View this great little animation: http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/wp-content/themes/179/aschool.html . The original modern fable, which you can read at http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/hblim/passages/animalschool.htm, was written by George H. Reavis, in Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The moral seems pretty obvious, but what are some other thoughts that come to mind when you read the story or view the animation? 

*How do your own learning experiences inform your impressions of this story?
 
*Are you a duck, a rabbit, an eel, or a prairie dog, a squirrel or something else entirely? 

*What are some animal school stories in your life or in your children’s lives?

*Is it possible to have a “New World” school? 

*Or does New World learning require something else altogether? 

If you decide to share your group discussion experience, please reply within this thread with “Animal School” in the subject line. Tell us where you live, about the group you discussed the topic with, and how you felt about the experience, along with your responses to the talking points above, or whatever thoughts occurred as a result of your discussion with others.

The point of these Education Conversation starters is to engage in some thoughtful and reasoned discussion about education, teaching and learning, something more far-reaching than knee jerk opinions or "gut" responses that may not fully give the due consideration that the many issues and topics facing us truly deserve.

We'll look forward to hearing back from you with your thoughts on this or any of our other SGD topics.

Thanks!

Theresa Willingham
Learning is for Everyone, Inc.
www.learningis4everyone.org