different. Relationship occurs when I can share what I’m afraid you won’t like.
Experiments in Learning by Doing 
I was surprised by the number of elephants in the room yesterday. We all have our own elephants, and every one seems different…
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We’re you able to read the article I sent you about the elephant in the classroom? If so, what did you think?
Bob
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I have read Colin Brezicki’s article, The Elephant in the Classroom, from the March issue of Phi Delta Kappan a couple of times. Thank you so much for sharing it with me. I’m not so sure about Brezicki’s statement “We say we want to protect them from crossing a line when they’re already on the other side of it.” I’m not convinced that every child is on the other side of whatever line we are currently worried about. I just don’t think it is that simple. I think the media might offer a single one-size-fits-all story of our kids that is easy to buy into as the norm, but as you know, every learner is different.
While Brezicki’s article highlights “sanitizing literature for classroom instruction,” I can’t help but connect this to teaching and learning online. Brezicki’s article raises good points. If we sanitize the language in “Huckleberry Finn and other pieces of literature,” where will our learners find an opportunity or a forum to discuss the use of such language? Are we assuming that if we don’t discuss such matters in school, they won’t be exposed to it? Wouldn’t it be better to have a safe place to learn, ask questions, garner feedback, and receive coaching on how to navigate through these issues? Where will learners go to seek clarity and understanding if we put them in a protected bubble?
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