This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Monday, October 3, 2011
PERIOD 1 - CLASS DIVIDED
You have been watching the documentary, "A Class Divided." Please post a reflective comment about the film and what did you personally take away from the film?
45 comments:
Molly Hester
said...
I found the film we watched in class " A Class Divided" very interesting. Mrs. Elliot really pushed the boundaries of what was socially acceptable in society. I found it absolutley shocking that she talked about such a controversial issue such as predjudice and racism with kids as young as third graders. It was very surpirsing how she could be so serious for the whole lesson. If I were her I don't know if I would have been able to deal with such heartache by making young children cry in class, after making them all feel very insignificant. I feel as if you tried to conduct an experiment like this with third graders today but instead of racism do it about bullying maybe we could then prevent such tragic incidents that happen with bullying today for kids in our society.
I found the film "A Class Divided" a very well conducted experiment. The purpose of the exercise was clearly demonstrated through the kids. I had seen the film before I had forgotten how well the kids cooperated. They made quite an example of the predominant prejudices of their time. The reactions of the kids stressed the fact that no one should be discriminated against and like the card exercise demonstrated that the idea of superiority surpresses the abilities of those who are treated inferior. It was remarkable that the third graders can better grasp and understand these ideas better than, I bet, some of there parents. I thought it was amazing that some people thought ill of the teacher. Saying things like I can't believe she would perform this mock act of discrimination on innocent white boys and girls. How about I can't believe society condones the unconstitutional acts against groups people. In the end were all humans, we are all people. Regardless of what you look like you are a human and how dare people identify others any thing other than a person based on race.
I agree with Molly's comment about bullying. Clearly demonstrations like the one conducte make impressions on people. If you could do this with bullying it could potentially bury the issues some young kids face.
When I was watching the film I was literally in awe by some of the comments these third graders made. One boy said "I felt like I was king" or something to that effect. I can't believe he was able to put into words these feelings. For third graders to feel that much better about themselves when they are told they are "superior" to someone else is pretty frightening. I can only imagine how grown adults feel then. It kind of reminded me about how people in society love to get a power trip, and find it easiest to do so through putting others down. I wish that wasn't the way the world worked. Another thing that really had a big impact on me was mentioned already by other people. When a person was quoted in the article we were given as saying she couldn't believe that the teacher subjected "innocent" white boys and girls to this I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. These kids are innocent now, but if they grow up to accept discrimination than they continue this cycle and aren't innocent at all. As for this person's concern that it would have "damaging" effects, how about the thought that young black children are automatically born into a world that will damage them in this time. It doesn't seem fair to me. We are concerned for white people who are faced with this for a few hours, but not for the young black children who are told they are lesser because of their skin color. That isn't right. It's not fair either. I think a little more concern should be placed on how to stop children from facing this all together.
I thought the film "A Class Divided" showed a very good experiment. Although people may have found it controversial to do with third graders, I think it was the perfect age group to do this experiment with. By the time kids reach high school, many already have strong views towards other people. The earlier lessons are taught, the more likely the message is to stick with the kids. After learning how adults reacted to Mrs. Elliot's experiment I find it sad that they do not see how beneficial this is to children and how it could help our society.
I agree with Molly. It would be a great idea to try this with bullying. Bullying is such a huge issue in today's society, and if children learned about bullying and how to prevent it earlier in their lives, this could prevent people from developing depression and feeling self-conscince about themselves.
I actually have seen this film. I watched it in Hebrew School, and we discussed how the Jewish people in Nazi Germany were treated like the 3rd graders were treated in their class. Now, watching this film four years later, I take away something different. Back when I first watched it, I thought: "yes, discrimination is bad and should be stopped." But now that I am more mature and understanding of what fully has gone on throughout history. I can put myself in these people's shoes, and really get a feel for what discrimination can feel like. I took away a lot more from watching the film a second time than when I watched it the first time.
I agree with Molly, I think that it is a bit surprising that Mrs. Elliott did this exercise with such young kids. However, I think that it is great for people to learn about issues as important as this at a young age.
while watching this film i was amazed at how in the matter of minutes the mindsets of those third graders were changed from one minute having a good time with their best friend to the next minute hating them because of their eye color and the teacher told them that the certain color of their eyes determined who they were. after watching this film i realized how our nation at one point could feel so much hatred against any particular group, when you have enough people telling you somthing it is easy to go along with it and believe the statement which was exactly what happened to our country. while watching this i also realized just how hard it was for both parties. with one party they are constantly being told that they are better than the others and after a while it becomes very hard to think differently from that. for the other party they are constantly being told that they are dumb and not as good as the others which takes a toll on their personal self esteem and mental abilities.
When I was watching this I was shocked to hear that one of the kids would actually say and know the n word. I never knew about that word when i was there age. I never knew a little third grader would even know that word. Quite shocking! But I think what Mrs. Elliot did was good so the kids know how it is to be discriminated and then find out that its not right to discriminate people of other races. I think allot of people out there should watch this video. pretty interesting.
I agree with Michelle that the kids may have been young, but if they did wait until high school it might not have worked as well, because in high school kids are set in their ways and are less likely to grasp the concept of the lesson.
I thought this film was very interesting. Mrs. Elliot discussed a very mature subject the kids only in third grade. It goes to show how bad prejudice and racism were and how important it is to be aware of it. I think of it as another form of bullying and should never be heard in society. I also thought Mrs. Elliot had a good way of showing the kids what discrimination and racism really is through the eye color.
I agree with Brian that i was shocked that a third grader knew the n word. I found this video very interesting as well and I agree that Mrs. Elliot showed the kids what discrimination was really like.
I thought that the experiment by Mrs. Elliot in "A class divided" was extremely necessary and brought light as to the extent of racism. Personally i was shocked to see the racist beliefs and attitudes of the children towards Black people in the begining. I also found it more startling on how easy it was for the children to discriminate against their friends because they were told that their eye color made them better. This showed me how inpressionable kids are and that if they are raised by racist parent, they are likely to inherit many of those beliefs. I thought that what Mrs. Elliot did was noble as she exposed the children to the feelings of the ones who they made fun of.
I agree with Brian in the fact that the use of the n word by children in third grade really depicted the extent of racism at the time. This is shocking because it showed a whole new generation being taught hate by family.
The film we watched today in class was very interesting. Mrs. Elliot did something at the time that was very risky, but it worked out very well for not only her, but all her students. Thanks to her, none of those students have any prejudices. I personally think that this MUST be done in 3rd grade classrooms. I am Muslim and I can honestly say I still deal with racism from time to time. Although not at an extreme level, some people do make various comments regarding my religion. Those same kids think it is okay to not only make fun of my religion but to make fun of various ethnicity's as well. I believe that if this were done at a younger age then many kids would not grow up thinking racist thoughts and immediately know that it is the wrong thing.
"A Class Divided" was not only interesting but moving as well. Mrs. Elliot's experiment was very risky but very beneficial as well. i really enjoyed the film, i saw a little bit of me in one of the little kdis. i think that the way Mrs. Elliot went about the experiment was clever. using a neutral attribute of the kids too show that they are all equal was clever. i was very surprised at how quickly the kids just turned on one another, just becasue they instantly assumed one was better. without any actual evidence to support her case, the kids still just agreed with her authority. it was scary, imagine if that were the case for elder people, having their opinion just change for the worse? that could be scary. i thought it was terrible how the people of her home town were so cruel to her. she did an amazing thing and continued to do an amazing thing and i respect that. it was a little bit better to see the enthusiasm of her returning students though. non the less, it was a great documentery i only wish that there was a similar experiment when i was that young.
I agree with what Molly said. i think that boundries are meant to be pushed so to speak, and that is one of the only ways to go about change. i don't necessarily think she felt heart ache but more dissapointmen. to see these angels just become so corrupted, after teaching them for how long, must be more dissapointing then anything.
Like everyone else I agree with Molly. She brings up an excellent point of how the experiment should not only pertain to racism, but bullying as well. If the results are what most of us expect them to be, then maybe we won't see anymore violence and hatred in schools. Maybe everyone for once can feel safe in school. Maybe we won't see bullying pushed to the extreme as it was almost 2 years when a poor girl committed suicide to escape the torment she suffered because of bullying.
I have seen this film before but it was a long time ago. Seeing it a second time I gained a lot more from it.I love what Mrs. Elliot did with the children in the video. She was able to get them to understand a concept that even their parents did not understand. She took a stance against racism and it had an effect on theses third graders throughout their entire lifes.
I liked the film we watched in class today because it showed how uplifting the teacher was to integrate into the third-graders minds about racism with the color of your eyes. I know when I was in third grade that nothing to this level on any issue had taken place. The only thing that was vaguely similar was anti-terrorism from the attacks of 9/11 and to promote peace. These children however became "named" in society as blue eyes are better than brown eyes or vice versa and that they got special privledges just like whites did against blacks. I thought overall that she was an ingenious teacher, who unfortunately, but not surprising got run out of town by the citizens.
I liked the film we watched in class today because it showed how uplifting the teacher was to integrate into the third-graders minds about racism with the color of your eyes. I know when I was in third grade that nothing to this level on any issue had taken place. The only thing that was vaguely similar was anti-terrorism from the attacks of 9/11 and to promote peace. These children however became "named" in society as blue eyes are better than brown eyes or vice versa and that they got special privledges just like whites did against blacks. I thought overall that she was an ingenious teacher, who unfortunately, but not surprising got run out of town by the citizens.
Brian brought up a very good point about how the kids actually used the N word. It was without a doubt shocking, but it also shows how much progress we have made since those dark times.
I really liked what Ryan said that the kids turned on their friends because in my opinion, it wouldn't matter at all. This also surprised me as well because once the kids learned that different eye colors had better charcteristics than others they thought that they actually proved to be the best, which went in coordination with the spelling quiz each day. It all had to do with psychology and reverse psychology as the "experiment" went on.
The film, "A Class Divided," was very fascinating. Mrs. Elliot's risky experiment turned into a major success. When the third graders, themselves, became subjected to unfair discrimination, they were troubled by their circumstances. The children learned that they were not responsible for their eye color,therefore, they should not be discriminated against for something that is uncontrollable. In this lesson, Mrs. Elliot effectively taught the students to look at people of color differently and understand the fact that everyone is born equal. What an incredible teacher.
I agree with the previous comments about the use of the "N" word. Unfortunately, racist jokes and words are still thrown around in conversations today. If everyone were to watch this video, I think it could potentially knock some sense into the people who think it's funny to say racist jokes or call people racist names.
This film was a well thought lesson plan. The way the teacher dementrsuted discrimination by making half have some rights and the others none, was well. The felt like they were nobody in life when they were told they could not do anything. The lesson that I took away was think before I make comments on someone else and judge them by what's inside of them but not there skin color.
I found the film “A Class Divided” to be very intriguing and well done. The experiment Mrs. Elliot did was very unique and worked so successfully with such young children. It just goes to show how racism was everywhere and clearly impacted the children’s behaviors towards one another. It showed those kids no one should be discriminated against due to skin color by actually having them experience it, making a lasting impression. If only adults could understand the same thing their 3rd graders did. I was shocked by the response many of the children had when they felt “superior” and I was also surprised the affect had on the classes test scores. What Mrs. Elliot did was take a risk but one that should have been done a while ago. I was glad to see that some people (Mrs. Elliot) made an effort to address racism and try to change it during that time.
I feel like I have been commenting on other peoples posts a lot, but Mr. Gallagher did not put a limit on comments haha. Anyways, Renata and a few others made great points that this should be shared with the whole school as it would definitely show kids how hurtful and racist the things they say really are.
Although I found the experiment to be somewhat unethical, I also found it to be highly telling and entirely neccessary. The ethics part comes into play any time children are involved, especially when they are told that they are bad or worse than others. However, in order to see why the experiment was neccessary one must consider the fact that there are people still all over the world that are told they are bad or not good enough and no one raises any questions of ethics towards them. I praise Mrs. Elliot for the experiment she conducted and the leaps and bounds she made for showing even a small group of children the evils of discrimination.
I agree with Michelle, this group of kids was the perfect age to conduct this experiment with. They left the classroom already knowing what it felt like to be discriminated against and how it felt to be put down. That is something that is invaluable to them later in life when they would become adults and start to make judgements about people on their own.
I agree with Jess about the fact these “innocent” white children aren’t as “innocent” as their parents claim growing up learning discrimination as a way of life. It really angered me that people are so self-absorbed in their culture they can’t even tell how ignorant they sound. These children are in 3rd grade if anything they should be learning discrimination is not tolerated and grow up with that value. It also makes me wonder if people who were appalled by Mrs. Elliot’s experiment ever thought what it would be like to spend a day on the other end of the spectrum then maybe their views would change.
Mrs. Elliot conducted a very interesting and meaningful experiment with her third grade kids about racism and discrimination. The children were thrust into a situation of prejudice and a racist atmosphere in just seconds. By conducting her experiment, I think, Mrs. Elliot changed the future of these kids and their attitudes towards other human beings. They learned that it was wrong to treat someone by the color of their skin. They learned that the right thing to do was to treat them the way they would want to be treated.
I agree with Amos that the teacher organized the lesson very well and forced the kids to consider racism in their minds for a good 24 hours. By giving some benefits to others and some limitations to the other, she taught them how a black kid their own age might be treated. They learned that the treatment of people based on the color of their skin is wrong.
I found the film very thoughtfully done. Teaching third graders about such a serious topic as racism is one thing, but getting them to understand the negative effects is mind blowing. It was impressive how quickly the kids learned, and that this lesson stuck with them for the rest of their lives. It just goes to show that children are the future; if we teach compassion and acceptance from the beginning, there is nowhere to go but forward.
Reflecting on the film, one can truly see the impact of authoritative figures on the minds of the young. The teacher drew a very distinct line between what is "good" and what is "bad". In the following chaos, we got to see what happens when people start to feel superior. They abuse their power. They make those perceived inferior know that they are inferior. It a way, it scared me. I doesn't seem logical to me that such violence was due to a different color of skin or, in the case of the film, different eye color.
I agree with Michelle about third graders being a perfect age group for such an experiment. It as an age when people are still developing their opinions and those opinions can be easily influenced.
I thought what Mrs. Elliot did was a very good lesson for the kids. The way she taught the kids was really quite clever. It was also surprising that the kids were able to understand the true meaning in the end even though they were so young. I also don't understand why people would then talk so badly about Mrs. Elliot and also how other kids would make fun of her kids. Mrs. Elliot did the right thing and I am glad she was able to change how the kids thought.
I agree with Ryan about how it was nice to see all the returning students at the reunion and how they all remembered what Mrs. Elliot told them and that they all have been changed forever by that lesson in third grade.
In my opinion, the activity brought up to the kids in that third-grade class was very cleverly carried out and thought-provoking social experiment, as well as a meaningful lesson. The thing that struck me as most shocking is just how quickly the students adjusted to who was considered to be superior based on what Ms. Elliot said. This, however, was probably just because of the fact that they were third graders and didn't really have a very profound capability to think and act for themselves and for the sake of their own interests and beliefs. I do also feel that there is much to gain in understanding the fact that those third graders acted as a microcosm for race relations as a whole. They really put racism into perspective, and shed some light on just how juvenile, pointless, and harmful it can be.
I thought it was amazing that kids this young who have been classmates and played togeteher previously with no problems could so quickly become discrimatory and turn on their own friends just becuase they were blue or brown eyed. i think it shows how human nature is to discriminate and make yourself look better. what i toke away from this film was that i think every classroom should have an activity very similar to this to proudce fake discrimination becuase it teaches the kids an important lesson and in the long run, they never forget that lesson and teach their kids it as well. if everyone continued to do so, discrimination could be reduced quite a bit.
I think that A Class Divided showed how the influence of one person can truly make a difference in society. in this example, mrs. elliot thought it would impact the kids with her new lesson plan, and her ideas stayed with the children as they grew up and now have those values of non discrimination. i could see why it took a lot of courage to bring up this sort of exercise to her class but in all the people she tought learned lessons that can be applied in todays world and society where discrimination still happens today. its a shame that the rest of the town felt it was unnecessary to teach such a concept to younger kids because she couldve tought that lesson every year and it wouldve had the same impact
This was one the most interesting films I've ever watched. I would never have guessed how fast the kids turned on eachother and because discriminating little children. I found it most interesting how the students scores on the "letter card" game weny up when they were the "superior" eye color. It showed how children are so easily impressionable. I believe the exercise did a really good job in teaching them right from wrong.
Mrs Elliot had such a true way of putting discrimination into an academic experience for her children. its amazing how toddlers minds work though and how they just believe anything they see or hear from higher authorities. they are they next generation in that film and its best they know the truth about society, racial segregation is sickening and should not be tolerated in the modern world.
45 comments:
I found the film we watched in class " A Class Divided" very interesting. Mrs. Elliot really pushed the boundaries of what was socially acceptable in society. I found it absolutley shocking that she talked about such a controversial issue such as predjudice and racism with kids as young as third graders. It was very surpirsing how she could be so serious for the whole lesson. If I were her I don't know if I would have been able to deal with such heartache by making young children cry in class, after making them all feel very insignificant. I feel as if you tried to conduct an experiment like this with third graders today but instead of racism do it about bullying maybe we could then prevent such tragic incidents that happen with bullying today for kids in our society.
I found the film "A Class Divided" a very well conducted experiment. The purpose of the exercise was clearly demonstrated through the kids. I had seen the film before I had forgotten how well the kids cooperated. They made quite an example of the predominant prejudices of their time. The reactions of the kids stressed the fact that no one should be discriminated against and like the card exercise demonstrated that the idea of superiority surpresses the abilities of those who are treated inferior. It was remarkable that the third graders can better grasp and understand these ideas better than, I bet, some of there parents. I thought it was amazing that some people thought ill of the teacher. Saying things like I can't believe she would perform this mock act of discrimination on innocent white boys and girls. How about I can't believe society condones the unconstitutional acts against groups people. In the end were all humans, we are all people. Regardless of what you look like you are a human and how dare people identify others any thing other than a person based on race.
I agree with Molly's comment about bullying. Clearly demonstrations like the one conducte make impressions on people. If you could do this with bullying it could potentially bury the issues some young kids face.
When I was watching the film I was literally in awe by some of the comments these third graders made. One boy said "I felt like I was king" or something to that effect. I can't believe he was able to put into words these feelings. For third graders to feel that much better about themselves when they are told they are "superior" to someone else is pretty frightening. I can only imagine how grown adults feel then. It kind of reminded me about how people in society love to get a power trip, and find it easiest to do so through putting others down. I wish that wasn't the way the world worked.
Another thing that really had a big impact on me was mentioned already by other people. When a person was quoted in the article we were given as saying she couldn't believe that the teacher subjected "innocent" white boys and girls to this I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. These kids are innocent now, but if they grow up to accept discrimination than they continue this cycle and aren't innocent at all. As for this person's concern that it would have "damaging" effects, how about the thought that young black children are automatically born into a world that will damage them in this time. It doesn't seem fair to me. We are concerned for white people who are faced with this for a few hours, but not for the young black children who are told they are lesser because of their skin color. That isn't right. It's not fair either. I think a little more concern should be placed on how to stop children from facing this all together.
I thought the film "A Class Divided" showed a very good experiment. Although people may have found it controversial to do with third graders, I think it was the perfect age group to do this experiment with. By the time kids reach high school, many already have strong views towards other people. The earlier lessons are taught, the more likely the message is to stick with the kids. After learning how adults reacted to Mrs. Elliot's experiment I find it sad that they do not see how beneficial this is to children and how it could help our society.
I agree with Molly. It would be a great idea to try this with bullying. Bullying is such a huge issue in today's society, and if children learned about bullying and how to prevent it earlier in their lives, this could prevent people from developing depression and feeling self-conscince about themselves.
I actually have seen this film. I watched it in Hebrew School, and we discussed how the Jewish people in Nazi Germany were treated like the 3rd graders were treated in their class. Now, watching this film four years later, I take away something different. Back when I first watched it, I thought: "yes, discrimination is bad and should be stopped." But now that I am more mature and understanding of what fully has gone on throughout history. I can put myself in these people's shoes, and really get a feel for what discrimination can feel like. I took away a lot more from watching the film a second time than when I watched it the first time.
I agree with Molly, I think that it is a bit surprising that Mrs. Elliott did this exercise with such young kids. However, I think that it is great for people to learn about issues as important as this at a young age.
while watching this film i was amazed at how in the matter of minutes the mindsets of those third graders were changed from one minute having a good time with their best friend to the next minute hating them because of their eye color and the teacher told them that the certain color of their eyes determined who they were. after watching this film i realized how our nation at one point could feel so much hatred against any particular group, when you have enough people telling you somthing it is easy to go along with it and believe the statement which was exactly what happened to our country. while watching this i also realized just how hard it was for both parties. with one party they are constantly being told that they are better than the others and after a while it becomes very hard to think differently from that. for the other party they are constantly being told that they are dumb and not as good as the others which takes a toll on their personal self esteem and mental abilities.
When I was watching this I was shocked to hear that one of the kids would actually say and know the n word. I never knew about that word when i was there age. I never knew a little third grader would even know that word. Quite shocking! But I think what Mrs. Elliot did was good so the kids know how it is to be discriminated and then find out that its not right to discriminate people of other races. I think allot of people out there should watch this video. pretty interesting.
I agree with Michelle that the kids may have been young, but if they did wait until high school it might not have worked as well, because in high school kids are set in their ways and are less likely to grasp the concept of the lesson.
I thought this film was very interesting. Mrs. Elliot discussed a very mature subject the kids only in third grade. It goes to show how bad prejudice and racism were and how important it is to be aware of it. I think of it as another form of bullying and should never be heard in society. I also thought Mrs. Elliot had a good way of showing the kids what discrimination and racism really is through the eye color.
I agree with Brian that i was shocked that a third grader knew the n word. I found this video very interesting as well and I agree that Mrs. Elliot showed the kids what discrimination was really like.
I thought that the experiment by Mrs. Elliot in "A class divided" was extremely necessary and brought light as to the extent of racism. Personally i was shocked to see the racist beliefs and attitudes of the children towards Black people in the begining. I also found it more startling on how easy it was for the children to discriminate against their friends because they were told that their eye color made them better. This showed me how inpressionable kids are and that if they are raised by racist parent, they are likely to inherit many of those beliefs. I thought that what Mrs. Elliot did was noble as she exposed the children to the feelings of the ones who they made fun of.
I agree with Brian in the fact that the use of the n word by children in third grade really depicted the extent of racism at the time. This is shocking because it showed a whole new generation being taught hate by family.
The film we watched today in class was very interesting. Mrs. Elliot did something at the time that was very risky, but it worked out very well for not only her, but all her students. Thanks to her, none of those students have any prejudices. I personally think that this MUST be done in 3rd grade classrooms. I am Muslim and I can honestly say I still deal with racism from time to time. Although not at an extreme level, some people do make various comments regarding my religion. Those same kids think it is okay to not only make fun of my religion but to make fun of various ethnicity's as well. I believe that if this were done at a younger age then many kids would not grow up thinking racist thoughts and immediately know that it is the wrong thing.
"A Class Divided" was not only interesting but moving as well. Mrs. Elliot's experiment was very risky but very beneficial as well. i really enjoyed the film, i saw a little bit of me in one of the little kdis. i think that the way Mrs. Elliot went about the experiment was clever. using a neutral attribute of the kids too show that they are all equal was clever. i was very surprised at how quickly the kids just turned on one another, just becasue they instantly assumed one was better. without any actual evidence to support her case, the kids still just agreed with her authority. it was scary, imagine if that were the case for elder people, having their opinion just change for the worse? that could be scary. i thought it was terrible how the people of her home town were so cruel to her. she did an amazing thing and continued to do an amazing thing and i respect that. it was a little bit better to see the enthusiasm of her returning students though. non the less, it was a great documentery i only wish that there was a similar experiment when i was that young.
I agree with what Molly said. i think that boundries are meant to be pushed so to speak, and that is one of the only ways to go about change. i don't necessarily think she felt heart ache but more dissapointmen. to see these angels just become so corrupted, after teaching them for how long, must be more dissapointing then anything.
Like everyone else I agree with Molly. She brings up an excellent point of how the experiment should not only pertain to racism, but bullying as well. If the results are what most of us expect them to be, then maybe we won't see anymore violence and hatred in schools. Maybe everyone for once can feel safe in school. Maybe we won't see bullying pushed to the extreme as it was almost 2 years when a poor girl committed suicide to escape the torment she suffered because of bullying.
I have seen this film before but it was a long time ago. Seeing it a second time I gained a lot more from it.I love what Mrs. Elliot did with the children in the video. She was able to get them to understand a concept that even their parents did not understand. She took a stance against racism and it had an effect on theses third graders throughout their entire lifes.
I liked the film we watched in class today because it showed how uplifting the teacher was to integrate into the third-graders minds about racism with the color of your eyes. I know when I was in third grade that nothing to this level on any issue had taken place. The only thing that was vaguely similar was anti-terrorism from the attacks of 9/11 and to promote peace. These children however became "named" in society as blue eyes are better than brown eyes or vice versa and that they got special privledges just like whites did against blacks. I thought overall that she was an ingenious teacher, who unfortunately, but not surprising got run out of town by the citizens.
I liked the film we watched in class today because it showed how uplifting the teacher was to integrate into the third-graders minds about racism with the color of your eyes. I know when I was in third grade that nothing to this level on any issue had taken place. The only thing that was vaguely similar was anti-terrorism from the attacks of 9/11 and to promote peace. These children however became "named" in society as blue eyes are better than brown eyes or vice versa and that they got special privledges just like whites did against blacks. I thought overall that she was an ingenious teacher, who unfortunately, but not surprising got run out of town by the citizens.
Brian brought up a very good point about how the kids actually used the N word. It was without a doubt shocking, but it also shows how much progress we have made since those dark times.
*Sorry about double comment. Error*
I really liked what Ryan said that the kids turned on their friends because in my opinion, it wouldn't matter at all. This also surprised me as well because once the kids learned that different eye colors had better charcteristics than others they thought that they actually proved to be the best, which went in coordination with the spelling quiz each day. It all had to do with psychology and reverse psychology as the "experiment" went on.
The film, "A Class Divided," was very fascinating. Mrs. Elliot's risky experiment turned into a major success. When the third graders, themselves, became subjected to unfair discrimination, they were troubled by their circumstances. The children learned that they were not responsible for their eye color,therefore, they should not be discriminated against for something that is uncontrollable. In this lesson, Mrs. Elliot effectively taught the students to look at people of color differently and understand the fact that everyone is born equal. What an incredible teacher.
I agree with the previous comments about the use of the "N" word. Unfortunately, racist jokes and words are still thrown around in conversations today. If everyone were to watch this video, I think it could potentially knock some sense into the people who think it's funny to say racist jokes or call people racist names.
This film was a well thought lesson plan. The way the teacher dementrsuted discrimination by making half have some rights and the others none, was well. The felt like they were nobody in life when they were told they could not do anything. The lesson that I took away was think before I make comments on someone else and judge them by what's inside of them but not there skin color.
I found the film “A Class Divided” to be very intriguing and well done. The experiment Mrs. Elliot did was very unique and worked so successfully with such young children. It just goes to show how racism was everywhere and clearly impacted the children’s behaviors towards one another. It showed those kids no one should be discriminated against due to skin color by actually having them experience it, making a lasting impression. If only adults could understand the same thing their 3rd graders did. I was shocked by the response many of the children had when they felt “superior” and I was also surprised the affect had on the classes test scores. What Mrs. Elliot did was take a risk but one that should have been done a while ago. I was glad to see that some people (Mrs. Elliot) made an effort to address racism and try to change it during that time.
I feel like I have been commenting on other peoples posts a lot, but Mr. Gallagher did not put a limit on comments haha. Anyways, Renata and a few others made great points that this should be shared with the whole school as it would definitely show kids how hurtful and racist the things they say really are.
Although I found the experiment to be somewhat unethical, I also found it to be highly telling and entirely neccessary. The ethics part comes into play any time children are involved, especially when they are told that they are bad or worse than others. However, in order to see why the experiment was neccessary one must consider the fact that there are people still all over the world that are told they are bad or not good enough and no one raises any questions of ethics towards them. I praise Mrs. Elliot for the experiment she conducted and the leaps and bounds she made for showing even a small group of children the evils of discrimination.
I agree with Michelle, this group of kids was the perfect age to conduct this experiment with. They left the classroom already knowing what it felt like to be discriminated against and how it felt to be put down. That is something that is invaluable to them later in life when they would become adults and start to make judgements about people on their own.
I agree with Jess about the fact these “innocent” white children aren’t as “innocent” as their parents claim growing up learning discrimination as a way of life. It really angered me that people are so self-absorbed in their culture they can’t even tell how ignorant they sound. These children are in 3rd grade if anything they should be learning discrimination is not tolerated and grow up with that value. It also makes me wonder if people who were appalled by Mrs. Elliot’s experiment ever thought what it would be like to spend a day on the other end of the spectrum then maybe their views would change.
Mrs. Elliot conducted a very interesting and meaningful experiment with her third grade kids about racism and discrimination. The children were thrust into a situation of prejudice and a racist atmosphere in just seconds. By conducting her experiment, I think, Mrs. Elliot changed the future of these kids and their attitudes towards other human beings. They learned that it was wrong to treat someone by the color of their skin. They learned that the right thing to do was to treat them the way they would want to be treated.
I agree with Amos that the teacher organized the lesson very well and forced the kids to consider racism in their minds for a good 24 hours. By giving some benefits to others and some limitations to the other, she taught them how a black kid their own age might be treated. They learned that the treatment of people based on the color of their skin is wrong.
I found the film very thoughtfully done. Teaching third graders about such a serious topic as racism is one thing, but getting them to understand the negative effects is mind blowing. It was impressive how quickly the kids learned, and that this lesson stuck with them for the rest of their lives. It just goes to show that children are the future; if we teach compassion and acceptance from the beginning, there is nowhere to go but forward.
Reflecting on the film, one can truly see the impact of authoritative figures on the minds of the young. The teacher drew a very distinct line between what is "good" and what is "bad". In the following chaos, we got to see what happens when people start to feel superior. They abuse their power. They make those perceived inferior know that they are inferior. It a way, it scared me. I doesn't seem logical to me that such violence was due to a different color of skin or, in the case of the film, different eye color.
I agree with Michelle about third graders being a perfect age group for such an experiment. It as an age when people are still developing their opinions and those opinions can be easily influenced.
I was absent from class today.
I thought what Mrs. Elliot did was a very good lesson for the kids. The way she taught the kids was really quite clever. It was also surprising that the kids were able to understand the true meaning in the end even though they were so young. I also don't understand why people would then talk so badly about Mrs. Elliot and also how other kids would make fun of her kids. Mrs. Elliot did the right thing and I am glad she was able to change how the kids thought.
I agree with Ryan about how it was nice to see all the returning students at the reunion and how they all remembered what Mrs. Elliot told them and that they all have been changed forever by that lesson in third grade.
In my opinion, the activity brought up to the kids in that third-grade class was very cleverly carried out and thought-provoking social experiment, as well as a meaningful lesson. The thing that struck me as most shocking is just how quickly the students adjusted to who was considered to be superior based on what Ms. Elliot said. This, however, was probably just because of the fact that they were third graders and didn't really have a very profound capability to think and act for themselves and for the sake of their own interests and beliefs. I do also feel that there is much to gain in understanding the fact that those third graders acted as a microcosm for race relations as a whole. They really put racism into perspective, and shed some light on just how juvenile, pointless, and harmful it can be.
I thought it was amazing that kids this young who have been classmates and played togeteher previously with no problems could so quickly become discrimatory and turn on their own friends just becuase they were blue or brown eyed. i think it shows how human nature is to discriminate and make yourself look better. what i toke away from this film was that i think every classroom should have an activity very similar to this to proudce fake discrimination becuase it teaches the kids an important lesson and in the long run, they never forget that lesson and teach their kids it as well. if everyone continued to do so, discrimination could be reduced quite a bit.
I think that A Class Divided showed how the influence of one person can truly make a difference in society. in this example, mrs. elliot thought it would impact the kids with her new lesson plan, and her ideas stayed with the children as they grew up and now have those values of non discrimination. i could see why it took a lot of courage to bring up this sort of exercise to her class but in all the people she tought learned lessons that can be applied in todays world and society where discrimination still happens today. its a shame that the rest of the town felt it was unnecessary to teach such a concept to younger kids because she couldve tought that lesson every year and it wouldve had the same impact
This was one the most interesting films I've ever watched. I would never have guessed how fast the kids turned on eachother and because discriminating little children. I found it most interesting how the students scores on the "letter card" game weny up when they were the "superior" eye color. It showed how children are so easily impressionable. I believe the exercise did a really good job in teaching them right from wrong.
Mrs Elliot had such a true way of putting discrimination into an academic experience for her children. its amazing how toddlers minds work though and how they just believe anything they see or hear from higher authorities. they are they next generation in that film and its best they know the truth about society, racial segregation is sickening and should not be tolerated in the modern world.
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