The gorilla featured in Tallest Tower is very problematic for my classroom.

Most likely it always felt off or icky for my students of color. My unthinking unawareness of that symbolism didn't help me be wise enough to set that up better to protect all my students.This year my current enthusiastic, socially clueless and entitled group of boys started exuberantly shouting 'KILL THE MONKEY!" 

My students of color looked horrified, hurt, and scared. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!  (Individual follow up has been done, conferences with students, parents, and admin, all the things. We work so hard to create an environment where all our students feel safe, this was a morale crash and burn and is now a golden opportunity for thoughtful and targeted change. 

For the love of Kahoot, change that character out! 

Engage the creative geniuses at Kahoot - Flying pasta monster with noodle tentacles or a blob of noxious slime that they have to clean off with soapy bubbles or anything un-real / not-alive / not sentient.   

Especially TURN OFF the feature that automatically makes the scowling gorilla appear as the pop up option to encourage a change of modes for the next round. 

Thank you for your immediate attention to this concern,

Julie Carlsen - high school teacher