This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Friday, March 1, 2013
PERIOD 7 - A CLASS DIVIDED
You have been watching the documentary, A Class Divided. Please post a reflective comment about the film. What did you personally take away from this documentary?
42 comments:
Cassy Lombardi
said...
When I saw this document about Mrs. Elliot "A Class Divided", this has got to me because when she was talking about the brown eyes and blue eyes, it made me think that when the blue eyes were treated better than brown eyes, I thought it was not fair to the blue eyes. I also thought when the blue eyes had those colloars on and the brown eyes didn't after, it still wasn't fair because the blue eyes couldn't go on the playground but the brown eyes can and that they get 5 more mins. After when the class learned about how it is descrimination and racist because of how people were treated and people shopuld be treated equally and it also shouldn't matter what color or eyes you have.
This documentary was very interesting. I thought I was a really interesting and effective way to teach young children what racism is and give them a taste of how it feels. I think this was a good way to teach the children about racism. Before this experiment none of the children really understood racism and they didn't really care if they were racist but after the experiment they understood it and knew what it felt like to be discriminated against and they didn't like it.
I agree with what Cassy said about how after this whole experiment the children learned what discrimination was and what racism is. Also that they shouldn't judge you or discriminate against you based on your eye color, skin color or anything.
I believe this is an incredible way to teach people what it's like to be discriminated against, at first I had my doubts thinking that this may cause the children some serious psychological damage but Mrs. Elliot went about it in a very good way. She not only gave the children both points of view but she also explained afterward why it is wrong to discriminate. When it was time for the adults I figured that they may have been less willing to participate and the superior eye color may say something about everyone being equal however the brown eyed people went along with it calling the blue eyed people names, and making them feel more inferior. I was surprised how easily people accepted the words of authority as true even when they had known all along that it wasn't true, it also made me realize that I should think twice when I look at someone and not immediately begin to prejudge them.
I thought that this documentary was very moving and incredible. I feel that Mrs. Elliot was brilliant to incorporate this experiment into her classroom. Even if I have never experienced a situation like the eye color exercise, I am glad that I watched this documentary and was stimulated to think about what I would do if I was put in the situation the children experienced. It was shocking to me to see how quickly the children reacted when they were separated based on the color of their eyes. If only this experiment was issued at elementary schools in Alabama during the 60s to the white children, then maybe significant change could have been made and helped Dr. King's movement.
I agree with all that Kassandra stated. At first I too was a little concerned as to the psychological damage that these kids could have experienced due to the experiment. By directly putting the children in the colored people's shoes it really made them feel how the discriminated people feel and what they go through, and I feel that sometimes we do not understand all that the colored people went through and still sometimes go through on a day to day basis. If a child was blue-eyed and blue eyes were on the bottom, it basically changed those children's lives for that day. It definitely made me realize how important it is to only care about who the person is on the inside.
I think it was very interesting and creative for Mrs. Elliot to run and document this test. It proves what children are capable of absorbing from society and how they form harsh opinions. By putting them in the shoes of someone less superior, the children are able to understand what it feels like to be different and what the black people go through every day based on something as simple as the color of their skin. By implementing this lesson in children that young, it will hopefully shape how they, and the upcoming generations learn to treat others and not judge based on looks. I agree with Kassandra, it was a very good way to teach children about discrimination. There is also a chance of psychological damage if not taught properly.
I agree with Kassandra and the fact that this was a very interesting way to teach people of discrimination. One of the things that stood out most to me was the fact that the adults questioned the authority more than the children.
I was shocked by the way that Mrs. Elliot's community responded to her classroom study. I expected them to be more supportive of what she was trying to accomplish, especially because none of the children's parents objected. It was really impressed that Mrs. Elliot was not intimidated by these people and kept trying to make a difference.
I agree with what Sarah said. I think that it would have been really helpful to try this experiment in schools in more segregated areas. Teaching more children what it feels like to be discriminated against when they're still young could have helped the civil rights movement make progress a lot more quickly.
I think Mrs.Elliot is an incredibly smart woman. She is also very brave for putting her self in a situation to be judged to educate her students on what it feels to be targeted based on race and skin color. As we know not many people reacted well to what she did but she dint let that stray her from her goal which was to educate these kids on racism.
I agree with Cassy no one should be judged based on eye color and many other things.Race is a thing made up by man each country and border was not there naturally. Were just judging people (in most cases) based in invisible borders... we should not let something like that divide the people after all we all human.
I found it very interesting to see how the adults reacted during this experiment after we had seen it done on 3rd graders. The 3rd graders ended up feeling better than each other, and they either felt superior, or degraded based on what role they were playing. They were easily persuaded into thinking that the brown eyed kids were better. Then, when the adults were doing the experiment, they ended up talking back to Mrs. Elliot and got very agitated and uncomfortable. The adults were persuaded just as easily as the kids were. After the reason behind the experiment was explained to them, they realized how bad discrimination felt. They were able to feel first hand what it was like to be looked down upon, and degraded. This exercise really helps show people how discrimination and racism really feels and how stupid it is to judge someone based on some different trait about them.
I would have liked to participate in a experiment/exercise just like this in school. The children were able to experience some of the emotions and thoughts that blacks had while being discriminated. Being at such a wrong age when doing this experiment I would have thought it wouldn't have worked out this successful. The children with the collars felt inferior to the people without the collars, feeling helpless because they couldn't do anything the change their eye color.
I don't quite see how Cassandra and Sarah how Mrs. Elliot's experiment could cause the children to have psychological damage. What psychological damage would this excerise have caused the children? Mrs. Elliot was just using an excerise to teach her class about discrimination and at the end no one in the class was discriminating or judging their fellow classmates, this experiment only took place in one day.
I think that this documentary was extremely powerful and that more teachers should be taught to conduct the activity. Although I don’t feel that racism is as prominent as it was when this experiment was conducted I think it would still be a good way to teach children to not judge people by how they look on the outside and may even teach them to overlook some of the things that they said or did that weren’t appropriate because they would realize they wouldn’t want to be treated how they were going to treat that person. I don’t think that this experiment is cruel in any way because there are children who are getting bullied every day in school and getting emotionally scared, if this experiment was conducted on more children I think that there would be a decrease in bullying.
I agree with Kassandra, I was really surprised by how easily people followed the directions of Mrs. Elliot when they were conducting the experiment at the prison. I thought that more people would stand up for each other since they were in a setting where everyone used to be equal, not to mention they are all adults. It looked like it was a huge wake up call for some of the people in the room and I’m hoping that they took something away from the experiment.
I really liked this documentary. I also liked how she gave the students a real life example of discrimination without it being too emotionally trying, so the students had an opportunity to experience what it felt like first hand. I was shocked about how the adults behaved, especially considering it was a great deal of time after the Civil Rights Movement.
I agree with Kassandra. IT was shocking how readily everyone accepted the discriminatory words as true, but that's exactly what allows racism to be prevalent. Furthermore, I was disgusted by the way people reacted after Mrs. Elliot had her interview. They were proving the point she was trying to make, but her children should now have had to suffer. I would like to think that if an experiment like this was conducted today, that it would not work.
I was intrigued at the experiment Mrs. Elliot instated in "A Class Divided," and think that in some areas it should be continued. While most children today are no longer concerned with such surface issues as skin colors (no pun intended), there are still significant issues that their parents--or themselves--find to become divided upon. Religions, sexual orientation, class, all are such divisions; it's something they can't help at that age (or, in the case of religious belief, wouldn't want to change) and yet there are many a slur against those of different "categories."
I also found it rather silly that psychological damage would be thought to be associated with the experiment. It was a two-day exercise and children are fairly resilient; a small spat on the playground does not constitute permanent damage. Besides which, all but the most pure (which is to say, a nigh-impossible to reach ideal) should be subjected to some form of pain in order to grow; to coddle children is to make obnoxious idiots out of them. The difference between those on "My Super Sweet Sixteen" and actually ethical people is that the latter knows what pain is and why inflicting it against others should be avoided.
I agree with Catie in how disgusting it was that the townspeople of Riceville reacted towards Elliot. Doing so missed the point, first and foremost; it was not to implicate them as bigots, but rather how easy it was to indoctrinate discriminatory beliefs in people as well as the effects they have, both on perpetrator and victim. Who they truly are does not matter (which is rather disconcerting upon second thought). In any case, they should have praised her for bringing forth such an interesting psychological issue.
After watching the documentary on "Mrs. Elliot", i was shocked to learn that kids back then were so neagative and racist towards colored people. i had thought it was just older people, i didnt know kids that young even knew what racism was. I think Mrs. Elliott was very smart about teaching these kids at a very young age to change their way of thinking and influence them to accept others no matter what color. If only every kid in America during those days could get this lesson from Mrs ELliott, i think she taught it very well.
i also agree with Catie on the topic of how the adults reacted to this experiment. These adults were easily brainwashed into thinking that they were superior over somebody else based upon just their eye color. It makes me wonder if back then people were more ignorant than we are today.
After watching Mrs. Elliot I was shocked to see how quickly the kids would turn on each other just based on the color of their eyes. They may be easily manipulated at that age, but they were all good friends before the teacher told all of the students in the class that people were superior to others based on the color of their eyes. For an example, students with brown eyes are superior to people with blue eyes.
The documentary "A Class Divided", honestly opened my eyes to the thoughts and ideas of discrimination. This was the most interesting film to watch in the course so far because of these reasons.
I agree with Ellery's point when she said that she didn't know what racism was in third grade because I had never even heard of it as well. This also shows that back then that times were different compared to today. Back then parents told their children about discrimination while today children don't hear about discrimination until they are a few years older.
When we watched this, i honestly had no idea what to think. I have always hated the idea of segregation, like most people, and i think it is one of the stupidest things we as a country have done. This activity that she did was a real eye opener, and it was something that was very helpful to students and teachers who saw this everywhere. I feel very greatful to have seen this.
I agree with Amanda. Not a lot of people really knew about this sort of stuff or how to deal with it until this activity, and it was something that needed to be done.
This documentary was very eye opening. What stuck with me most was how easily the kids were able to turn on their friends after someone told them that they were superior. One of my favorite parts of the film is when the kids realized everything they had done wrong and you could tell they would never make those mistakes again.
I agree with what Julie said about the adults being more likely to stand up to authority than the children. Even though most of the adults sat quietly some were brave enough to stand up for themselves and it was enlightening to see that happen.
I thought it was incredible of how easily the children were able to change so quickly based on what people were telling them. I thought it was even more impressive that when she did the experiment on adults that she got the same results.
I really liked watching the film. It was amazing to see how the children changed just by Mrs. Elliot telling them that one eye color was better than the other. They immediately believed that everything she was saying was true. It did not surprise me how easily the children became very cruel and misunderstanding of the opposite eye colored kids. But what did surprise me was how the adults in the same experiment reacted. Children simply don't know better but you'd think an adult should.
I agree with Kassandra on what she said about the creativity of Mrs. Elliot using this exercise. I believe that the only way you really can teach how wrong discrimination is is by putting a person in someone elses shoes. People like myself might think we understand what its like to be discriminated against but in all honesty I really don't. The only way I could truly understand is by actually experiencing it first hand. And this is how this exercise is so effective.
""I think this documentary really shows the power that words can have. I found it intriguing how by Mrs. Elliot saying how blue eyed-people are better than brown eyed-people that she achieved her lesson of segregating the classroom. Her statements justifying why one color was superior than another had an instant effect on the group, which shows how simple it is to create prejudices and be "on top". I took away from this film that it is easy to be a bystander in a situation where a person is being targeted, but since I saw the scene with the adults I realized that it's important to defend one's identity when it is being challenged by another. Many of the people in that group did not speak up, and I hope to never be someone who only stands by.
Amanda, I agree with you how this experiment was good way to teach the children about racism, although I think at times what she said was too harsh, and it made some students very upset. I still do believe that this exercise was very effective, and her being harsh helped to do that.""
I was disappointed at the town for their reaction to Elliot. What she taught her children was valuable and clearly stuck with them for a long time. This lesson is something that everyone should learn and the parents of the children should have understood that, regardless of the situation and time period.
This was probably my favorite film that we watched all year. It goes to show that we act based on what everyone else is doing. Like when Mrs. Ellis told the group of adults that blue eyed people were dumb and rude, and all of the brown eyed people in the group didn't question anything. They just agreed with what she said.
I disagree with Mike's comment about how the age of the children makes them easily manipulated. When the same experiment was presented to the group of adults, the same results occurred. I actually think that the children acted more mature than the adults in the experiment, because at least the children questioned what Mrs. Elliot was telling them. The adults completely went along with it until the very end. The 3rd graders reacted immediately.
I think this experiment created by this teacher was brilliant. The fact that within a classroom of whoever shes with she can divide the class, making one kind of person better than the other, is remarkable.
I agree with Amanda. The experiment put white kids through sorta what racism really was. It was a good experiment and I wish i could be put through it but at the same time i dont.
I thought it was very brave of Mrs Elliot to do such a contreversial expirament with such young students. I don't think that any teachers now a days would do that to elementary students because of the social reactions that they would encounter
I agree with Amanda, I thought it was really amazing that such young students so quickly realized that what they had just gone through was what other people were facing daily and at a much worse level
I thought it was interesting how the students reacted to the experiment versus the town as a whole. Each one of the students (or, at least, those shown) approved of the experiment and wanted to have their own children participate in it - whereas the town as a whole launched into uproar. I think this split reaction is indicative of how the experiment was able to successfully challenge privilege amongst those who participated whereas for the community as a whole the horrible prospect of losing their superior position was considered an impossible cruelty for children to bear.
I found that the documentary about Mrs. Elliot was very interesting and showed how much children can be influenced at a young age. One thing I was suprised to see aabsent from the fim though is what reactions the parents of the children had. Whether they tried to disuade their kids from listenting to the teacher or perhaps the kids convinced their parents to a better point of view.
42 comments:
When I saw this document about Mrs. Elliot "A Class Divided", this has got to me because when she was talking about the brown eyes and blue eyes, it made me think that when the blue eyes were treated better than brown eyes, I thought it was not fair to the blue eyes. I also thought when the blue eyes had those colloars on and the brown eyes didn't after, it still wasn't fair because the blue eyes couldn't go on the playground but the brown eyes can and that they get 5 more mins. After when the class learned about how it is descrimination and racist because of how people were treated and people shopuld be treated equally and it also shouldn't matter what color or eyes you have.
This documentary was very interesting. I thought I was a really interesting and effective way to teach young children what racism is and give them a taste of how it feels. I think this was a good way to teach the children about racism. Before this experiment none of the children really understood racism and they didn't really care if they were racist but after the experiment they understood it and knew what it felt like to be discriminated against and they didn't like it.
I agree with what Cassy said about how after this whole experiment the children learned what discrimination was and what racism is. Also that they shouldn't judge you or discriminate against you based on your eye color, skin color or anything.
I believe this is an incredible way to teach people what it's like to be discriminated against, at first I had my doubts thinking that this may cause the children some serious psychological damage but Mrs. Elliot went about it in a very good way. She not only gave the children both points of view but she also explained afterward why it is wrong to discriminate. When it was time for the adults I figured that they may have been less willing to participate and the superior eye color may say something about everyone being equal however the brown eyed people went along with it calling the blue eyed people names, and making them feel more inferior. I was surprised how easily people accepted the words of authority as true even when they had known all along that it wasn't true, it also made me realize that I should think twice when I look at someone and not immediately begin to prejudge them.
I thought that this documentary was very moving and incredible. I feel that Mrs. Elliot was brilliant to incorporate this experiment into her classroom. Even if I have never experienced a situation like the eye color exercise, I am glad that I watched this documentary and was stimulated to think about what I would do if I was put in the situation the children experienced. It was shocking to me to see how quickly the children reacted when they were separated based on the color of their eyes. If only this experiment was issued at elementary schools in Alabama during the 60s to the white children, then maybe significant change could have been made and helped Dr. King's movement.
I agree with all that Kassandra stated. At first I too was a little concerned as to the psychological damage that these kids could have experienced due to the experiment. By directly putting the children in the colored people's shoes it really made them feel how the discriminated people feel and what they go through, and I feel that sometimes we do not understand all that the colored people went through and still sometimes go through on a day to day basis. If a child was blue-eyed and blue eyes were on the bottom, it basically changed those children's lives for that day. It definitely made me realize how important it is to only care about who the person is on the inside.
I think it was very interesting and creative for Mrs. Elliot to run and document this test. It proves what children are capable of absorbing from society and how they form harsh opinions. By putting them in the shoes of someone less superior, the children are able to understand what it feels like to be different and what the black people go through every day based on something as simple as the color of their skin. By implementing this lesson in children that young, it will hopefully shape how they, and the upcoming generations learn to treat others and not judge based on looks. I agree with Kassandra, it was a very good way to teach children about discrimination. There is also a chance of psychological damage if not taught properly.
I agree with Kassandra and the fact that this was a very interesting way to teach people of discrimination. One of the things that stood out most to me was the fact that the adults questioned the authority more than the children.
I was shocked by the way that Mrs. Elliot's community responded to her classroom study. I expected them to be more supportive of what she was trying to accomplish, especially because none of the children's parents objected. It was really impressed that Mrs. Elliot was not intimidated by these people and kept trying to make a difference.
I agree with what Sarah said. I think that it would have been really helpful to try this experiment in schools in more segregated areas. Teaching more children what it feels like to be discriminated against when they're still young could have helped the civil rights movement make progress a lot more quickly.
I think Mrs.Elliot is an incredibly smart woman. She is also very brave for putting her self in a situation to be judged to educate her students on what it feels to be targeted based on race and skin color. As we know not many people reacted well to what she did but she dint let that stray her from her goal which was to educate these kids on racism.
I agree with Cassy no one should be judged based on eye color and many other things.Race is a thing made up by man each country and border was not there naturally. Were just judging people (in most cases) based in invisible borders... we should not let something like that divide the people after all we all human.
I found it very interesting to see how the adults reacted during this experiment after we had seen it done on 3rd graders. The 3rd graders ended up feeling better than each other, and they either felt superior, or degraded based on what role they were playing. They were easily persuaded into thinking that the brown eyed kids were better. Then, when the adults were doing the experiment, they ended up talking back to Mrs. Elliot and got very agitated and uncomfortable. The adults were persuaded just as easily as the kids were. After the reason behind the experiment was explained to them, they realized how bad discrimination felt. They were able to feel first hand what it was like to be looked down upon, and degraded. This exercise really helps show people how discrimination and racism really feels and how stupid it is to judge someone based on some different trait about them.
BRANDON HAMILTON
I agree with Kassandra. It was an incredible way for people to feel first hand what it feels like to be disriminated against.
BRANDON HAMILTON
I would have liked to participate in a experiment/exercise just like this in school. The children were able to experience some of the emotions and thoughts that blacks had while being discriminated. Being at such a wrong age when doing this experiment I would have thought it wouldn't have worked out this successful. The children with the collars felt inferior to the people without the collars, feeling helpless because they couldn't do anything the change their eye color.
I don't quite see how Cassandra and Sarah how Mrs. Elliot's experiment could cause the children to have psychological damage. What psychological damage would this excerise have caused the children? Mrs. Elliot was just using an excerise to teach her class about discrimination and at the end no one in the class was discriminating or judging their fellow classmates, this experiment only took place in one day.
I think that this documentary was extremely powerful and that more teachers should be taught to conduct the activity. Although I don’t feel that racism is as prominent as it was when this experiment was conducted I think it would still be a good way to teach children to not judge people by how they look on the outside and may even teach them to overlook some of the things that they said or did that weren’t appropriate because they would realize they wouldn’t want to be treated how they were going to treat that person. I don’t think that this experiment is cruel in any way because there are children who are getting bullied every day in school and getting emotionally scared, if this experiment was conducted on more children I think that there would be a decrease in bullying.
I agree with Kassandra, I was really surprised by how easily people followed the directions of Mrs. Elliot when they were conducting the experiment at the prison. I thought that more people would stand up for each other since they were in a setting where everyone used to be equal, not to mention they are all adults. It looked like it was a huge wake up call for some of the people in the room and I’m hoping that they took something away from the experiment.
I really liked this documentary. I also liked how she gave the students a real life example of discrimination without it being too emotionally trying, so the students had an opportunity to experience what it felt like first hand. I was shocked about how the adults behaved, especially considering it was a great deal of time after the Civil Rights Movement.
I agree with Kassandra. IT was shocking how readily everyone accepted the discriminatory words as true, but that's exactly what allows racism to be prevalent. Furthermore, I was disgusted by the way people reacted after Mrs. Elliot had her interview. They were proving the point she was trying to make, but her children should now have had to suffer. I would like to think that if an experiment like this was conducted today, that it would not work.
I was intrigued at the experiment Mrs. Elliot instated in "A Class Divided," and think that in some areas it should be continued. While most children today are no longer concerned with such surface issues as skin colors (no pun intended), there are still significant issues that their parents--or themselves--find to become divided upon. Religions, sexual orientation, class, all are such divisions; it's something they can't help at that age (or, in the case of religious belief, wouldn't want to change) and yet there are many a slur against those of different "categories."
I also found it rather silly that psychological damage would be thought to be associated with the experiment. It was a two-day exercise and children are fairly resilient; a small spat on the playground does not constitute permanent damage. Besides which, all but the most pure (which is to say, a nigh-impossible to reach ideal) should be subjected to some form of pain in order to grow; to coddle children is to make obnoxious idiots out of them. The difference between those on "My Super Sweet Sixteen" and actually ethical people is that the latter knows what pain is and why inflicting it against others should be avoided.
I agree with Catie in how disgusting it was that the townspeople of Riceville reacted towards Elliot. Doing so missed the point, first and foremost; it was not to implicate them as bigots, but rather how easy it was to indoctrinate discriminatory beliefs in people as well as the effects they have, both on perpetrator and victim. Who they truly are does not matter (which is rather disconcerting upon second thought). In any case, they should have praised her for bringing forth such an interesting psychological issue.
After watching the documentary on "Mrs. Elliot", i was shocked to learn that kids back then were so neagative and racist towards colored people. i had thought it was just older people, i didnt know kids that young even knew what racism was. I think Mrs. Elliott was very smart about teaching these kids at a very young age to change their way of thinking and influence them to accept others no matter what color. If only every kid in America during those days could get this lesson from Mrs ELliott, i think she taught it very well.
i also agree with Catie on the topic of how the adults reacted to this experiment. These adults were easily brainwashed into thinking that they were superior over somebody else based upon just their eye color. It makes me wonder if back then people were more ignorant than we are today.
After watching Mrs. Elliot I was shocked to see how quickly the kids would turn on each other just based on the color of their eyes. They may be easily manipulated at that age, but they were all good friends before the teacher told all of the students in the class that people were superior to others based on the color of their eyes. For an example, students with brown eyes are superior to people with blue eyes.
The documentary "A Class Divided", honestly opened my eyes to the thoughts and ideas of discrimination. This was the most interesting film to watch in the course so far because of these reasons.
I agree with Ellery's point when she said that she didn't know what racism was in third grade because I had never even heard of it as well. This also shows that back then that times were different compared to today. Back then parents told their children about discrimination while today children don't hear about discrimination until they are a few years older.
When we watched this, i honestly had no idea what to think. I have always hated the idea of segregation, like most people, and i think it is one of the stupidest things we as a country have done. This activity that she did was a real eye opener, and it was something that was very helpful to students and teachers who saw this everywhere. I feel very greatful to have seen this.
I agree with Amanda. Not a lot of people really knew about this sort of stuff or how to deal with it until this activity, and it was something that needed to be done.
This documentary was very eye opening. What stuck with me most was how easily the kids were able to turn on their friends after someone told them that they were superior. One of my favorite parts of the film is when the kids realized everything they had done wrong and you could tell they would never make those mistakes again.
I agree with what Julie said about the adults being more likely to stand up to authority than the children. Even though most of the adults sat quietly some were brave enough to stand up for themselves and it was enlightening to see that happen.
I thought it was incredible of how easily the children were able to change so quickly based on what people were telling them. I thought it was even more impressive that when she did the experiment on adults that she got the same results.
I really liked watching the film. It was amazing to see how the children changed just by Mrs. Elliot telling them that one eye color was better than the other. They immediately believed that everything she was saying was true. It did not surprise me how easily the children became very cruel and misunderstanding of the opposite eye colored kids. But what did surprise me was how the adults in the same experiment reacted. Children simply don't know better but you'd think an adult should.
I agree with Kassandra on what she said about the creativity of Mrs. Elliot using this exercise. I believe that the only way you really can teach how wrong discrimination is is by putting a person in someone elses shoes. People like myself might think we understand what its like to be discriminated against but in all honesty I really don't. The only way I could truly understand is by actually experiencing it first hand. And this is how this exercise is so effective.
""I think this documentary really shows the power that words can have. I found it intriguing how by Mrs. Elliot saying how blue eyed-people are better than brown eyed-people that she achieved her lesson of segregating the classroom. Her statements justifying why one color was superior than another had an instant effect on the group, which shows how simple it is to create prejudices and be "on top". I took away from this film that it is easy to be a bystander in a situation where a person is being targeted, but since I saw the scene with the adults I realized that it's important to defend one's identity when it is being challenged by another. Many of the people in that group did not speak up, and I hope to never be someone who only stands by.
Amanda, I agree with you how this experiment was good way to teach the children about racism, although I think at times what she said was too harsh, and it made some students very upset. I still do believe that this exercise was very effective, and her being harsh helped to do that.""
I was disappointed at the town for their reaction to Elliot. What she taught her children was valuable and clearly stuck with them for a long time. This lesson is something that everyone should learn and the parents of the children should have understood that, regardless of the situation and time period.
This was probably my favorite film that we watched all year. It goes to show that we act based on what everyone else is doing. Like when Mrs. Ellis told the group of adults that blue eyed people were dumb and rude, and all of the brown eyed people in the group didn't question anything. They just agreed with what she said.
I disagree with Mike's comment about how the age of the children makes them easily manipulated. When the same experiment was presented to the group of adults, the same results occurred. I actually think that the children acted more mature than the adults in the experiment, because at least the children questioned what Mrs. Elliot was telling them. The adults completely went along with it until the very end. The 3rd graders reacted immediately.
I think this experiment created by this teacher was brilliant. The fact that within a classroom of whoever shes with she can divide the class, making one kind of person better than the other, is remarkable.
I agree with Amanda. The experiment put white kids through sorta what racism really was. It was a good experiment and I wish i could be put through it but at the same time i dont.
I thought it was very brave of Mrs Elliot to do such a contreversial expirament with such young students. I don't think that any teachers now a days would do that to elementary students because of the social reactions that they would encounter
I agree with Amanda, I thought it was really amazing that such young students so quickly realized that what they had just gone through was what other people were facing daily and at a much worse level
I thought it was interesting how the students reacted to the experiment versus the town as a whole. Each one of the students (or, at least, those shown) approved of the experiment and wanted to have their own children participate in it - whereas the town as a whole launched into uproar. I think this split reaction is indicative of how the experiment was able to successfully challenge privilege amongst those who participated whereas for the community as a whole the horrible prospect of losing their superior position was considered an impossible cruelty for children to bear.
I found that the documentary about Mrs. Elliot was very interesting and showed how much children can be influenced at a young age. One thing I was suprised to see aabsent from the fim though is what reactions the parents of the children had. Whether they tried to disuade their kids from listenting to the teacher or perhaps the kids convinced their parents to a better point of view.
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