Welcome to Annie Breaks Assumptions :: Breaking Assumptions -- Global Social Emotional Learning (SEL) that's humanizing. Let's love learning for life.

Let's step into a unique human's mind, heart, perspectives, and story. Let's explore self, others, and our world in a humanizing way. Take a deep breath. Let's get started.

Remember: this story is an introduction to who this human is. It would take years (even a lifetime of heartstorming!) to wholly understand this person, just like it takes us such a long time to begin to understand ourselves and one another.

As we watch the wordless video, let's suspend judgment and to practice curiosity and wonder. Let's recognize bias and challenge our assumptions. Let's explore how we might move beyond these assumptions together in a meaningful way.

As we explore the lesson plan, let's remember these are not instructions. This is a learning guide. You can adapt this for your situation, and reach out to us anytime for ideas, too.

As we enter the written story, let's remember that this person in the story is not representative of a whole culture or way of life -- learning means moving beyond generalizations and simple single stories. (More on this in the humanity & belonging unit!)

We've got to remember that this person is a unique individual with unique, complex, and beautiful experiences -- just like everyone in our own lives and classrooms! We've got to live with ubuntu.

Judgment and bias are both quick to get and hard to get rid of. And both are really boring!

But curiosity? Curiosity is magical.

Learning? Learning is forever.

Curiosity Before Judgment.

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Note: You can also engage with a powerful learning guide for empathy and curiosity practice. Here is a version for early childhood learning. Here is a version for self-guided learning at any age. You can use the lesson plan above in the "lesson plan" tab, or you can try one of these lessons that work wonders for any of the stories on Better World Ed. And here is a math learning guide that works for any of the stories, too!