09 December 2008

Brown Eye - Blue Eyes...

Who do you think learned a greater lesson in the documentary A Class Divided - the 3rd Grade Children or the Iowa State Correctional Officers? Why?

27 comments:

S.Costa said...

I got the number one slot lol...but i think that the children learned a greater lesson because when you are a child you are able to remember things more easily and stuff that happens to you in you childhood stays with you for many years. when the kids came back 14 years later as adults and they watched the video of them in class and they expressed how the way they felt about what had happened. They also were taught at a young age not to discriminate and i believe that, that lesson they learned helped them a great deal in how to think about people and to "put yourself in another mans mocasins" before you judge them.

Natalia said...

I believe that the 3rd grade children had learned a greater lesson than the SC officers. I think so mainly because although the children were aware of what was happening in the world, they couldn't really connect back to it. But after they participated in the lesson they were able to discuss their feelings and what had happened in the classroom. They were shown real discrimination and this is how they learned from it. Also, since they are children it is easier to be taught one way, then to go through an entire life of believing one way, and then just start to develop your own beliefs for something as strong as discrimination. I think that the children who experienced this type of a lesson learned how to behave properly and how to treat others without discriminating against them.

theBaraness said...

The children learned a greater lesson from the Brown Eye- Blue Eyes experiment. The officers didn't feel what the kids felt. The kids had a first hand experience with discrimination. They lived the experiment. They felt the frustration, anger, and self esteem changes from discrimination. As Costa said, the kids came back years later and they still felt the impact that it had on them. As young children, they felt very real and natural emotions that weren't clouded by anything.

Katie W =) said...

I feel that the 3rd grade children learned a greater lesson because they are still young enough to learn the right way to treat others. When the children were in class and asked about discrimination they said what they have heard from their parents or in society. When the kids came back 14 years later and watched the documentary again they realized that what they have learned was a valuable lesson and that now that they are older they can share what they have learned with their children and the right way to treat others. The lesson taught by Jane Elliot will stick with those children forever and they will pass it on to their children. Treat others the way you want to be treated and you will receive the same respect back.

Little Bermudez said...

I think they both learned a powerful leason, but the kids learned the biggest leason because the younger you are the more something sinks in. Also if you learn something when your younger you can carry that throughout your life not making the same mistakes you would have if you didnt instead of being older and wishing you had known that before

mohawkman said...

i believe that they both learned the same lesson. The third graders didn't have any preconcieved notions about race and discrimination. Therefore, they simple learned something new. which is common when your in third grade. On the other hand, the correctional officers already know about race and dicrimination. They already have thier own opinions and experiences. So when they learned thier lesson, it was much more dramatic. It was also over dramatized by the adults because they spoke out and resisted the exercise. The third graders just accepted the blue eyed theory.

Julie Pietrycha said...

I think that the children learned a greater lesson because the adults didn't want to be there and listen to a lady when everyone in the room already knew that blue and brown eyes don't make a difference. They had all grown up knowing that and some of them were just trying to be smart about the whole thing and find things to say to the woman in charge to try and make her feel inferior. The children learned a lesson because they could be told something to change their minds easily. The children took it very offensivly because who were they to tell the teacher that she was wrong, children are told to listen to your teachers and follow what they tell you. When they were told that their best friends were superior to them, it changed that day for them very drastically because they only knew that they were all friends and nothing seemed any different to them besides what Ms. Elliot told them.

Courtney Maratta said...

I believe that the 3rd grade children learned more about discrimination then the Iowa State Correctional Officers, i think this because children can asborb more things then a person of a older age, your mind isnt fully developed at a 3rd grader so you'll learn more. the children were old enough to know right from wrong, so they did understand what right and wrong was. the Iowa state correctional officers, i felt already had their minds made up about issues in life, they already had their views on race, one experiment wasn't going to change a life long hate towards the different races, your point of view as an adult is already formed. Where as a childs brain and thoughts arnt formed yet, so they can take more of that experiment then an adult would, they could learn that discrimination is really wrong.

Amanda Butler said...

The third grade children without a doubt were more effected and learned a greater lesson than the correctional officers. When you are a child of that young age everything you are told, see, and experience is amplified to a higher intensity. This hit them hard. There was even a child getting in trouble for hitting another student! The correctional officers just summarized what they viewed, not necessarily what they felt. When the students came back for the reunion, they still remembered everything that went on within them during the experiment. They had no hesitation when having to explain how they felt when everything happened and how it impacted them. They used what they learned that day and applied to every day after. It's like a foreign language, it's easier growing up with it than being taught it when you are older. It becomes second nature. Those adults who were once students have passed on their accepting views of people with differences and have even married to those with the same beliefs. Those kids were definitly impacted much more than the correctional officers.

Jess Battistini said...

I think that the the therd grade class had learned more then the State Correctional Officers because the children are learning at a young age not to discriminate others. I believe that if you learn that at a young age then it will stick with you forever because that was the way they were brought up. the therd grade class learns not to judge other people.

Melissa A. said...

I feel that the third graders definitely learned a greater lesson than the officers. Since the children were young, this is something that they will never forget and they will carry it with them for the rest of their lives. They also havn't had the chance to experience discrimination or be discriminant and as a result they do not know how serious of a topic it is. Since they went through this experiment, they will always know that discrimination is wrong and it doesn't feel good be be discriminated against.

Tom burch was here said...

This activity was not what I expected. I thought that people who try to prove that brown eyeed people are as good as blue eyed people. But I think that the 3rd graders learned a real lesson and this is because when your young and your teacher tells you something you believe him/her. In an adults case they think it is another adult talking to them and if they dont want to listen or care what she says then they completely miss out on the experience. The 3rd grades showed alot more involvement and took it alot more serous. They even had changed test scores. So i think that the students that had to experence this a children THis will change the way they view other people for the rest of there lives.

nicole scalise said...

I think that ultimately the 3rd grade children learned a greater lesson because they were younger and did not have preconcieved notions about race and discrimination. The Iowa State Correctional Officers may have learned something from the documentary but they went in with their own beliefs on racism and thats something that is hard to change. Its much easier to learn things when you are younger. The third graders are going to get more out of the experiment because they are learning about race for the first time and they will take what they learned and keep that with them for the rest of their lives. The adults may reject the theories or not fully participate because they already have their own ideas on discrimination. However, the 3rd graders are going to accept what they are told because they don't know any better. This experiment has certainly changed the lives of these third graders so I believe they learned the greater lesson.

Stephanie said...

I find that in the documentary entitled " A Class Diveded" that the third grade children learned a greater lesson then the Iowa state correctional officers. I feel that the children were unaware of what the teacher meant when she gave out the cloths and the rules but they seemed to go along with it because it was what the teacher wanted them to do. You could also see that comments were made before the experiment about what they had seen on the street about different races and how there parents felt. I feel they learned more because they were younger and were able to grow up knowing that discrimination because of color is wrong. Whereas the correctional officers are alot older and its harder to teach older people things that will stay with them because once you have grown up with certain beliefs its hard to change. I feel as though the children learned more because they started to realize they didn't like to be discriminated against because of the color of there eyes. You could also tell that at the reunion the children who were now adults still believed in not discriminating against others.

Anonymous said...

I think that a greater lesson was learned by the 3rd Grade Children in the documentary A CLASS DIVIDED. I think this because the children were still at a very young age and to most of them this experiment was probably the first or at least one of the first most powerful events that they took part in that pertained to discrimination. To these children, the unfairness and the anger that they felt was true and would be remebered for a long time. All of these powerful emotions that the kids felt and had to go through while taking part in the experiment taught them a very powerful lesson for the rest of their lives. Thinking back to the day when they were looked down upon allowed the children to be better people in life and to not treat others the way they were treated that day. I think that the Correctional Officers had also learned a lesson but not as powerful as the 3rd grade children. These people were much older and they already lived their lives one way or another, having their own beliefs. Also, they probably could not go through and experience the same emotions that the 3rd graders had. The Correctional Officers knew that eye color does not matter and does not make one superior to another. Overall I think that most of the Correctional Officers had learned SOMETHING from this experiment, though the 3rd graders are the one who learned a greater lesson. Once again, I think that age plays a role in such experiments because it is easier to learn something when you are younger and then follow on with that through life.

Brenda said...

I think the third grade class learned the greater lesson because they were younger and more impressionable and they carried it with them throughout life. They not only remembered the lesson but put it to good use in their everyday life by sticking up for black people they met on the street. They tell stories of many of these instances. Also some comment that they have begun teaching their children to also not be hateful, this shows that the exercise truly taught them that discrimination is wrong and it made them very determined to reverse the hate in our country even in the next generation.

Brianna said...

In the documentary "A Class Divided", i think that the 3rd Grade Children learned a greater lesson than the Iowa State Correctional Officers. The 3rd Graders learned a greater lesson because they were younger and did not have as much influence in their lives yet as the Correctional Officers did. The Correctional Officers did not learn as great a lesson because they were older and already had their minds made up about people so they felt that the documentary would not change their views. Since the 3rd Graders were still young they were able to develop their own ideas about things and not have other people's opinions pushed on to them. When they were divided into two groups, they realized how seperating people according to eye color, skin color, etc was wrong. Although eye color may not seem like an effective way to get the message across, the class was still able to see that one group should not be superior to another. By learning this at a young age, the 3rd Graders were capable of using this and putting it effectively into their lives. Now they could teach their kids what's right from wrong and not to judge people based on their physical appearence but get to know them.

a. holmes said...

I believe that it was Elliot's third grade students who were able to learn a more valuable lesson. If I remember correctly, the majority, if not the entire class was caucasian, so they most likely had never experienced discrimination before. However, with Elliot's experiment, the children were able to experience discrimination first hand. After realizing that what had happened was just an experiment, the children's opinions of discrimination were changed forever. They had learned that they way you treat people really can have an impact on their lives. When Elliot's students returned 14 years later, they reveal that they chose not to discriminate because of what they had learned while in Elliot's class. Also, they mentioned that they were now passing on what they learned to their children so that they would not discriminate. On the other hand,I don't believe that the correctional officers learned that much of a lesson. For the most part, it seemed that they were just trying to compete with Elliot and didn't really care about what she had to say. Since the officers weren't paying much attention, I don't believe that they were able to take much away from the experiment. They weren't able to have the same experience as the children had while doing the experiment. Therefore, I believe that the children were able to learn a greater lesson.

Shayne Munoz said...

I my opinion I believe that the choldren in 3rd grader learned a greater lesson because they were younger and they did not really know about race and discrimination. The Iowa State Correctional Officers may have learned something because (everyone s always able to learn something new especailly when it comes to race) from the documentary but going into the experimnet they went in with their own beliefs on racism and thats something that is hard to change. Because they are older and have lived with it for a good portion of there lives. In my opinion its much easier to learn things when you are younger rather then being older. The 3rd graders are going to get more out of the experiment because they are learning about race for the first time. Also, they will take what they learned and keep that with them for the rest of their lives they might not fully understand everything, but they will be able to remember it. The adults on the other hand may not agree with the theories or may not give there 100% in the discussion because they already have their own ideas on discrimination. However, the 3rd graders are going to listen and take in what they are told because they don't know any better. I believe that this experiment has deffinately changed the lives of these third graders. So all in all, thats why i think they learned the greater lesson.

Melissa Florio said...

I think that the third graders learned a greater lesson than the correctional officers. They are still young enough where it could have a strong influence on their beliefs and their actions. Even if the correctional officers were effected by this experiment they still have already lived many years believing one way or another. They could certainly have learned something from it and maybe even gone and treated others better because of it. However I think that many times when you have a belief many grown ups are set in their ways. In the children's case they are still young, learning minds. They take it to heart when others makes comments about them like that they are stupid or slower than others. They really felt upset by the way they were treated and they will always remember how it felt to be the one being looked down on. I think they will take this and keep it as a life long lesson, always remember how to treat others. For the officers it was probably looked at as more of a one day retreat where they didn't have to work and still got paid.

Nurjhan said...

I believe that the correctional officers learned the greater lesson. I belive this becasue the children were able to understand how racism felt but they did not know what part it played in history. They never learned how it shaped Amerciaca, all they know is that it doesn't feel good to be treated in that way. Therefore, this was just another experience that will one help shape their morals, values, and beliefs as they grow into adults. With the corectional officers however, they know what part racism and prejudice plays in America, and for the first time many of them actually felt what it was like to be a victim of discrimination. This is why I believe that the correctional officers learned the greater lesson because this was an experince that these individuals truly learned from.

erinzenzie said...

I think that out of everyone we saw in this documentary, the young, third grade students were affected the most and learned the greatest lesson. I think this because they were so upset and with the teacher and the superior children that they knew it wasn't fair to them. I felt so sorry for them, that they had to go through this, but I think feeling this shows that they learned the greatest lesson. Also, the children were more vulnerable and believe things that people they trust say, such as their teacher. This is why I feel the third graders learned the biggest lesson.

Michelle Post said...

i think that the people that learned the most from the experiment was the children. they learned first hand that discrimination happens and how it feels to be discriminated against and how it feels to discriminate against other people. They also learned how it feels when one is on top, figuratively speaching, and then pushed down to the bottom. I think one of the biggest morals that was taught here was that you never really know what you had until you lost it.

Michelle Post said...

i think that the people that learned the most from the experiment was the children. they learned first hand that discrimination happens and how it feels to be discriminated against and how it feels to discriminate against other people. They also learned how it feels when one is on top, figuratively speaching, and then pushed down to the bottom. I think one of the biggest morals that was taught here was that you never really know what you had until you lost it.

Derek Giansanti said...

personaly fo me i think that they both learned a very powerful lessons in racism.but for who learned more i think that the correctional officers learned more.i think this because they have already been through alot and they now see how the other race that they looked down on felt.since they already lived through it and they will feel worse about what they have done in the past.so they will be more willing to change what they did but with the kids they learned from the beginning so they were just less likly to make the mistakes the crrectioal officers made before.

Mel Ruiz said...

From the documentary A Class Divided, the third grade students were impacted the most however, the adults learned the greatest lesson. Since children were so young, they probably had not gotten to the point of taking part in discrimination yet in their lives. Since they do not have much knowledge on this topic yet, it is hard for them to learn a lesson from it. However, the adults have this knowledge and after talking part in the experiment, hopefully they learned the error of their ways. Nonetheless I do believe that the children were impacted more than the adults because they are young and their beliefs and morals are still being molded. When you learn from a young age that something is wrong, you don’t really question it as an adult. The adults however are going to be less open minded to change since they have gone so long with their own belief. Even though they learned the greater lesson, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will act on it.

sean parent said...

This question can go either way. in both cases i think that both sides learned something. But the group that learned the most was the group of children. it is proven that children can retain more information that older folks. the children are able to learn at a young age that hatered is wrong and that prejudging someone jsut isnt the way to act. with the group of older people they might say they leanred something but they really wont change their ways. in my 18 yrs of being alive ive noticed that it is easyier for a child to leanr something than it is for an adult to learn something of the same task. the children that can back after 10 some odd years after the expierement even said that they even teach their kids to not act the way they did. they even said that this experiemnt left an lasting impression on them. so i believe that the young kids leanrned more that the correctional officers.