How a classroom experiment demonstrated the power of prejudice

A Class Divided
"A Class Divided" was an intriguing video that encompasses not only the social aspects of racisms
but also psychological factors that contribute to cultural differences. I truly thought that this video
was an eye opening experience, which not only served as a simple experiment, but also served as an
educational lesson in how simple, not only children, but also grown adults can be consciously or
unconsciously taught into discrimination. When first watching Mrs. Elliot experiment in teaching
her third grade classes about discrimination I thought it was extremely interesting how she
managed to separate her class by simply dividing students by eye color, and having one color be
more dominate and superior than the other. Mrs. Elliot also contributed to her experiment by
expressing how one eye color may be better at certain tasks, while the other eye color was
"non–special". Due to these small remarks and separations the children started to express hatred
towards the other color in which they did not belong to, or felt powerful when they were the
dominate color. However what I thought was most profound within the study was when she decided
to switched the...show more content...
However as a counselor, we must be able to push the stereotypes, and be culturally aware, and
culturally alert. In fact one interesting value I learned while reading chapter one was as a
counselor we cannot treat an individual "pure" as in we must intake their cultural background,
ethnicity and beliefs. As a counselor we must also be socially aware of our own believes and
awareness as we are not judging others by our own social experiences. As a counselor we must also
attain to the code of ethics as treating each individual just and fair, by educating ourselves and
striving forward to be more culturally alert and
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A Class Divided: Sociological Theories
The is the movie analysis of "A Class Divided" with topics discussed in class. The movie is a
documentary dealing with the "Blue eyes/Green Eyes Experiment" conducted in 1968 by Mrs. Jane
Elliott in her elementary school class. The experiment has been used in schools, government
/business institutions, and correctional facilities to introduce the subject of racism and discrimination.
This documentary provides evidence of a sociological theory demonstrated in Beverly Daniel
Tatum's essay "What Is Racism Anyway?": Understanding the Basics of Racism and Prejudice.
This documentary demonstrates the impact of prejudice and racism at all levels and this theory is
shown by Beverly Daniel Tatum's in her essay "What Is Racism Anyway?". Her essay...show more
content...
The first day the oppressed brown–eyed kids, in this limited time performed at a reduced level
reading level completing phonic card set in 5 minutes and 30 seconds. The next day, roles reversed
and their reading time improved to 3 minutes and 30 seconds. This was due to the fact that they
were told they were superior or inferior that day. Mrs. Elliott implemented this on other classes and
performance of the students decreased or increased based on their social standing. Mrs. Tatum's
essay presents this idea in the form of internalized oppression. The idea that you as an individual
internalize the stereotypical characteristics, whether good or bad. Amazingly, this occurred in a
twenty–four hour period, with the student's performance increasing or decreasing based on their
status.
My essay covered the events in Mrs. Jane Elliott's experiment "Blue eyes/Green Eyes Experiment"
and used it to support Mrs, Beverly Daniel Tatum's ideas demonstrated in her essay "What Is
Racism Anyway?": Understanding the Basics of Racism and Prejudice. Specifically, I covered her
social theories of Cultural racism and internalized oppression and how easily those concepts can take
hold of individuals and

A Class Divided Analysis
In the beginning of the film A Class Divided, Jane Elliott asked the children in her class if there
were people in the U.S. that are not typically treated like our brothers. The children were quick to
respond that Blacks and Indians are not treated as brothers and are referred to as stupid, dumb or
niggers. I was a little shocked by this as the 1970's do not seem to have been all that long ago. If a
Caucasian child were to use the "N" word in a classroom today, they would most likely face
detention or suspension. I was also surprised that even though the kids knew the division of blue
eyed and brown eyed kids was an experiment, they seemed to immediately believe the hurtful things
the teacher was saying about the brown eyed kids. When I saw...show more content...
It seems like tension escalated very quickly between the children in this experiment. I am positive
this exact type of experiment would never be allowed in schools today. Currently the schools are
behind a zero tolerance movement for bullying. A two day experiment that practically pushes
children to bully others would be a lawsuit nightmare in today's society. I can't imagine sending
kids home at the end of the day in the middle of this experiment with them still feeling like they
are less superior to their blue eyed classmates. I wouldn't want to be the parents of the kids who
most likely came home crying the 1st day after being bullied by their teacher and peers. Or the
parents that came home to the worst case scenario where a child might have tried to hurt or kill
themselves because of the bullying. I think the closest our school system would get to something
like this today, would perhaps be showing an approved video or play to the kids with a similar but
more toned down example of discrimination. All though, I do occasionally feel like our schools
have become overly sensitive and politically correct in some senses, I do feel like an activity to this
extent is a little

A Class Divided Summary
A Class Divided "A Class Divided" is a series of videos that depict the events that occurred during
an experiment conducted by Jane Elliott. Jane was a third grade teacher in Riceville, Iowa during the
time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Dr. King's death raised many questions about
racism and discrimination for Elliot's students. She felt that discrimination was not a topic that could
be understood through merely speaking about it. Jane thought the only way for her students to truly
understand the concept of discrimination was to have them experience it themselves. Since her class
was composed completely of white students, Jane had to come up with something that would divide
them. She used eye color. "A Class Divided" was the...show more content...
Discrimination and racism were widespread and many gave no second thought of it. Now, we
strive to see that neither are tolerated. Students are aware of what discrimination is, and they know
how bad it is. A student from the past may have been very shocked to realize how discrimination
felt, from lack of experience. Times have changed, and people are more socially aware. Schools are
also more diverse and contain students from many races and ethnicities. If Jane's experiment was
conducted in an elementary school today, the students will still learn from the experience, but it will
not be the eye opener it was for students in the past. Though today's students will be less shocked at
the outcome of this experiment, the experience will still help them understand

A Class Divided Analysis
In the film A Class Divided by William Peters, Jane Elliot is interviewed about an exercise she
had created in her third grade class after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Elliot's purpose of
creating this exercise was to help mold her students minds in not only understanding the current
events in America, but also having them experience for a fraction what African Americans are
forced to go through on a daily basis. In her exercise she divides her students into two groups. those
with blue eyes and those with brown eyes. Over the duration of the exercise, both groups take turns
in being the dominant group. Initially, Elliot created this exercise as a response to her students
asking her why anyone would kill Martin Luther King Jr. In the...show more content...
When asked later on they responded by saying that the collar around their neck seemed to clog their
mind and it was all they could think about. The positive and negative labels placed on the groups
became self–fulfilling prophecies because all the students could think about is what set them out to
be different, how the insults or compliments they were receiving could be true, and how there was
no point in fighting something they sought to be a battle they would inevitably lose, much like the
mindset most African Americans had at the time. As one of Elliot's students compared the effects
of the collar to be similar to that of a dog on a leash, which immediately took a toll on their
behavior and thought process as it caused many of them to be very timid and anxious. Due to racism
and discrimination being structured in a manner that only truly affects minorities, white people who
are not part of the minorities will never experience what African Americans go through.White people
in America never have to suffer from lack of representation in social institutions as they are the
dominant group whose needs are being catered

A Class Divided Movie Analysis
Self–fulfilling prophecy is a process that works in every aspect of our lives, including family,
friends, school, jobsite, community and so on. While developing our self–identity we all go through
different stages in our lives. Furthermore, it is important to realize that we all are directly
influenced by the society that we live in. Unfortunately, not always it works for our own benefit.
The movie "A Class Divided" shows how the self–fulfilling prophecy works in a basic level, which
become more complex, once people develop their self–identity based on their own beliefs and
values. In the movie we can see how within one class session it is possible to alter pure minds,
which do not have a prejudice yet and are not completely exposed to the

Summary: A Class Divide
A Class Divided: Useful for Cultural Competence Jane Elliott witnessed third grade students who
once loved and cared for each other change within a twenty–four–hour period (1985). The exercise A
Class Divided is a great tool that teachers could use to become better equipped in the cultural aspect
of education. This exercise would be best to apply with educators and the administrators of the
district. A Class Divided would greatly improve the relationships between students and teachers,
families and school districts, and lastly the overall cultural understanding of the effects of
discrimination. While this training has been used in a third–grade classroom, it would be better
suited for teachers. Educators of all grades could take a step back and truly understand how those
that appear different feel at times in life. Students are...show more content...
However, there are things that could help the process, and those things start in educational
buildings. This program would allow all different types of people with cultural understanding.
There is more to people than the color of their skin, the type of clothes they wear, where they live,
or what they do for a living. It is about their morals, values, and beliefs. A Class Divided would
allow the educators of any district understand the feeling of discrimination and how to avoid this
harsh thing within the classroom and in the overall work place. Overall, A Class Divided would be
a great addition to the continuing of education for all teachers, support staff, and administration. The
training has provided great insight for many different types of corporation including that of a prison
in New York (1985). A Class Divided is a great program that would strengthen the relationship
between teacher and student, parents and overall districts, and the understanding of discrimination as
a whole in both professional and personal

A Class DIvided Essay
A CLASS DIVIDED
Thirty years ago Jane Elliott taught the third grade in the white, Christian community of Riceville,
Iowa. The day Martin Luther King Jr. was killed she planned an exercise that wouldn't just show her
students what racism is – rather, it would give them first–hand experience of what it felt like to be
oppressed for something out of their control.
Elliott divided her class by the color of their eyes, marked them with armbands and proceeded to treat
one group as if superior in capabilities to the other. The superior students performed better than they
ever had before, while the inferior students' performance dropped. The next day, the third graders
traded ranks and their performance reversed in accordance to their...show more content...
(INTERVIEW WITH JANE ELLIOT) http://www.newsreel.org/transcri/essenblue.htm The children
learned that discrimination has a tangible affect on their performance in everyday activities. Elliott
has gone on to do the exercise with numerous adults and almost without exception the participants'
abilities, such as reading and writing, are grossly affected.
Jane Elliott's approach is especially relevant today. It demonstrates that even without juridical
discrimination; hate speech, lowered expectations, and dismissive behavior can have devastating
effects on achievement. Black members of the blue–eyed group forcefully remind whites that they
undergo similar stresses, not just for a few hours in a controlled experiment, but every day of their
lives. Although these concepts are food for thought... they are merely preludes to the main course.
The most important lesson to be learned here is that just one person can make a difference.
Next we join a group of 40 teachers, police, school administrators and social workers in Kansas City
– blacks, Hispanics, whites, women and men. The blue–eyed members are subjected to
pseudo–scientific explanations of their inferiority, culturally biased IQ tests and blatant
discrimination. When the inevitable resistance by a blue–eyes surfaces, Elliot cites the outburst as
an example of

A Class Divided: Reflective Essay
COMS035 Reflection #1 Assignment, Due:
In this reflective assignment, you will write a complete 3–5 page essay (typed, double–spaced, 12
point font) responding to ONE of the following prompts:
1)Discuss how the 4 barriers to studying intercultural communication (ethnocentrism, stereotyping,
prejudice, discrimination) are illustrated in the film, A Class Divided. Additionally, discuss how
each of the 4 barriers relates to your own life experiences. Be sure to use specific examples/scenes
from the film and textbook concepts/quotations to justify your response.
2)Describe Heidi's identity development in the film, Daughter From Danang in relation to the 3
phases/stages of the U–Curve Theory. Also, answer the question: When have you experienced...show
more content...
Where we are positioned – by our background and our society – influences how and what we see,
and, most important, what it means." Heidi was born and raised in Vietnam for six to seven years
but she spent her entire life in the U.S. Therefore, the society has a great impact on changing her
identity, personality, and even the appearance. She identifies herself as an American. Nevertheless,
there are many people who are still struggling with their identity. Since we are so easily influenced
by the society, sometimes people cannot "adapt" to society's expectations and they lost their way.
There are many types of identity such as race identity, sex identity, and national

Racism In The Film : A Class Divided
The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" has become clichГ©, but the movie, "A Class
Divided" sheds light on the random differences society uses to judge. This movie reveals the
results of a brown eye/blue eye discrimination exercise created and conducted by 3rd grade
teacher, Jane Elliot. Elliot creates a sample society out of her classroom in Iowa, the first day the
students with brown eyes are disadvantaged and reviled and the students with blue eyes are
praised as being superior and privileged. The second day of the experiment the roles were reversed.
The children involved learned first hand what is means to discriminate and be discriminated against.
This exercise and the movie, "A Class Divided" simplifies and relates racism in a way that allows a
more rational understanding of minorities and racism as a social creation.
The Geographical location of this exercise reveals the prominence of the topic of race at this time
in society. The movie shows clips taken from the original Public Broadcast Station film created in
1970, two years after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. The experiment took place in a small farm
town in Iowa with an all–white population. Jane Elliot was not directly affected by racism in her
community but the topic was so prevalent in the media and conversation that she felt passionate to
educate her students in a concrete way. She states,
"As I listened to the white male commentators on TV the night before I was hearing things like
who's going

Reflection On A Class Divided
The video "A class divided" shows a teacher teaching 3rd graders about empathy. Empathy according
to the book is described as the ability to re–create another person's perspective. Sympathy is your
view of another person's situation. The saying, "Walking in someone else's shoes" is commonly
used to describe empathy. It's not how you feel about the person's situation; it's how you would feel
if you were put in their situation.
In the video, a 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Jane Elliot, wants to teach the students about racism. Martin
Luther King had just been killed and she knew that her students would ask questions about why he
was killed. Living in an all–white town, the children didn't have much knowledge about racism. Ms.
Elliot decided to do an experiment with the children and use the color of their eyes to explain racial
discrimination....show more content...
The blue–eyed boy called a brown–eyed boy, "brown–eyes," a term, or feature, that didn't matter the
previous day, was then used to hurt his friend's feelings. One of the young girls stated that the way
she was being treating made her not even want to try and learn. The test results when the children
practiced the phonics card pack with the teacher was interesting as well. The children in the
superior group that day, excelled, but did worse on the day they had to wear the collars. The day
after the experiment, Ms. Elliot sat down with her students and asked them how they felt when they
were in the inferior group and unanimously they responded with how horrible they felt. Then she
asked them if the color of someone's eyes should have anything to do with how you treat them. All
the children said no. Then she asked if the color of someone's skin should affect how you treat them,
the children said no. The children had empathy after the experiment because they knew what it was
like to be discriminated

The Experiment : A Class Divided
Children in the experiment: A Class Divided Children in the experiment: A Class Divided In the
video, "A Class Divided," the video shows a teacher from Iowa named, Jane Elliot who wants to
teach her students the importance of discrimination. During her experimentation, she starts off
her lesson by asking questions such as, "What is brotherhood?" "What is discrimination?" and
"How are we supposed to treat people who look different than us?" Elliot then proceeds to ask her
class if they would like to know what it feels like to be discriminated. Her emphasis in this
experiment is to show how it felt to be discriminated. Elliot was inspired to do this experiment
when she was listening to the television the night after they assassinated Martin Luther king. She
kept hearing the news reporter say things like: "who will look after your people?" and "How will
your people manage?" After this she knew she had to explain to her class in a way they will
understand. Elliot decided to divide the class into two categories: the brown eyed kids and the
blue eyed kids. At first the blue eyed kids were the superior race while, the brown eyed kids were
the lower race. Being the inferior race meant that they had to wear blue collars around their necks
in order to differentiate their eye color. Of course, the brown eyed kids had restrictions. They could
not play in the playground, they could not befriend nor socialize with the blue eyed kids, and etc.
The kids had a chance to walk in

Essay about America: A Class Divided
On Christmas Eve in 2010, my grandmother received a gift from a hospice nurse who was
assisting with my grandfather's deteriorating health. Initially both surprised and embarrassed by
the gesture, her emotions quickly changed once she removed the wrapping. A single package of
Ramen Noodles was revealed. Embarrassment changed to confusion as she attempted to wrap her
mind around what she had received. The hospice worker drove a 1997 Plymouth Voyager that she
regularly complained about not being able to run properly for more than a week. She wore old
worn out clothing and my grandmother claims she had never seen the woman wear jewelry before.
It was evident that she was not wealthy. Although she could not afford a gift, the nurse in her...show
more content...
It is also forecast that the current generation of children will be "materially less well off in
adulthood than their parents" (Boffey). The United Sates, whose national dogma emphasizes
equity and stresses that hard work leads to success, has one of the poorest social mobility ratings
in the developed world (Deparle). This means that if you were born towards the bottom of the
socioeconomic spectrum, you would have a better chance of ascending to a higher class if you
were born in several Western European countries as oppose to if you were born in theUnited States.
As Richard Wilkonson bluntly put it in his TED Talk, "If Americans want to live the American
dream, they should go to Denmark" (Wilkonson). How did we arrive at a point where the difference
between being rich and poor is so drastic and where social mobility is so difficult? Educational
inequalities, failure of government policy and a social separation between the classes has resulted in
an unjust system that prevents the nation from maximizing its potential.
In Ian McEwan's Atonement class distinction and the strive to ascend the socioeconomic ladder is
prevalent. Specifically, the difference between the Tallis' and the Turners is evident from the start.
While the Tallis' are affluent and live in a mansion, the Turners are relatively poor and can't afford
many of the things that their

A Class Divided Essay
After watching this film, I learned to never judge or discriminate others because of the color of
their skin or because of their appearance. The Documentary entitled A Class Divided surprised and
helped me understand how other races feel when they are being discriminated. It also displayed
the different attitude the kids portrayed due to power. It also showed me we have to implement
change to our young kids at an early age. We should continue to educate everyone that all should be
treated equally no matter what their appearance appears to be. The scene I would remember a
month from now from this film is the different body language each kid displayed, how confused
they were. The behavior that each child shown. Some felt left out; some felt like

Film Analysis: A Class Divided
In the film A Class Divided, an Iowa school teacher who, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was
murdered in 1968, gave her third–grade students a first–hand experience the meaning of
discrimination. Ms. Jane Elliott divided her class by eye color –– those with blue eyes and those
with brown. On the first day, the blue–eyed children were told they were smarter, nicer, neater, and
better than those with brown eyes. Throughout the day, Elliott praised them and allowed them
privileges such as a taking a longer recess and being first in the lunch line. The brown–eyed children
had to wear collars around their necks and their behavior and performance were criticized by Elliott.
On the second day, the roles were reversed and the blue–eyed children were made to feel inferior
while the brown eyes were designated the dominant group. What happened over the course of the
two–day exercise surprised both students and the teacher. On both days, children who were
designated as inferior took on the look and behavior of genuinely inferior...show more content...
An in–group is pretty self–explanatory – a social group to which a person feels as if they're a
member. An out–group is just the opposite – a social group to which a person feels as if they do not
belong. This principle stood out in the film, but it also goes on in everyday life. For example, in
the New England region a bitter rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox
has created a bitter hatred between two cultures over a meaningless pastime. There is no apparent
reason they should dislike each other, but they do. Before the experiment Elliott presented to the
class, there was no present "in" or "out" groups. The same atmosphere between the Yankees and the
Red Sox arose in the classroom as Elliott's experiment continued to develop. The students began
making harsh remarks to each group and a student even hit another for being called

a class divided reflection
A Class Divided Reflection
Diversity in Society
Everyone is likely to experience some form of discrimination or prejudice; as is anyone capable of
acting prejudiced towards others. On April 5th, 1968, a teacher in Riceville, Iowa named Jane Elliot
conducted an experiment with her third grade class that dealt with the concept of discrimination; and
was documented in Peters' 1985 'A Class Divided'. The exercise originally took place the day after
Martin Luther King was assassinated. The documentary is an eye opener to the world of racism and
discrimination. Bucher (2010) describes racism as "discrimination based on the belief that one race
is superior to another" (97). According to Bucher (2010) "discrimination is defined as the...show
more content...
On the day blue eyed people were superior; she brings up the point that blue eyed fathers never
kick their children, like one brown eyed boy's father had done the prior week. But when blue
eyed Russell forgot his glasses the following day, it had to be because he has blue eyes, since
Susan, whom has brown eyes, remembered her glasses. Elliot also led the children to decide that
since blue eyed Greg said he likes to hit his litter sister, this conveys blue eyed people are naughty.
From here, we witness some of superior blue eyed kids began to act arrogant and bossy to the
inferior brown eyed kids. Blue eyed Russell was taunting John at recess, calling him 'brown eyes'
and John retaliated by hitting him. After the two boys fought at recess the teacher asked if
responding with violence made him feel better, he replied no. His answer goes to show that
responding with violence is ineffective and a waste of time and energy. They compared it to
someone calling a black man the N–word. Even academic achievement goes up when the children
were in the superior group. When doing the card packs the first day the brown eyed children spent
five and half minutes to go through the deck, while the superior blue eyed children spent only three
minutes, the following day the superior group of brown eyed students took only two and a half
minutes compared to the four minutes and eighteen seconds of the inferior blue eyed group. In the
documentary the kids

Summary: A Class Divided
Years ago, in a classroom with so–called innocent and impressionable minds, the children in Ms.
Elliot's class were exposed to an experiment that forever altered their vision of discrimination.
Unbeknownst to them at the time, the outcome of their participation would later become adopted as
study material and models for workshops, for future scholars and employees. This brief exercise,
originating back to 1968 and titled A Class Divided, demonstrated concepts such as bias within
groups, the repercussions of discrimination, how cultural upbringing can play a role in one's racial
perceptions, and that adults can be similarly impacted by intentional bias. Such experimentation
naturally brings up the matter of ethics, and begs the question whether or not such a study would be
conducted in a classroom today, and if so, would one let their child participate. Controversial
research and methods can be eye–opening to read about, but might have nuggets of wisdom for
willing scholars. In light...show more content...
In 1968, a small town teacher and her students had been to such hatred, and the situation was
life–changing for them all. In spite of plausible ethical boundaries that were crossed, the teacher
known as Ms. Elliot felt it her duty to show her students that discrimination was immoral. Years
later, her former students were grateful for the difficult lesson, and Ms. Elliot furthered her calling
to educate people on this topic, ranging from elementary age children to adults. Her cause could be
deemed a worthy one, her methods might be viewed as unconventional, but her message could be
interpreted as one of love towards humanity, regardless of one's differences. As a Christian, one is
commanded to love their neighbor and pray for their enemies, and picking and choosing another's
privileges does not fit into Jesus' model that He set forth for His

A Class Divided Summary
"A Class Divided" video demonstrated prejudice to young children based on the color of their
eyes and how this is related to the unfairness of racism. The teacher took ribbons and tied them
around the neck of a certain eye color group for a day and treated them differently. It
demonstrated to the children that they cannot choose what eye color they have and they got very
upset that they were being treated poorly and their friends with a different eye color were not.
This in conjunction with how a person of color doesn't get to determine their skin color but still are
treated solely on the color of their skin. Elliot did a great job explaining to her class that it was
National Brotherhood Week, which means that everyone should be treated like a brother which
means all should be treated equally. The class discussed that Black and Indian Americans were not
treated the...show more content...
Elliot did a great job presenting such a huge issue to a third grade class in a way that they could
understand how discrimination is a determining factor on how they succeed. It was determined by
the results from the experiment that the students who were not being discriminated against
performed better than those who were being discriminated based on their lower levels of stress and
other issues. This is related to the Tim Wise video because we created the whiterace. We never killed
the Blacks but we did gave whites land and put them on the slave patrol. This meant we favored the
white and gave them power over the Black people by enslaving them on the new land given to the
new European immigrants. Based solely on the color of one's skin European settlers then owned
Black slaves and given the leg up. The border was open to everyone but we favored people more
than others and for what

A Class Divided Essay
Socialization is the lifelong process of learning rules for adapting to social and cultural normality.
Learning to follow societal rules is what allows people to survive, thrive and integrate into groups
and communities within society. Through the observation of others, people begin to develop core
values, beliefs and morals. This builds bonds and develops a sense of belonging within a given
group. In the documentary, A Class Divided, the power of socialization is demonstrated as a
third–grade teacher gives her class a hands–on lesson in discrimination and bias by separating her
class in to in–groups and out–groups. This lesson not only gives a glimpse into the power of
socialization showing how biases can be created, but it also helps...show more content...
On the first day of the experiment, the blue–eyed children, or the in–group, were told they were
superior to the brown eyed children, the out–group. On top of being told they were better and
smarter than the brown–eyed children, the out–group was not allowed to drink from the same
fountain, play together at recess, or go back for seconds at lunch–time. The brown eyed children
received less recess time, had to wait to go to lunch, and wore collars for easy recognition. During
the second day of the experiment, the roles were reversed. The brown–eyed children being told and
treated like they were the superior group (1985). The results of this experiment proved interesting
as it revealed how quick and easily groups can be discriminated against based on differences alone.
Not only did the in–groups and the out–groups start treating each other terribly, but the kids who
were in the out–group developed low self–esteem which caused them to do worse on their class
assignments, get temperamental, defensive and fought with the other group. The results during role
reversal were the same. Jane Elliot later commented during the experiment she "... watched what had
been marvelous, cooperative, wonderful, thoughtful children turn into nasty, vicious, discriminating,
little third–graders in a space of fifteen minutes" (1985). The children's academic performance greatly

Summary: A Class Divided
It is unfortunate that racism and sexism continues to exist in today's generation. I really do not
understand the differences between skin color or gender. I am not sure if the misunderstanding is
because I grew up in a diverse community or my eyes and heart are blind. I am proud that I have
raised my son to also have eyes and heart that are blind to color and gender. As a single parent I have
had to change my tire and oil and with that same perspective, I will have my son wash his own
clothes. I have shared with my son, if a woman can do the job, so can a man and vice–versa. In the
video, A Class Divided, Jane Elliott, the third grade teacher shared a new perspective that was
creative and perceptible and ethical. We are all humans with the same color of blood...show more
content...
Jane Elliott was illustrating, discrimination. The study would have been a good review for today's
generation but the research is prohibited because the information can be misinterpreted. A journal by
James Banks from the American Educational Research Association shares, "A major goal of
multicultural education, is to reform the school and other educational institutions so that students
from diverse racial, ethnic, and social–class groups will experience educational equality. Another
important goal of multicultural education, is to give both male and female students an equal
chance to experience educational success" (Banks, 2011). Some of the ethical issues may include
the emotional perspective in the minority groups, unfairness, and or psychological distress. I would
have called for my child to participate in a classroom exercise however, my child would have to be
a little older than the third graders and the material being taught would have to be carefully

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