A Class Divided

         This was my first time viewing the controversial video, A Class Divided. Furthermore, I sincerely believe this is an important and essential video for all educators to watch and reflect upon. It can be said that the video addresses issues that educators find difficult to teach to their students, especially when they may or not have the ability to understand. This is a particularly important video because it stresses the importance of character education, which is all too critical in our schools today.

          I believe that Mrs. Elliott was right to carry out this experiment because she determined this to be the most effective manner to teach her third grade students about the effects of racism and discrimination. The effects of the experiment on the children displayed how children can transition from being sweet and gentle to mean and aggressive human beings within minutes of being treated unfairly and unkindly. They developed a sense of hate for one another. However, once Mrs. Elliott asked the students whether it was fair for them to be treated differently and unkindly, they all responded with the answer no. All of the students realized that it was not nice to treat others badly or to discriminate against people who look different from them. Mrs. Elliott emphasized the importance of judging people based upon their character, not their outside appearance. She had achieved her learning objective with her students.

         When Mrs. Elliott met with her former students 14 years later, they all had realized how important her lesson was back then and even how relevant it was in their daily lives. Some mentioned teaching their own children about the critical importance of judging people based on the content of their character and not on their outside appearance. Furthermore, I feel that Mrs. Elliott’s lesson and experiment is even more relevant today with the rise of bullying in schools throughout the country. In my own classroom, I think I would carry out a similar experiment if I determined this to be the most effective strategy for teaching my students about the effects and wrongfulness of bullying, racism, and discrimination. I strongly believe all schools need to incorporate multicultural education and character education into their curriculums. I feel it is imperative so we can put an end to hurtful acts of cultural bias, racism, bullying, and discrimination. It is our duty as educators to ensure all our students are treated as equal, special, and unique individuals in our classrooms and throughout the school community. We must set a tone within our schools which exemplify justice, equality, and the importance of having good character.