A class divided - This assignment was a reflection of a video and story that my teacher provided. PDF

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This assignment was a reflection of a video and story that my teacher provided. ...

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Running Head: TOOLS FOR FACULTY WORKSHOP

Tools for Faculty Workshop Miranda Mercado Grand Canyon University: EDU-330 April 4, 2020

2 TOOLS FOR FACULTY WORKSHOP I do believe the video, “A Class Divided” would very much be a tool that should be used. Yes, it is outdated, but the lessons shown in that video are eye-opening. I felt that especially as a teacher, that it showed how influential we are in our student’s lives. The biggest lesson I would take from the video is that racism, discrimination, and prejudice are not things that children are born with and instead are taught by their parents or other authority figures they look up to. It also was very interesting to see how different things were around that time, even in a third-grade classroom, and it really was not that long ago. The teacher that conducted this experiment, Jane Elliott, discussed what occurred and said, “I watched wonderful, thoughtful children turn into nasty, vicious, discriminating little third-graders”. This quote was a small part of the video, but a very prime example of why I say I was astonished by what I had seen. After seeing Mrs. Elliott conducted this experiment on her third graders, she went to a professional workplace and did the same experiment with them. It was interesting to see how much the adults that were being discriminated against for having blue eyes were acting in a way that was childish. By that, I mean that all the blue-eyed people that were getting “picked on” were being argumentative and as if they had never been treated like this before. This was a very good example of how white individuals do not know what it is like to be oppressed so in this situation where they were, they were acting up and saying it was stupid that they were being treated that way. I do believe that this exercise would be helpful to do in a workshop because for individuals who have never experienced this type of discrimination, it is eye-opening afterward to finally know a little bit what it is like. When people have similar experiences, they are more likely to be able to empathize and connect better with that person or people. After reading through Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, I was left fairly impressed by her arguments, examples, and instructions on how to

3 TOOLS FOR FACULTY WORKSHOP go about doing a workshop using her material. The part in her paper that struck me the most was the part when she identifies the daily effects white privilege has on her life. Reading through those examples reminded me of towards the end of “A Class Divided” when a woman rebuttal an argument a white woman made about being oppressed or discriminated against the same as any other race. The other woman responded by saying that white people do not experience the same racial discrimination as people of color. She said the difference of any type of oppression between white and people of color is that a white person does not wake up knowing that they will be discriminated against, but a black person wakes up knowing they are black, and people see them differently because of that. I believe that this relates to McIntosh’s number 3 and 4 in her list of effects that come from her white privilege. Those two that I selected were that as a white individual, she is fairly sure that when she leaves her house her neighbors will be neutral or pleasant and she also knows she is not likely to be harassed or followed when shopping alone. I chose these two as relating because it goes back to how most white individuals do not wake up and think they will be in danger or threatened by just walking around a store or other public place. McIntosh also highlights how white males have an even bigger advantage over white females, which is something that we still are experiencing and trying to work through. It is no secret that men make more money and have more advantages or opportunities than women do. Since we are in the workplace, I think it is important to recognize this male advantage and ensure we do not allow for it to happen. Overall, I do believe it would be very helpful to use these two resources as tools for a workshop to better cultural competence, family-teacher relationships, and enhance educational experiences for students. I found Peggy McIntosh’s, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, to be something that can relate to what we still experience as Americans and should

4 TOOLS FOR FACULTY WORKSHOP be taken into consideration on how we can change these attitudes once and for all. As discussed, “A Class Divided” is an excellent tool to use in ensuring an understanding of cultural competence a little more....