This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
PERIOD 4: MRS. ELLIOT
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?
22 comments:
Rudy Alnaal
said...
I thought that was Mrs.Elliot constructed to do with her third grade students was very very interesting and much needed then, and even maybe now. It teaches people how it feels like to be in another persons shoes who gets discriminated against and it teaches us not to be prejudice. I think that type of experiment should still be used in schools, and work environments until this day to eliminate all sense of racism.
I was very enthralled by this documentary. I know that children are very easily swayed, and the children acted accordingly and as I'd presumed. However, the actions of the adults were quite appalling. I didn't expect that they would be so quick to be so rude, and it was evident that adults that had entered the room as racists were barely affected by the workshop, if at all.The children, however, really seemed as if they'd learned a lot from Mrs. Elliot's workshop, and I really do think that it changed the way that they conducted themselves through their lives afterwards, as seen when the children are interviewed as adults. I very much enjoyed the workshop as a whole though, and I really think that if it's taught to children at a young age, it can have a profound effect on them and that is important to their growth and development as they mature. Mrs. Elliot is a hero.
I thought Mrs.Elliot was very inspiring. This taught the kids and even the adults that you never really know how discrimination and those types of situations feel like until you are placed in them.Her idea of this was really interesting and I think this experiment helped the kids see that being prejudice or discriminating isn't the right way to go. In my opinion I think that teachers all over the world should use this method to stop any kind of racism.
I thought the idea that Mrs. Elliot was very interesting. I thought it was a great idea how she thought to divide the classroom by eye color and it was amazing how quickly the children turned on each other. I also found it fascinating how the adults that did the experiment didn't feel as discriminated. Some did, but others argued back about their discrimination. When the kids got discriminated, no one argued back. I feel because the adults that argued back always felt on top, it was hard for them to feel lowered socially. Because of that, I feel it is harder for adults to change social roles. But, when the kids were lowered or raised socially, it impacted them a lot more. I feel that is because they are still inexperienced in life so they can feel that change more. That means, if kids are taught that racism is bad, by the time they grow up there will be a lot less racism. As for the adults, if you teach them that racism is bad, it will be harder to change their view. That is how I looked at this experiment.
I was captivated and inspired by Mrs. Elliot’s experiment. To see how quickly the kids became discriminating was not much of a surprise because child will easily and readily accept what a teacher says as fact. On the other hand, to see the adults change so quickly was shocking. Most of the blue-eyed people just stayed quiet and avoided making any waves, and didn’t try to help each other. The children really seemed to learn something from the experiment, but the adults were more set in their ways. While some of the prison employees seemed to better understand how minorities felt, others were too stubborn to change. I think it’s important to teach the children this lesson when they’re young, because they are still impressionable. Many adults will be much harder to teach. I haven’t suffered from discrimination to the extent that this experiment subjects people to, but I do understand how it feels to be told you aren't good enough because of something you can’t control. What I took away from that experience and what I got from this film are almost the same. Judging someone based on something they have no control over is shallow and unfair. We shouldn't judge people based on their nationality, but based on their actions.
I thought that Mrs. Elliot's experiment was revolutionary, especially at that point in time. It conveyed the atrocity of prejudice and racism in ways that the students could not only understand, but feel as well. I thought the feedback from after the experiment was eye-opening because the kids went from being on the top to the bottom and vice versa and without even realizing it they were in the shoes of the discriminated minority and the assertive and prejudice majority. This allowed the kids to feel what people who are discriminated against in the real world feel like when they are treated badly. This was a life changing lesson for them and they are still affected by it to his day.
I was immediately compelled while watching Mrs. Elliot on screen. What she did was completely amazing and eye opening especially towards people who lived during those years of discrimination. I felt that it was especially important when conducted with the third graders at such a young age because it’s better to stop people from having such negative thoughts at a young age rather than when they’re older and have already done a lot of damage to others. The experiment had a positive effect on the children for the rest of their lives. I found it a bit sad though that when the superior eye color was reversed, the children rushed to put the collars on the blue eyes children. I understand that they are children, but I feel like anyone age group would’ve done the same thing which is unfortunate because you would think that once you were hurt in a certain way, you wouldn’t want anyone else to feel that pain as well. Other than that I thought that the experiment was brilliant and a great success. I was shocked by the adults more than the children though. The behavior of a few of the adults was appalling in a sense. The brown eyed people were so eager to put down the blue eyed people and see themselves as superior and there was one lady who was extremely rude and uncharismatic. I feel like a lot of those adults were able to learn a lesson and change for the better.
I thought that the experiment that Mrs. Elliot did with her students and the adults was very brave and creative. She understood that what she was doing would cause some controversy in the town, yet she knew that it was the right thing to do. I thought it was so interesting that as soon as the class was divided, the kids became so cruel to each other, and I thought that was a perfect example of what actually happens in real life. At the end of it, you could really tell that it had an impact on them and that now they were able to understand racism and discrimination better than they had before. It was a little bit different with the adults. They seemed to be much more stubborn about it and at the end, they didn't seem much different, unlike the students.
Even after seeing this documentary a second time, it still had an effect on me. Sometimes it boggles my mind how racist and prejudice attitudes are still ever present in our society to this day. When this took place in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, many of the adults acted the same way that some of the children acted when they were placed into this exercise. It’s sad to think about this because these adults are much older and have lived much longer lives then the children and would've had more time to learn to be tolderant, yet some were much more prejudiced than the children that were growing up in the racist society. If you also think about it, many of the adults in that room were about as old as the children that participated in Mrs. Elliott’s study during the 60s would be at that time and they were very prejudiced toward each other whereas the children in the study grew up to be more aware and conscious people that better understood discrimination and wanted to put an end to it then and there. Personally, I took a lot away from this film and really would like to put myself in others’ shoes before I pass judgment on them so I understand how they feel.
I really enjoyed watching “A Class Divided”. Mrs Elliott is absolutely brilliant and I completely understand why she is one of your idols. I agree with her statement saying that talking in class about racism doesn’t resonate enough with the children and that you really only know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. By putting the children in the shoes of black people and all minorities they learned a really powerful lesson about discrimination and also learned how absolute power corrupts absolutely. I am still shocked at how the third graders acted because I tutor three third graders and I could never imagine they would act in that situation and that truly scares me. I found it interesting that not a single student stood up to the teacher and they were so happy to pass off their collars to the other group. The lesson plan is absolutely horrific but teaches a very powerful lesson and I really am surprised about everything that happened in the classroom. This makes me more aware of when I am a bystander and makes me realized that you need to always speak out, always do the right thing and also challenge authority by trusting your gut. Im really happy that we saw this video during class and I told all my friends about it during break today!
I really liked the work that Mrs. Elliot did with her third grade class. I admire that Mrs. Elliot, despite living in a time where racism was present, still decided to teach this lesson to her third graders. She saw past what everyone else saw and realized how truly disgusting racism really is. What she taught her third graders through that lesson will make them understand how it feels to be on the other side of things. They got to experience the side where they were superior and the side where they were the victim. This makes them realize that discrimination is wrong because if you are the person being discriminated against, you feel powerless and less of a human when you really aren't.
I thought that Mrs.Elliot was a good video to watch because it showed how it feel to be discriminated. It put it on those who have been discrimanted shoes. I like how she showed adults how it feel to me put in a differnt groups. You never really know how it is to be discriminated unless you have been through it. She was inspiring and sent a message to those who dicriminate today.
I loved the activity that Mrs. Elliot ran with her third grade students and should be copied as much as possible. Mrs. Elliot's use of eye color to create prejudices between students was a brilliant way to emulate the experiences that plague many people every day. I was amazed by how quickly the students turned on their best friends and escalated to psychical violence. I thought it was even more incredible the way adults reacted when put in the same situation; grown men acted like 4 year olds who were being punished by talking back, coming up with excuses, and whining to authority. The way that the brown eyed adults accepted the new guidelines and treated other human beings like animals. The fact that people criticized Mrs. Elliot of mentally traumatizing white children absolutely appalled me. No children should be exposed to such terrible discrimination on a daily basis and experiments like Mrs. Elliot's can make a difference in the prejudices of the next generation of leaders.
This documentary was extremely interesting to watch. I personally like these type of sociological and psychological topics. So to see Mrs. Elliot bend the minds of the third graders and then easily do the same to the adults was great. To be able to use your position in such a way to help younger kids is rare to see. Especially to see a teacher with this much conviction, risking her credibility to break the barriers of prejudice was refreshing.
I think that this video was very inspiring. Mrs. Elliot is a role model to many being that she was able to change a group of third graders' attitudes toward black people and racism overall. She was also able to alter the views of some of the adults by simply making them step into a minority's feet. Mrs.Elliot was able to change the views of racism of little third graders along with adults which is something that could still even be done today with simply making someone walk in their shoes.
This was the second time that I have watched the documentary on Mrs. Elliot's experiment, and I believe that she is truly innovative and brilliant in her teaching style. She knew that these kids could study about prejudice, but they would never truly know its effects unless they experienced being on both sides of discrimination. I was fascinated by the way that her students' mindsets changed depending on whether they were "superior" or "inferior". When she did the vocabulary cards, she found the results of each group to be much higher when they were thought of as better and smarter compared to when they were believed to be inferior. This truly gives insight into the effects prejudice can have on the mindset of a group of people. Mrs. Elliot is a visionary in teaching about prejudice and truly taught her students the evilness in racism.
I have actually seen this video before hand so I knew what was coming. But nonetheless I was still changed and inspired by Mrs. Elliot and her efforts to teach people about the differences in a persons appearance does not make the person. She proved that those can even grow up with the discriminations and sounds dumber than a third grader. She changed people and showed them what it was like to walk a mile in a minority's shoes. What she taught was deeper than just racism is wrong and did so much more for the open minded people she worked with. I love Mrs. Elliot and her work and found her to be a humble hero.
I thought that "A Class Divided" was a very eye-opening film. Mrs. Elliot did a great job providing people that have never experienced being part of a minority the opportunity to feel what it is like to be discriminated against. The people that were discriminated against were put in a very unusual position and all of the were very uncomfortable and eventually changed by the experience. Being part of the minority helped them realize that judging people for possessing a different quality is completely unfair and downright stupid. Mrs. Elliot taught both the 3rd graders and the adults a lesson that they will keep with them for the rest of their lives.
I enjoyed watching Mrs. Elliot in the documentary. What she did improved how young, white kids thought and acted when interacting with other races. Though I doubt that every child who went through the experiment was dramatically affected, I guarantee at least one was, which makes it all worthwhile. While watching the documentary I was almost laughing at the idea of a teacher using her experiment now, it just seems so inappropriate and out of place in the modern world. I actually believe that it would benefit many people even today, both students and adults. However, I doubt it can ever happen with kids again because it is not politically correct and many parents would be livid if they heard about it.
I thought what me Elliot did was truly amazing. The thought she would even think of something like dividing people based on eye color is very creative. It also surprises me that people would actually believe that a person with different eye color is better than people with a different eye color. What I found amazing was that the adults changed on others faster than the third graders did! I can't believe the speed of such a rapid change. It was also sad watching the kids be mean to eachother. The adults on the other hand was very hard to watch.
Mrs. Elliot experiment was very affective. It was intresting to see how all ages can react to discrimination. Both age groups were really quick to turn on people just because authority told them too. I think its a great idea to do this in a school enveriement. To teach young adults and children to respect every one and not judge some one before you get to know them.
Mrs. Elliot was definitely ahead of her time. Not many people back then would have dared to make the bold move that she did or to even think that way. The children's lives have been changed because of this woman. She has stopped a whole classroom of families from become racist/prejudice. I really enjoyed this and hope to see more like this.
22 comments:
I thought that was Mrs.Elliot constructed to do with her third grade students was very very interesting and much needed then, and even maybe now. It teaches people how it feels like to be in another persons shoes who gets discriminated against and it teaches us not to be prejudice. I think that type of experiment should still be used in schools, and work environments until this day to eliminate all sense of racism.
I was very enthralled by this documentary. I know that children are very easily swayed, and the children acted accordingly and as I'd presumed. However, the actions of the adults were quite appalling. I didn't expect that they would be so quick to be so rude, and it was evident that adults that had entered the room as racists were barely affected by the workshop, if at all.The children, however, really seemed as if they'd learned a lot from Mrs. Elliot's workshop, and I really do think that it changed the way that they conducted themselves through their lives afterwards, as seen when the children are interviewed as adults. I very much enjoyed the workshop as a whole though, and I really think that if it's taught to children at a young age, it can have a profound effect on them and that is important to their growth and development as they mature. Mrs. Elliot is a hero.
I thought Mrs.Elliot was very inspiring. This taught the kids and even the adults that you never really know how discrimination and those types of situations feel like until you are placed in them.Her idea of this was really interesting and I think this experiment helped the kids see that being prejudice or discriminating isn't the right way to go. In my opinion I think that teachers all over the world should use this method to stop any kind of racism.
I thought the idea that Mrs. Elliot was very interesting. I thought it was a great idea how she thought to divide the classroom by eye color and it was amazing how quickly the children turned on each other. I also found it fascinating how the adults that did the experiment didn't feel as discriminated. Some did, but others argued back about their discrimination. When the kids got discriminated, no one argued back. I feel because the adults that argued back always felt on top, it was hard for them to feel lowered socially. Because of that, I feel it is harder for adults to change social roles. But, when the kids were lowered or raised socially, it impacted them a lot more. I feel that is because they are still inexperienced in life so they can feel that change more. That means, if kids are taught that racism is bad, by the time they grow up there will be a lot less racism. As for the adults, if you teach them that racism is bad, it will be harder to change their view. That is how I looked at this experiment.
I was captivated and inspired by Mrs. Elliot’s experiment. To see how quickly the kids became discriminating was not much of a surprise because child will easily and readily accept what a teacher says as fact. On the other hand, to see the adults change so quickly was shocking. Most of the blue-eyed people just stayed quiet and avoided making any waves, and didn’t try to help each other. The children really seemed to learn something from the experiment, but the adults were more set in their ways. While some of the prison employees seemed to better understand how minorities felt, others were too stubborn to change. I think it’s important to teach the children this lesson when they’re young, because they are still impressionable. Many adults will be much harder to teach. I haven’t suffered from discrimination to the extent that this experiment subjects people to, but I do understand how it feels to be told you aren't good enough because of something you can’t control. What I took away from that experience and what I got from this film are almost the same. Judging someone based on something they have no control over is shallow and unfair. We shouldn't judge people based on their nationality, but based on their actions.
I thought that Mrs. Elliot's experiment was revolutionary, especially at that point in time. It conveyed the atrocity of prejudice and racism in ways that the students could not only understand, but feel as well. I thought the feedback from after the experiment was eye-opening because the kids went from being on the top to the bottom and vice versa and without even realizing it they were in the shoes of the discriminated minority and the assertive and prejudice majority. This allowed the kids to feel what people who are discriminated against in the real world feel like when they are treated badly. This was a life changing lesson for them and they are still affected by it to his day.
I was immediately compelled while watching Mrs. Elliot on screen. What she did was completely amazing and eye opening especially towards people who lived during those years of discrimination. I felt that it was especially important when conducted with the third graders at such a young age because it’s better to stop people from having such negative thoughts at a young age rather than when they’re older and have already done a lot of damage to others. The experiment had a positive effect on the children for the rest of their lives. I found it a bit sad though that when the superior eye color was reversed, the children rushed to put the collars on the blue eyes children. I understand that they are children, but I feel like anyone age group would’ve done the same thing which is unfortunate because you would think that once you were hurt in a certain way, you wouldn’t want anyone else to feel that pain as well. Other than that I thought that the experiment was brilliant and a great success. I was shocked by the adults more than the children though. The behavior of a few of the adults was appalling in a sense. The brown eyed people were so eager to put down the blue eyed people and see themselves as superior and there was one lady who was extremely rude and uncharismatic. I feel like a lot of those adults were able to learn a lesson and change for the better.
I thought that the experiment that Mrs. Elliot did with her students and the adults was very brave and creative. She understood that what she was doing would cause some controversy in the town, yet she knew that it was the right thing to do. I thought it was so interesting that as soon as the class was divided, the kids became so cruel to each other, and I thought that was a perfect example of what actually happens in real life. At the end of it, you could really tell that it had an impact on them and that now they were able to understand racism and discrimination better than they had before. It was a little bit different with the adults. They seemed to be much more stubborn about it and at the end, they didn't seem much different, unlike the students.
Even after seeing this documentary a second time, it still had an effect on me. Sometimes it boggles my mind how racist and prejudice attitudes are still ever present in our society to this day. When this took place in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, many of the adults acted the same way that some of the children acted when they were placed into this exercise. It’s sad to think about this because these adults are much older and have lived much longer lives then the children and would've had more time to learn to be tolderant, yet some were much more prejudiced than the children that were growing up in the racist society. If you also think about it, many of the adults in that room were about as old as the children that participated in Mrs. Elliott’s study during the 60s would be at that time and they were very prejudiced toward each other whereas the children in the study grew up to be more aware and conscious people that better understood discrimination and wanted to put an end to it then and there. Personally, I took a lot away from this film and really would like to put myself in others’ shoes before I pass judgment on them so I understand how they feel.
I really enjoyed watching “A Class Divided”. Mrs Elliott is absolutely brilliant and I completely understand why she is one of your idols. I agree with her statement saying that talking in class about racism doesn’t resonate enough with the children and that you really only know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. By putting the children in the shoes of black people and all minorities they learned a really powerful lesson about discrimination and also learned how absolute power corrupts absolutely. I am still shocked at how the third graders acted because I tutor three third graders and I could never imagine they would act in that situation and that truly scares me. I found it interesting that not a single student stood up to the teacher and they were so happy to pass off their collars to the other group. The lesson plan is absolutely horrific but teaches a very powerful lesson and I really am surprised about everything that happened in the classroom. This makes me more aware of when I am a bystander and makes me realized that you need to always speak out, always do the right thing and also challenge authority by trusting your gut. Im really happy that we saw this video during class and I told all my friends about it during break today!
I really liked the work that Mrs. Elliot did with her third grade class. I admire that Mrs. Elliot, despite living in a time where racism was present, still decided to teach this lesson to her third graders. She saw past what everyone else saw and realized how truly disgusting racism really is. What she taught her third graders through that lesson will make them understand how it feels to be on the other side of things. They got to experience the side where they were superior and the side where they were the victim. This makes them realize that discrimination is wrong because if you are the person being discriminated against, you feel powerless and less of a human when you really aren't.
I thought that Mrs.Elliot was a good video to watch because it showed how it feel to be discriminated. It put it on those who have been discrimanted shoes. I like how she showed adults how it feel to me put in a differnt groups. You never really know how it is to be discriminated unless you have been through it. She was inspiring and sent a message to those who dicriminate today.
I loved the activity that Mrs. Elliot ran with her third grade students and should be copied as much as possible. Mrs. Elliot's use of eye color to create prejudices between students was a brilliant way to emulate the experiences that plague many people every day. I was amazed by how quickly the students turned on their best friends and escalated to psychical violence. I thought it was even more incredible the way adults reacted when put in the same situation; grown men acted like 4 year olds who were being punished by talking back, coming up with excuses, and whining to authority. The way that the brown eyed adults accepted the new guidelines and treated other human beings like animals. The fact that people criticized Mrs. Elliot of mentally traumatizing white children absolutely appalled me. No children should be exposed to such terrible discrimination on a daily basis and experiments like Mrs. Elliot's can make a difference in the prejudices of the next generation of leaders.
This documentary was extremely interesting to watch. I personally like these type of sociological and psychological topics. So to see Mrs. Elliot bend the minds of the third graders and then easily do the same to the adults was great. To be able to use your position in such a way to help younger kids is rare to see. Especially to see a teacher with this much conviction, risking her credibility to break the barriers of prejudice was refreshing.
I think that this video was very inspiring. Mrs. Elliot is a role model to many being that she was able to change a group of third graders' attitudes toward black people and racism overall. She was also able to alter the views of some of the adults by simply making them step into a minority's feet. Mrs.Elliot was able to change the views of racism of little third graders along with adults which is something that could still even be done today with simply making someone walk in their shoes.
This was the second time that I have watched the documentary on Mrs. Elliot's experiment, and I believe that she is truly innovative and brilliant in her teaching style. She knew that these kids could study about prejudice, but they would never truly know its effects unless they experienced being on both sides of discrimination. I was fascinated by the way that her students' mindsets changed depending on whether they were "superior" or "inferior". When she did the vocabulary cards, she found the results of each group to be much higher when they were thought of as better and smarter compared to when they were believed to be inferior. This truly gives insight into the effects prejudice can have on the mindset of a group of people. Mrs. Elliot is a visionary in teaching about prejudice and truly taught her students the evilness in racism.
I have actually seen this video before hand so I knew what was coming. But nonetheless I was still changed and inspired by Mrs. Elliot and her efforts to teach people about the differences in a persons appearance does not make the person. She proved that those can even grow up with the discriminations and sounds dumber than a third grader. She changed people and showed them what it was like to walk a mile in a minority's shoes. What she taught was deeper than just racism is wrong and did so much more for the open minded people she worked with. I love Mrs. Elliot and her work and found her to be a humble hero.
I thought that "A Class Divided" was a very eye-opening film. Mrs. Elliot did a great job providing people that have never experienced being part of a minority the opportunity to feel what it is like to be discriminated against. The people that were discriminated against were put in a very unusual position and all of the were very uncomfortable and eventually changed by the experience. Being part of the minority helped them realize that judging people for possessing a different quality is completely unfair and downright stupid. Mrs. Elliot taught both the 3rd graders and the adults a lesson that they will keep with them for the rest of their lives.
I enjoyed watching Mrs. Elliot in the documentary. What she did improved how young, white kids thought and acted when interacting with other races. Though I doubt that every child who went through the experiment was dramatically affected, I guarantee at least one was, which makes it all worthwhile. While watching the documentary I was almost laughing at the idea of a teacher using her experiment now, it just seems so inappropriate and out of place in the modern world. I actually believe that it would benefit many people even today, both students and adults. However, I doubt it can ever happen with kids again because it is not politically correct and many parents would be livid if they heard about it.
I thought what me Elliot did was truly amazing. The thought she would even think of something like dividing people based on eye color is very creative. It also surprises me that people would actually believe that a person with different eye color is better than people with a different eye color. What I found amazing was that the adults changed on others faster than the third graders did! I can't believe the speed of such a rapid change. It was also sad watching the kids be mean to eachother. The adults on the other hand was very hard to watch.
Mrs. Elliot experiment was very affective. It was intresting to see how all ages can react to discrimination. Both age groups were really quick to turn on people just because authority told them too. I think its a great idea to do this in a school enveriement. To teach young adults and children to respect every one and not judge some one before you get to know them.
Mrs. Elliot was definitely ahead of her time. Not many people back then would have dared to make the bold move that she did or to even think that way. The children's lives have been changed because of this woman. She has stopped a whole classroom of families from become racist/prejudice. I really enjoyed this and hope to see more like this.
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