A Class Divided. (Video for the 3rd Blog Entry)

The effects of the experiment on the children was a very interesting one. It demonstrated to children what it was like to "be" different. Although, all the children were Caucasian  they were separated by the color of their eyes (blue and brown). This caused obvious pain and discomfort to those children who were thought of as inferior, while the other group felt superior. They were able to witness and "feel" discrimination within a school setting, in which they had never experienced before. Their reactions were so strong that their academics began to delineate because of their own feelings of inferiority.

Seeing their reactions made me empathize with them at some points. Being of Latin descent, I have felt my own moments of rejection and discrimination. Feeling different is neither a pleasant or welcoming feeling, one feels; alienated, belittled and even worthless. And seeing these children undergo these exact feelings, made me feel bad for them. As a mother I would not want my children to ever experience those feelings. Yet, it was truly a remarkable experiment!

After, about 20 years these children were reunited and gave great accounts to how they had felt when taking part in the experiment. They explained how the experiment was a turning point in their lives, because they were able to feel how minority people feel. Yet, their accounts were positive one's in which they learned to "see" and believe that everyone is created equal. I think they learned a really valuable lesson, one that they would not have been able to learn without that experiment.

I believe that it was an extraordinary experience to conduct for the children and the teacher. Especially, at a time were segregation was more apparent. I do not know if I would rein-act that experiment now within classrooms today...partly because of the restrictions already placed on educational facilities as they are today. Perhaps, we should begin with administration, and then with teachers. If then, the majority rules in favor, then it could be done within classes. Of course if this experiment were to be taken on, it should be done very carefully and tactfully, just as the teacher in the video did. Overall, I think that everyone could learn something from just watching this video.