A Class Divided

A Class Divided: Frontline The 3rd grade teacher’s use of the discrimination experiment really taught me a lot about racism and discrimination and opened my eyes to many things. First, I couldn’t believe that the 3rd graders were so aware of racism and discrimination. Those children knew that people of different color were looked down upon, called stupid, etc. I never imagined that a young, innocent child could be so hatful. Once the students began the experiment, it was crazy to see how their attitudes towards one another shifter. Simply because the students were different, they were treated like a lesser being. I got frustrated when the lady from the correctional facility got upset for being discriminated against. At one point she said she felt like she was being treated unreasonably and that it was outrageous. After she said that, I really thought about what it would have been like to be a minority back then. I cant imagine what it would be like to be judged, hated, looked down upon, etc. It made me aware of the fact that blacks and other minorities were suppressed for so long partially because if they tried to stand up for themselves they were seen as defiant and awful for going against what the white man wanted them to do. One thing I loved about a class divided was the fact that the white teacher found it so important to tech to her students. As a future teacher, I think the lesson she taught her students was probably one of the most important ones they ever learned. It makes me realize that as a teacher I need to be aware of these issues and try to teach my students to not discriminate, which will allow them to be better individuals. The only thing that I didn’t like about A Class Divided was that the experiment could not be used in today’s classrooms.