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 6: 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?
25 comments:
Amy Kaiser
said...
I found Mrs Elliot’s experiment to be very intriguing. Not only did it show the students what segregation was, but when the roles were reverse it showed them how it felt to be black during those times. I especially liked Mrs Elliots use of personal examples to display why the blue/brown eyed students were “superior/inferior”. Although some may have found this experiment unethical and been angered by it, I personally thought it was genius. If people have their eyes opened to the negative effects of prejudice at a young age it can help prevent it in the future. It inspired me to make a difference and make others aware of these issues.
I really enjoyed watching Mrs. Elliot's experiment because it was very innovative at that time period. During that time few people were really targeting young children to get rid of the prejudice against blacks and other races, so planting that seed into their minds at such a young age I though was very smart. I also liked that Mrs. Elliot didn't just focus on the discrimination against African Americans, but against the American Indians too. She taught the importance of not mistreating someone just because they are different from you, and really taught those kids not to believe that one type of person is the best. I think what made Mrs. Elliot's experiment work was the way she conducted herself and remained assertive because she was so determined to get her message across, especially with the prison employees. She held her own even when people challenged her and I think few people could have conducted the same experiment and been so successful because she was so passionate about what she was doing. When she visited the prison I thought it was very strange that so few people spoke up, and many remained bystanders even though what she was arguing was ridiculous. I think the kids in her class had more enlightening things to say about how they felt than the adults did. I also wondered what kind of reactions she would get if she had conducted her experiment in a city setting or with kids who were around African Americans more often than they were in the farm town, but I'm sure it wouldn't have gone over so well in that community.
Upon watching this film, I was surprised at the ingenuity of Mrs. Elliot’s eye color experiment. At a time where minorities had almost no rights, it taught the children to understand how it would feel to be in their shoes. The experiment taught the children that no one is “superior” or “inferior,” there are only prejudices that allow one to ignorantly believe that notion. The children had adopted these prejudices most likely from their parents seeing as how they were quick to believe whatever Mrs. Elliot had told them because she is an authoritative figure. Once they felt how it was in the minorities shoes, the children would be able to teach this lesson to their children in the future. One parent at the reunion said that their children would see that they don’t have prejudices and would follow in that example even though they hear prejudices from others outside the home. I think a version of this lesson would be helpful today to not only teach younger generations that any type of prejudice is wrong, but also that you cannot just be a bystander in any situation. When Mrs. Elliot had argued with many of the blue-eyed workers during the workshop, no one offered to speak up and defend their fellow co-worker. After learning that prejudice and discrimination are wrong, I would hope that these workers would stand up for each other if they were given the chance to repeat the lesson. I was truly inspired by the film because I believe that most of us have been prejudiced at one time or another whether or not you are aware of it or not. Anyone who watches this would see that you cannot just be a bystander, rather you have to stand up for what you believe even if it would be rejected by society.
After, and even while we watched Mrs. Elliott deliberately segregate her classroom all I could think about was how I wish that we had a day that the entire school got to together and we did the experiment to see if any racial views were changed because of the experiment. The video kept me curious. I think that it is amazing how one woman thought to changed the ideas in many people's minds. As it showed, years later, he former students were appalled when it came to racism. They believe that racism is disgusting and that people are all equal. I wish that everyone should feel this way, and if they don't than they should need to go through something like this. I loved the video.
I thought the experiment that Mrs. Elliot ran with her students was amazing and incredibly powerful. I was impressed by the experiment because it was a creative and great way to get people to experience actual segregation first hand. I thought Mrs. Elliot’s point that she couldn’t just talk to her students bout the current events, she needed to do something to get them to actual feel what was happening in the country. She was right, few white people could ever relate to the daily segregation we put people through by being racist. I also liked how she chose a generally meaningless trait, eye color, o her students realized skin color should also be meaningless. I thought it was even more amazing that she was able to successfully run the same experiment with full grown adults. I think it is a shame this experiment couldn’t be done today due to the chances of offending somebody.
Although times have changed and people think racism and prejudice have faded from our daily lives the opposite is true. Prejudice is still rampid all over the world. I was amazed to see how quickly views of innocent children where changed. Based on an adult/authoritive figure the kids where easily manipulated and influenced. I was surprise to also see that after the first group was made "superior" they immediately turned it around and put the collars on the other kids. At a young age I was taught to treat others the way I wanted to be treated and that I feel is taught in most houses. After feeling like shit about themselves based on the brutality for being a differnt eye color the children immediately were capable of turning around and harassing the opposite eye color when the tables were turned. It's important to walk in someone else's shoes before making judgement. "In my shoes, just to see what it's like to be me. I'll be you let's trade shoes just to see what it's be like to, feel your pain, you feel mine go inside each other minds, just to see what we find looking shit through each others eyes" -Eminem, Beautiful
While watching Mrs. Elliot teach her class of third grades about how terrible discrimination is, I asked myself what the people at our school would be like if this happened to us at an early age. At the beginning of the film I was surprised at some of the language that the children used to describe other races. I found it amazing when she stated the stats for the children s tests/quizzes had changed before, during, and after the lesson was learned. Also while watching Mrs. Elliot teaching her lesson to the adults she was almost always going after the same two people and those people felt powerless. Along with that the rest of the people who were part of the minority group did nothing to help their own people out because they didn't want to suffer the repercussions of them speaking up. this film really interested me and I learned a lot from it.
I was very interested to watch this documentary on Mrs. Elliot's experiment. I genuinely think that this kind of experiment could be done with any group of people in any time period and still be worthwhile. While the United States in the 1960s is a prime example of the type of discrimination about which this experiment helps bring awareness, I think that it is not unique. There will always be people who think that they are superior to others by some factor or other. For this reason, I think Mrs. Elliot's experiment should be done today all across the world in effort to combat issues of discrimination based on superiority/inferiority.
I was very interested by the film depicting Mrs. Elliot and her experiments with eye color—and the effect that the authority figure had on the children. The once innocent third-graders changed, picking out the students different from them and treating them with blatant discrimination. This film provokes questions for me about my own response to this experiment: could the words of an authority figure, such as Mrs. Elliot, change the way I treated and viewed others different than myself? I also thought it was interesting how Mrs. Elliot backed up the change in disposition in the children with concrete test scores, showing that the children’s scores improved when their eye color was the “smart” one and decreased as they were the “naughty” kids. After the experiment as a whole, the children seemed to have more understanding about inequality and judgment which ultimately was kept with them throughout life. The bravery of Mrs. Elliot during this time of change was immense—she refused to be a bystander and decided to try to change these kids outlook on an issue they have little perspective on, before it is too late and they develop prejudice. This experiment was very interesting, not only showing the malleable minds of third graders, easily following what the authority says, as well as the effect of the experiment, changing the way that these children viewed equality and injustice as an issue altogether.
I learned alot from watching the film "A Classroom Divided". The film showed just how oblivious some kids were to the violence and demoralization that was going on in the world. Mrs.Elliot was trying to teach the kids that judging someone based on their skin color is wrong and the kids should not do it becuase they didn't know how it made the victims feel. By using eye color to say which students were better, the third graders who had been best friends soon became enemies. The children learned just how hurtful it was to seperate people simply becaue they looked different. Because Mrs.Elliot cared enough to take them time to teach this very important lesson to kids at the young age is what should be taught to all kids in all schools in my opinion. And I thought it was very surprising that the third graders were much more mature about the situation and most did not speach up. But when the lesson was given to the adults, some of them seemed to think it was just a game and I don't think they took as much away from the experience as the children did. Even while she was being challenged, Mrs.Elliot did not give into the prison employees.
From the film "A Class Divided" I learned that its not okay to judge people for who they are or even degrade them just by their race or their backgrounds. Mrs. Elliot's experiment with her class really taught the kids a good moral of life; which is to not be prejudiced against other people just because they are different from you or everyone around you. It also taught them how people can change from being your friend to your enemy within no time and you can't really do anything about it. I feel like this film gave the students in the Mrs. Elliot's class the power to not be a bystander and watch someone made feel less or not important just because they are different. And it also shaped their future lives of how they should live in a society with some racist and prejudiced people towards blacks.
I really liked the documentary about the experiment and I thought that is was an ingenious way to show the kids, who can't really understand large ideas. Racism is a complex topic and for Mrs. Elliot to boil it down to blue and brown eyes is a great idea. She was really able to teach the kids how it felt to be discriminated against for something that they can't change, like eye color. I believe that every single person should have to go through an experiment like this because then they can really see racism from both sides, which is impossible in the larger world.
I was incredibly intrigued by the video we watched on Mrs. Elliot. I'm very interested in psychology and how the minds of people work, and this was almost a picture perfect example of how societal influences affect people of all ages. Mrs. Elliot taught a very important message that stuck with these students of hers for the rest of their lives. First of all, they understood the biggest message: Judgments should not be made based on looks at all, but on personality and ideals. Nobody is superior just because they have a certain skin tone or belong to a specific race. Even after 20 or 30 years, Mrs. Elliot's students admitted that this lesson of hers resonated deeply with them as young kids and that they've carried it with them into adulthood. It was wonderful to see that one person could change the lives and attitudes of many for good. The secondary message in the film alluded to the ability of someone in a position of power to influence others. Mrs. Elliot, within a 15 minute period, created a microcosm of the racism that was occurring outside of the classroom simply by saying one eye color was better than the other. It was unbelievable how quickly one eye color began to feel inferior just because they were told they were by an authority figure. I was in shock. I was in more disbelief when Mrs. Elliot performed the same experiment on the adults. They reacted more immaturely than the 3rd graders. They were disrespectful, rude, and argumentative, all as a result of being put down by a small group of people. I believe everyone should go through an experiment like this because it seemed to teach them about being the perpetrator as well as the victim.
I thought that Mrs. Elliot’s experiment with the kids was a really good way to demonstrate that prejudices block out who a person really is and can destroy friendships. It was pretty cool that she did this experiment about prejudices because no one could try doing that today because they would get into trouble. It amazes me that once Mrs. Elliot told the brown eyed kids to put their collar on a blue eyed kid, they were so quick to take them off and put them on their friend not trying to spare their friend from what they had just experienced. I also thought that when she did the experiment with the adults that the experiment could work on just about anybody.
While I cannot relate personally to any sort of similar experiment, I think that someone like Mrs. Elliot is an admirable human being, as well as a "powerhouse" at that. Her ability to keep the peace of the children as she made direct distinctions, the way any teacher guides a younger group of unknowing children to scorn and scolding the adults who could handle it, but clearly got more upset with. The adults also had more of an attitude about their treatment than the children, which I found interesting.
I thought that watching Mrs. Elliot's experiment was very interesting. It was strange to see how young children were so racist and could quickly become cruel to their classmates, just because some were told they were better than others. I think the experiment really show how easy it is for humans to be racist, and how racism can get out of hand very quickly. I was shocked by how ridiculous the adults in her experiment acted, they were more cruel and rude than 3rd graders. It showed how even the most educated people can still be racist. Even though Mrs. Elliot's experiment probably would not be allowed today, I think that it was genius of her and taught a very important lesson.
I loved Mrs. Elliot’s ability to keep a serious and authoritative tone throughout her experiments. With simple statements, she turned an entire classroom into people with completely different mindsets. What disturbed me was how quickly the “superior” group accepted the statements and was cruel to the ones who were “inferior.” Even more concerning was how quickly the inferior kids sought out revenge when the places were switched. The enjoyment that the children took in acting like they were better than others even though they knew what it was like to be on the bottom showed that people can be selfish. I’m glad that the experiment didn’t plant any long term discrimination and that all the student’s were able to be friends by the end. Sadly, this is not the case today; in America racism and discrimination seems to be taught from birth and hard to eliminate. I think that Mrs. Elliot’s experiment gives a good alternative view to discrimination that would help people learn today.
I found Mrs. Elliot's experiment fascinating, and I was surprised I hadn't heard about it earlier. Since the 1960s there have been countless initiatives, programs, and approaches to combating racism and prejudice (granted the actual racism is far more widespread and deeply ingrained then those optimistic initiatives). A lot of time is devoted to discussing and debating the issue, what would be the best way to tackle it, etc. I find it amusing and inspiring that Mrs. Elliot was able to significantly combat racism in her students with a few collars, a two day experiment, and some good role-playing skills. I also find it frustrating that in these times the educational red tape would make an exercise like this impossible, it's ridiculous to think the discomfort from a two day exercise (in which you experience something that some people have to face their entire lives) is not considered worth the insight it provides. I think everyone could benefit from undergoing something similar to her exercise, many of us could use a humbling experience to keep us from being indignant about our views. The footage and results of Mrs. Elliot's exercise with her class in comparison with the one she conducted with grown adults shows the benefits of nipping these behaviors in the bud, and how easily, once given time to fester, selfish habits can take root in someone's mind. The case of her workshop is not only an example of a "we and they" situation but also an "myself vs. everyone else" situation. If not taught otherwise, sometimes the human default can be to do what in your opinion you must just to survive, and many the workers in that situation were motivated by the fact that they didn't want to draw attention to themselves or expose themselves to a threat, to the point where they were willing to be humiliated or to join Mrs. Elliot as she spewed hypothetical propaganda.
Mrs. Elliot really was impacting on me and my life while watching this. This truly opened my eyes to what seriously goes on in the minds of minority and those treated like second class citizens. There truly is no other way to experience the daily hardships some must endure in their everyday lives. All the oppression and unfairness and te dreaded fact of being unable to win any kind of conflict was shown occurring before my eyes. Everyone must either know about this experience or be put through the workshop those adults did. This is the only way to finally end racism and bigotry.
I was amazed by the way both the children and adults reacted to Mrs. Elliot's experiment. When the children who were bullied quickly turned on the bullies I was surprised but i feel like that's human nature. Most people who are hurt are always looking for a way to fight back when they get the chance and the brown eyed children had the perfect opportunity to make the blue eyed children feel the way they felt the day before. I was mostly amazed though by the fact that their motivation to learn grew when they weren't being bullied. It makes sense that they did but it was interesting to see it change from one day to the other. The best part of the movie though was watching the adults completely lose it when she attacked them. They felt so uncomfortable and weak that they scooped so low just to try and make Mrs. Elliot feel inferior but she was smart enough to stay in control. The part that I liked was when one woman explained to the rude blue eyed female that the discrimination she may have felt will never compare to how the Jews or blacks were discriminated on in the past. I enjoyed watching this movie it made me look at our society in a whole different way and it shows that we all still need to work on working together to make our world a better place to live on.
Mrs Elliot is an extraordinary teacher. He was very brave to stick up for her opinion by teaching racial segregation to her students. I think it is great that she taught the power of racial segregation and the effects of it. It is too bad that she did not get the whole community's support by threatening her family members an making fun of them. But she did reach her goal in teaching the lesson by making the 3rd graders understand the effects of segregation by discriminating them against their eye color. I think it was great that she did that, because after she taught the lesson the kids now how it feels to be segregated in a negative way.
The Mrs. Elliot experiment was eye opening. Realizing how kids are so racist without even knowing it was shocking. The ideas behind her experiment were well thought out and it would be interesting to see that happen in a class room today. Now kids are educated on discrimination and told how bad it is but still I think there would be a related outcome. During this era of time kids weren’t shown how to be racist they simply picked up from their parents. Kids are never usually mean to each other on purpose but when told to do something they do it. Just like the kids in Mrs. Elliott’s class were subliminally told to be racist. Mrs. Elliott’s experiment was one that really impacted me and will leave a lasting impression about discrimination during this time.
What i found to be the most interesting thing from Mrs. Elliot was how people came to the realization of how ridiculous segregation was. The kids realized how unfair it was to be considered a minority because of how you look and how you were born. Mrs. Elliot is someone I really admire because she is able to not let society's ridiculous distinctions between blacks and whites effect how she views blacks. This documentary also shows how important it is for kids to be taught the right things because what they learn and what they are taught will have a significant impact on how they develope as people
I thought that Mrs. Elliot's experiment was very interesting. I think that it showed every child what being segregated feels like. When Mrs. Elliot did the experiment with the older people, I thought it was hilarious how stupid the brown eyed people were. I couldn't believe that they actually believed that having blue eyes was worse then having brown eyes. There was one comment that just grabbed my attention as outrageous, "some women talked about how her brown eyed nephew was better behaved then the blue eyed one", that she had just never noticed how much of a difference eye color makes. I was impressed by Mrs. Elliot's affluence conducting the whole experiment.
25 comments:
I found Mrs Elliot’s experiment to be very intriguing. Not only did it show the students what segregation was, but when the roles were reverse it showed them how it felt to be black during those times. I especially liked Mrs Elliots use of personal examples to display why the blue/brown eyed students were “superior/inferior”. Although some may have found this experiment unethical and been angered by it, I personally thought it was genius. If people have their eyes opened to the negative effects of prejudice at a young age it can help prevent it in the future. It inspired me to make a difference and make others aware of these issues.
I really enjoyed watching Mrs. Elliot's experiment because it was very innovative at that time period. During that time few people were really targeting young children to get rid of the prejudice against blacks and other races, so planting that seed into their minds at such a young age I though was very smart. I also liked that Mrs. Elliot didn't just focus on the discrimination against African Americans, but against the American Indians too. She taught the importance of not mistreating someone just because they are different from you, and really taught those kids not to believe that one type of person is the best. I think what made Mrs. Elliot's experiment work was the way she conducted herself and remained assertive because she was so determined to get her message across, especially with the prison employees. She held her own even when people challenged her and I think few people could have conducted the same experiment and been so successful because she was so passionate about what she was doing. When she visited the prison I thought it was very strange that so few people spoke up, and many remained bystanders even though what she was arguing was ridiculous. I think the kids in her class had more enlightening things to say about how they felt than the adults did. I also wondered what kind of reactions she would get if she had conducted her experiment in a city setting or with kids who were around African Americans more often than they were in the farm town, but I'm sure it wouldn't have gone over so well in that community.
Upon watching this film, I was surprised at the ingenuity of Mrs. Elliot’s eye color experiment. At a time where minorities had almost no rights, it taught the children to understand how it would feel to be in their shoes. The experiment taught the children that no one is “superior” or “inferior,” there are only prejudices that allow one to ignorantly believe that notion. The children had adopted these prejudices most likely from their parents seeing as how they were quick to believe whatever Mrs. Elliot had told them because she is an authoritative figure. Once they felt how it was in the minorities shoes, the children would be able to teach this lesson to their children in the future. One parent at the reunion said that their children would see that they don’t have prejudices and would follow in that example even though they hear prejudices from others outside the home. I think a version of this lesson would be helpful today to not only teach younger generations that any type of prejudice is wrong, but also that you cannot just be a bystander in any situation. When Mrs. Elliot had argued with many of the blue-eyed workers during the workshop, no one offered to speak up and defend their fellow co-worker. After learning that prejudice and discrimination are wrong, I would hope that these workers would stand up for each other if they were given the chance to repeat the lesson. I was truly inspired by the film because I believe that most of us have been prejudiced at one time or another whether or not you are aware of it or not. Anyone who watches this would see that you cannot just be a bystander, rather you have to stand up for what you believe even if it would be rejected by society.
After, and even while we watched Mrs. Elliott deliberately segregate her classroom all I could think about was how I wish that we had a day that the entire school got to together and we did the experiment to see if any racial views were changed because of the experiment. The video kept me curious. I think that it is amazing how one woman thought to changed the ideas in many people's minds. As it showed, years later, he former students were appalled when it came to racism. They believe that racism is disgusting and that people are all equal. I wish that everyone should feel this way, and if they don't than they should need to go through something like this. I loved the video.
I thought the experiment that Mrs. Elliot ran with her students was amazing and incredibly powerful. I was impressed by the experiment because it was a creative and great way to get people to experience actual segregation first hand. I thought Mrs. Elliot’s point that she couldn’t just talk to her students bout the current events, she needed to do something to get them to actual feel what was happening in the country. She was right, few white people could ever relate to the daily segregation we put people through by being racist. I also liked how she chose a generally meaningless trait, eye color, o her students realized skin color should also be meaningless. I thought it was even more amazing that she was able to successfully run the same experiment with full grown adults. I think it is a shame this experiment couldn’t be done today due to the chances of offending somebody.
Although times have changed and people think racism and prejudice have faded from our daily lives the opposite is true. Prejudice is still rampid all over the world. I was amazed to see how quickly views of innocent children where changed. Based on an adult/authoritive figure the kids where easily manipulated and influenced. I was surprise to also see that after the first group was made "superior" they immediately turned it around and put the collars on the other kids. At a young age I was taught to treat others the way I wanted to be treated and that I feel is taught in most houses. After feeling like shit about themselves based on the brutality for being a differnt eye color the children immediately were capable of turning around and harassing the opposite eye color when the tables were turned. It's important to walk in someone else's shoes before making judgement.
"In my shoes, just to see what it's like to be me. I'll be you let's trade shoes just to see what it's be like to, feel your pain, you feel mine go inside each other minds, just to see what we find looking shit through each others eyes" -Eminem, Beautiful
While watching Mrs. Elliot teach her class of third grades about how terrible discrimination is, I asked myself what the people at our school would be like if this happened to us at an early age. At the beginning of the film I was surprised at some of the language that the children used to describe other races. I found it amazing when she stated the stats for the children s tests/quizzes had changed before, during, and after the lesson was learned. Also while watching Mrs. Elliot teaching her lesson to the adults she was almost always going after the same two people and those people felt powerless. Along with that the rest of the people who were part of the minority group did nothing to help their own people out because they didn't want to suffer the repercussions of them speaking up. this film really interested me and I learned a lot from it.
I was very interested to watch this documentary on Mrs. Elliot's experiment. I genuinely think that this kind of experiment could be done with any group of people in any time period and still be worthwhile. While the United States in the 1960s is a prime example of the type of discrimination about which this experiment helps bring awareness, I think that it is not unique. There will always be people who think that they are superior to others by some factor or other. For this reason, I think Mrs. Elliot's experiment should be done today all across the world in effort to combat issues of discrimination based on superiority/inferiority.
I was very interested by the film depicting Mrs. Elliot and her experiments with eye color—and the effect that the authority figure had on the children. The once innocent third-graders changed, picking out the students different from them and treating them with blatant discrimination. This film provokes questions for me about my own response to this experiment: could the words of an authority figure, such as Mrs. Elliot, change the way I treated and viewed others different than myself? I also thought it was interesting how Mrs. Elliot backed up the change in disposition in the children with concrete test scores, showing that the children’s scores improved when their eye color was the “smart” one and decreased as they were the “naughty” kids. After the experiment as a whole, the children seemed to have more understanding about inequality and judgment which ultimately was kept with them throughout life. The bravery of Mrs. Elliot during this time of change was immense—she refused to be a bystander and decided to try to change these kids outlook on an issue they have little perspective on, before it is too late and they develop prejudice. This experiment was very interesting, not only showing the malleable minds of third graders, easily following what the authority says, as well as the effect of the experiment, changing the way that these children viewed equality and injustice as an issue altogether.
I was absent.
I learned alot from watching the film "A Classroom Divided". The film showed just how oblivious some kids were to the violence and demoralization that was going on in the world. Mrs.Elliot was trying to teach the kids that judging someone based on their skin color is wrong and the kids should not do it becuase they didn't know how it made the victims feel. By using eye color to say which students were better, the third graders who had been best friends soon became enemies. The children learned just how hurtful it was to seperate people simply becaue they looked different. Because Mrs.Elliot cared enough to take them time to teach this very important lesson to kids at the young age is what should be taught to all kids in all schools in my opinion. And I thought it was very surprising that the third graders were much more mature about the situation and most did not speach up. But when the lesson was given to the adults, some of them seemed to think it was just a game and I don't think they took as much away from the experience as the children did. Even while she was being challenged, Mrs.Elliot did not give into the prison employees.
From the film "A Class Divided" I learned that its not okay to judge people for who they are or even degrade them just by their race or their backgrounds. Mrs. Elliot's experiment with her class really taught the kids a good moral of life; which is to not be prejudiced against other people just because they are different from you or everyone around you. It also taught them how people can change from being your friend to your enemy within no time and you can't really do anything about it. I feel like this film gave the students in the Mrs. Elliot's class the power to not be a bystander and watch someone made feel less or not important just because they are different. And it also shaped their future lives of how they should live in a society with some racist and prejudiced people towards blacks.
I really liked the documentary about the experiment and I thought that is was an ingenious way to show the kids, who can't really understand large ideas. Racism is a complex topic and for Mrs. Elliot to boil it down to blue and brown eyes is a great idea. She was really able to teach the kids how it felt to be discriminated against for something that they can't change, like eye color. I believe that every single person should have to go through an experiment like this because then they can really see racism from both sides, which is impossible in the larger world.
I was incredibly intrigued by the video we watched on Mrs. Elliot. I'm very interested in psychology and how the minds of people work, and this was almost a picture perfect example of how societal influences affect people of all ages. Mrs. Elliot taught a very important message that stuck with these students of hers for the rest of their lives. First of all, they understood the biggest message: Judgments should not be made based on looks at all, but on personality and ideals. Nobody is superior just because they have a certain skin tone or belong to a specific race. Even after 20 or 30 years, Mrs. Elliot's students admitted that this lesson of hers resonated deeply with them as young kids and that they've carried it with them into adulthood. It was wonderful to see that one person could change the lives and attitudes of many for good. The secondary message in the film alluded to the ability of someone in a position of power to influence others. Mrs. Elliot, within a 15 minute period, created a microcosm of the racism that was occurring outside of the classroom simply by saying one eye color was better than the other. It was unbelievable how quickly one eye color began to feel inferior just because they were told they were by an authority figure. I was in shock. I was in more disbelief when Mrs. Elliot performed the same experiment on the adults. They reacted more immaturely than the 3rd graders. They were disrespectful, rude, and argumentative, all as a result of being put down by a small group of people. I believe everyone should go through an experiment like this because it seemed to teach them about being the perpetrator as well as the victim.
I thought that Mrs. Elliot’s experiment with the kids was a really good way to demonstrate that prejudices block out who a person really is and can destroy friendships. It was pretty cool that she did this experiment about prejudices because no one could try doing that today because they would get into trouble. It amazes me that once Mrs. Elliot told the brown eyed kids to put their collar on a blue eyed kid, they were so quick to take them off and put them on their friend not trying to spare their friend from what they had just experienced. I also thought that when she did the experiment with the adults that the experiment could work on just about anybody.
While I cannot relate personally to any sort of similar experiment, I think that someone like Mrs. Elliot is an admirable human being, as well as a "powerhouse" at that. Her ability to keep the peace of the children as she made direct distinctions, the way any teacher guides a younger group of unknowing children to scorn and scolding the adults who could handle it, but clearly got more upset with. The adults also had more of an attitude about their treatment than the children, which I found interesting.
I thought that watching Mrs. Elliot's experiment was very interesting. It was strange to see how young children were so racist and could quickly become cruel to their classmates, just because some were told they were better than others. I think the experiment really show how easy it is for humans to be racist, and how racism can get out of hand very quickly. I was shocked by how ridiculous the adults in her experiment acted, they were more cruel and rude than 3rd graders. It showed how even the most educated people can still be racist. Even though Mrs. Elliot's experiment probably would not be allowed today, I think that it was genius of her and taught a very important lesson.
I loved Mrs. Elliot’s ability to keep a serious and authoritative tone throughout her experiments. With simple statements, she turned an entire classroom into people with completely different mindsets. What disturbed me was how quickly the “superior” group accepted the statements and was cruel to the ones who were “inferior.” Even more concerning was how quickly the inferior kids sought out revenge when the places were switched. The enjoyment that the children took in acting like they were better than others even though they knew what it was like to be on the bottom showed that people can be selfish. I’m glad that the experiment didn’t plant any long term discrimination and that all the student’s were able to be friends by the end. Sadly, this is not the case today; in America racism and discrimination seems to be taught from birth and hard to eliminate. I think that Mrs. Elliot’s experiment gives a good alternative view to discrimination that would help people learn today.
I found Mrs. Elliot's experiment fascinating, and I was surprised I hadn't heard about it earlier. Since the 1960s there have been countless initiatives, programs, and approaches to combating racism and prejudice (granted the actual racism is far more widespread and deeply ingrained then those optimistic initiatives). A lot of time is devoted to discussing and debating the issue, what would be the best way to tackle it, etc. I find it amusing and inspiring that Mrs. Elliot was able to significantly combat racism in her students with a few collars, a two day experiment, and some good role-playing skills. I also find it frustrating that in these times the educational red tape would make an exercise like this impossible, it's ridiculous to think the discomfort from a two day exercise (in which you experience something that some people have to face their entire lives) is not considered worth the insight it provides. I think everyone could benefit from undergoing something similar to her exercise, many of us could use a humbling experience to keep us from being indignant about our views. The footage and results of Mrs. Elliot's exercise with her class in comparison with the one she conducted with grown adults shows the benefits of nipping these behaviors in the bud, and how easily, once given time to fester, selfish habits can take root in someone's mind. The case of her workshop is not only an example of a "we and they" situation but also an "myself vs. everyone else" situation. If not taught otherwise, sometimes the human default can be to do what in your opinion you must just to survive, and many the workers in that situation were motivated by the fact that they didn't want to draw attention to themselves or expose themselves to a threat, to the point where they were willing to be humiliated or to join Mrs. Elliot as she spewed hypothetical propaganda.
Mrs. Elliot really was impacting on me and my life while watching this. This truly opened my eyes to what seriously goes on in the minds of minority and those treated like second class citizens. There truly is no other way to experience the daily hardships some must endure in their everyday lives. All the oppression and unfairness and te dreaded fact of being unable to win any kind of conflict was shown occurring before my eyes. Everyone must either know about this experience or be put through the workshop those adults did. This is the only way to finally end racism and bigotry.
I was amazed by the way both the children and adults reacted to Mrs. Elliot's experiment. When the children who were bullied quickly turned on the bullies I was surprised but i feel like that's human nature. Most people who are hurt are always looking for a way to fight back when they get the chance and the brown eyed children had the perfect opportunity to make the blue eyed children feel the way they felt the day before. I was mostly amazed though by the fact that their motivation to learn grew when they weren't being bullied. It makes sense that they did but it was interesting to see it change from one day to the other. The best part of the movie though was watching the adults completely lose it when she attacked them. They felt so uncomfortable and weak that they scooped so low just to try and make Mrs. Elliot feel inferior but she was smart enough to stay in control. The part that I liked was when one woman explained to the rude blue eyed female that the discrimination she may have felt will never compare to how the Jews or blacks were discriminated on in the past. I enjoyed watching this movie it made me look at our society in a whole different way and it shows that we all still need to work on working together to make our world a better place to live on.
Mrs Elliot is an extraordinary teacher. He was very brave to stick up for her opinion by teaching racial segregation to her students. I think it is great that she taught the power of racial segregation and the effects of it. It is too bad that she did not get the whole community's support by threatening her family members an making fun of them. But she did reach her goal in teaching the lesson by making the 3rd graders understand the effects of segregation by discriminating them against their eye color. I think it was great that she did that, because after she taught the lesson the kids now how it feels to be segregated in a negative way.
The Mrs. Elliot experiment was eye opening. Realizing how kids are so racist without even knowing it was shocking. The ideas behind her experiment were well thought out and it would be interesting to see that happen in a class room today. Now kids are educated on discrimination and told how bad it is but still I think there would be a related outcome. During this era of time kids weren’t shown how to be racist they simply picked up from their parents. Kids are never usually mean to each other on purpose but when told to do something they do it. Just like the kids in Mrs. Elliott’s class were subliminally told to be racist. Mrs. Elliott’s experiment was one that really impacted me and will leave a lasting impression about discrimination during this time.
What i found to be the most interesting thing from Mrs. Elliot was how people came to the realization of how ridiculous segregation was. The kids realized how unfair it was to be considered a minority because of how you look and how you were born. Mrs. Elliot is someone I really admire because she is able to not let society's ridiculous distinctions between blacks and whites effect how she views blacks. This documentary also shows how important it is for kids to be taught the right things because what they learn and what they are taught will have a significant impact on how they develope as people
I thought that Mrs. Elliot's experiment was very interesting. I think that it showed every child what being segregated feels like. When Mrs. Elliot did the experiment with the older people, I thought it was hilarious how stupid the brown eyed people were. I couldn't believe that they actually believed that having blue eyes was worse then having brown eyes. There was one comment that just grabbed my attention as outrageous, "some women talked about how her brown eyed nephew was better behaved then the blue eyed one", that she had just never noticed how much of a difference eye color makes. I was impressed by Mrs. Elliot's affluence conducting the whole experiment.
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