I am a snowflake. | Go ahead and take offense!

I am a snowflake. | Go ahead and take offense!

Recently on a public forum, I reminded a user that the term he used was offensive. The term is not in my vocabulary. In my house, we call it the "R" word. His response was, "Well, I'm disabled and it doesn't offend me because I'm no snowflake."

When did people start thinking that it is weak to admit offense? Being an adult and admitting that something makes you hurt or annoyed is the beginning of communication. To shut someone down and call them names as a response is not conducive to grown up discourse.

I'm offended. I'm offended that people use antiquated words that were meant to label people as "less." I'm offended that people have stopped using "please" and "thank you." I'm offended that women are often dismissed as crazy for showing their feelings and I'm offended that men are discounted as women for having emotions that testosterone hasn't magically cured. I'm offended that people are no longer taught to talk about their feelings. I'm offended that students are not taught how to manage their emotions effectively.

So yeah, I'm offended. I'm sorry if that is offensive.

Okay, so now that the vent is over help me problem solve. In what ways can we help our students  write through their emotions without diminishing their pain? Also, how can we teach them to be accountable for the words they say rather than becoming defensive? What will empathy look like in your classroom?