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A Class Divided: Then and Now
For two days after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliott, a third-grade teacher in Riceville, Iowa, gave her pupils a unique lesson in discrimination. The first day, brown-eyed children were declared “superior,” given special privileges, and encouraged to discriminate against their suddenly “inferior” blue-eyed classmates. The next day, roles were reversed. What happened astonished both students and teacher. On both days, children labeled “inferior” took on the look and behavior of genuinely inferior students; they did inferior work. “Superior” students excelled in their work and delighted in discriminating against their erstwhile friends. Jane Elliott repeated the exercise with succeeding classes, and the third year, it was filmed for an award-winning television documentary, “The Eye of the Storm.” The original edition of A Class Divided, written by William Peters, the producer-director-writer of the documentary, expanded on the story revealed in the television program.
This new edition of A Class Divided continues the story of Jane Elliott and her sixteen third-graders of 1970, eleven of whom returned to Riceville in 1984 for a reunion with their former teacher. In the new chapters, Peters reports on that meeting and its evidence that the long-ago lesson has had a profound and enduring effect on the students’ lives and attitudes—indeed, on the way they are raising their own children. Peters also relates the surprising reactions of employees of the Iowa Department of Corrections and other adults to the same exercise.
The students’ reunion and the session with adult Corrections workers were covered in Peters’ recent Emmy-Award winning documentary, “A Class Divided.” This new edition of A Class Divided expands significantly on the material covered in both documentaries.
This new edition of A Class Divided continues the story of Jane Elliott and her sixteen third-graders of 1970, eleven of whom returned to Riceville in 1984 for a reunion with their former teacher. In the new chapters, Peters reports on that meeting and its evidence that the long-ago lesson has had a profound and enduring effect on the students’ lives and attitudes—indeed, on the way they are raising their own children. Peters also relates the surprising reactions of employees of the Iowa Department of Corrections and other adults to the same exercise.
The students’ reunion and the session with adult Corrections workers were covered in Peters’ recent Emmy-Award winning documentary, “A Class Divided.” This new edition of A Class Divided expands significantly on the material covered in both documentaries.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 27, 2007
This incredible book tells the story a Jane Elliott, a third grade teacher who wanted to encourage her students to be more empathetic to victims of discrimination after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
She split her class into "blue eyes" and "brown eyes." On the first day, she favored the "brown eyes" and called attention to every mistake the "blue eyes" made. She pointed out how lazy and stupid the "blue eyes" were and how smart and hardworking the "brown eyes" were. She was amazed at how quickly the children lived up (or down) to her expectations. The next day, she reversed the groups and the "brown eyes" discovered what it felt like to be discriminated against.
There is a DVD called "The Eye of the Storm" that was filmed in Jane Elliott's classroom a few years later. It is heartbreaking to look into the children's eyes as they are repeatedly told how unworthy they are. And this is only one day out of an otherwise happy and secure life. And we wonder why people who are subjected to this treatment EVERY SINGLE DAY of their lives are angry, apathetic, or defeated.
Our eighth graders are studying the Holocaust right now. I would love to repeat Elliott's experiment to really give kids a chance to feel what discrimination is. Some teachers could profit from the lesson as well.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
She split her class into "blue eyes" and "brown eyes." On the first day, she favored the "brown eyes" and called attention to every mistake the "blue eyes" made. She pointed out how lazy and stupid the "blue eyes" were and how smart and hardworking the "brown eyes" were. She was amazed at how quickly the children lived up (or down) to her expectations. The next day, she reversed the groups and the "brown eyes" discovered what it felt like to be discriminated against.
There is a DVD called "The Eye of the Storm" that was filmed in Jane Elliott's classroom a few years later. It is heartbreaking to look into the children's eyes as they are repeatedly told how unworthy they are. And this is only one day out of an otherwise happy and secure life. And we wonder why people who are subjected to this treatment EVERY SINGLE DAY of their lives are angry, apathetic, or defeated.
Our eighth graders are studying the Holocaust right now. I would love to repeat Elliott's experiment to really give kids a chance to feel what discrimination is. Some teachers could profit from the lesson as well.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
May 13, 2008
This is the account of an experiment done in a rural town in Iowa, so daring that it made national news and people across the country became aware of this experiment. In the days following Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, a third grade teacher named Jane Elliott decided to teach her children about racism by labeling them according to eye color. One day, green eyed children were good and smart and brown eyed children were inferior, slow, and irresponsible. She tested them and then flipped it around the next day and again tested them. The results were astonishing. This is a wonderful book and completely daring on Jane Elliott's part.
December 9, 2016
What is discrimination? In 1968 in Riceville, Iowa, students of all ages had little idea of what the word discrimination meant; and Jane Elliott was determined to change that. In A Class Divided, Then and Now, William Peters addresses the effects of discrimination in education by taking readers on the journey of Jane Elliott’s experiments with her third grade classes. Peters flawlessly appeals to all emotions by making Jane Elliott's journey understandable and relatable by incorporating details, pictures, and quotes.
Appealing to all emotions, William Peters writes from Jane Elliots perspective, providing intimate snapshots into Jane Elliott’s life. Sparked by Martin Luther King’s brutal murder, Elliott “made her decision in horror, anger, and shame” she decided that “the brutality of race hatred cried out to be explained, understood, committed irrevocably to memory in lesson that would become a part of the life of each child she could reach in it” (13). The author is able to convey Jane’s conflicted thoughts, and does a good job of attaching the reader to her character within the first few pages. Jane ultimately decides to confront the taboo of race and discrimination in the white middle–class town of Riceville, and asks her class to describe African Americans. Immediately a pattern occurs and children answer, they “weren't as smart as white people,” “they weren't as clean,” “they weren't as civilized,” and “they smelled bad” (15). Then, the author uniquely writes that “behind her expression of friendly interest, Jane was appalled” (15). By writing in this way, the author creates a strong relationship with the reader and Jane, even stronger than Jane’s beloved relationship with her students. This relationship between Jane and the reader is maintained throughout the book, which elevates the author’s writing by appealing to the reader's emotions.
After introducing Jane Elliot's character, and solidifying the bond that Jane has with the reader, Peters continues on to introduce the experiment. Peters successfully introduces details, pictures, and the results of the experiment in an exciting and surprising way that gives Jane Elliott the recognition she deserves. The reason this book is so enjoyable is because William Peters does not do too much, he tells the story just as it happened, and it elicits a genuine tone into the writing. The experiment that Jane Elliott came up with and did with her third grade class is she assigned her students to one of two groups, the blue eyed or the brown eyed group. Over a two day period students with brown eyes were labeled superior on the first day, while the blue eyed students were labeled inferior, on the second day the roles are reversed. The superior group received special privileges and roles, they got to go back for seconds at lunch time, and have extra time at the recess. As Peters explains, when a student with brown eyes would correctly answer a question, they were told that it was because “brown-eyed people are better than blue-eyed people. They are cleaner... more civilized... and they are smarter than blue-eyed people”(21). Peters took advantage of the emotional roller-coaster of the experiment, and included all of the heartbreaking details of the experiment. Peters included a quote by Jane Elliott that quoted her groundbreaking discoveries,“by lunch hour, there was no need to think before identifying a child as blue or brown-eyed. I could tell simply by looking at them. The brown-eyed children were happy...The blue-eyed children were miserable. Their posture, their expression, their entire attitudes were those of defeat... they looked and acted as though they were, in fact, inferior” (25). Interestingly, students independently adopted their new roles as inferior or superior, the inferior group even performed worse on work, while the superior group excelled. Peters flawlessly integrates stories of specific students in his writing, but equally as powerful were the pictures included in the book. Peters uses intense imagery to describe the situations, even without the photographs in the book, the writing leaves a clear picture of the effects that the discrimination had on the students in both groups.
This book highlights how discrimination can change a student’s look, performance, and confidence. The experiment that Elliott designed to teach the students what if felt like to be discriminated against, actually informed the rest of the world how discrimination can have a drastic affect on a person. Without William Peters writing, the rest of the world could not have known of the groundbreaking discoveries that Jane Elliott made in her third grade classroom. With the use of beautiful quotes and unbelievable details, the story is exciting to read, and informational. ~ Student: Sarina R
Appealing to all emotions, William Peters writes from Jane Elliots perspective, providing intimate snapshots into Jane Elliott’s life. Sparked by Martin Luther King’s brutal murder, Elliott “made her decision in horror, anger, and shame” she decided that “the brutality of race hatred cried out to be explained, understood, committed irrevocably to memory in lesson that would become a part of the life of each child she could reach in it” (13). The author is able to convey Jane’s conflicted thoughts, and does a good job of attaching the reader to her character within the first few pages. Jane ultimately decides to confront the taboo of race and discrimination in the white middle–class town of Riceville, and asks her class to describe African Americans. Immediately a pattern occurs and children answer, they “weren't as smart as white people,” “they weren't as clean,” “they weren't as civilized,” and “they smelled bad” (15). Then, the author uniquely writes that “behind her expression of friendly interest, Jane was appalled” (15). By writing in this way, the author creates a strong relationship with the reader and Jane, even stronger than Jane’s beloved relationship with her students. This relationship between Jane and the reader is maintained throughout the book, which elevates the author’s writing by appealing to the reader's emotions.
After introducing Jane Elliot's character, and solidifying the bond that Jane has with the reader, Peters continues on to introduce the experiment. Peters successfully introduces details, pictures, and the results of the experiment in an exciting and surprising way that gives Jane Elliott the recognition she deserves. The reason this book is so enjoyable is because William Peters does not do too much, he tells the story just as it happened, and it elicits a genuine tone into the writing. The experiment that Jane Elliott came up with and did with her third grade class is she assigned her students to one of two groups, the blue eyed or the brown eyed group. Over a two day period students with brown eyes were labeled superior on the first day, while the blue eyed students were labeled inferior, on the second day the roles are reversed. The superior group received special privileges and roles, they got to go back for seconds at lunch time, and have extra time at the recess. As Peters explains, when a student with brown eyes would correctly answer a question, they were told that it was because “brown-eyed people are better than blue-eyed people. They are cleaner... more civilized... and they are smarter than blue-eyed people”(21). Peters took advantage of the emotional roller-coaster of the experiment, and included all of the heartbreaking details of the experiment. Peters included a quote by Jane Elliott that quoted her groundbreaking discoveries,“by lunch hour, there was no need to think before identifying a child as blue or brown-eyed. I could tell simply by looking at them. The brown-eyed children were happy...The blue-eyed children were miserable. Their posture, their expression, their entire attitudes were those of defeat... they looked and acted as though they were, in fact, inferior” (25). Interestingly, students independently adopted their new roles as inferior or superior, the inferior group even performed worse on work, while the superior group excelled. Peters flawlessly integrates stories of specific students in his writing, but equally as powerful were the pictures included in the book. Peters uses intense imagery to describe the situations, even without the photographs in the book, the writing leaves a clear picture of the effects that the discrimination had on the students in both groups.
This book highlights how discrimination can change a student’s look, performance, and confidence. The experiment that Elliott designed to teach the students what if felt like to be discriminated against, actually informed the rest of the world how discrimination can have a drastic affect on a person. Without William Peters writing, the rest of the world could not have known of the groundbreaking discoveries that Jane Elliott made in her third grade classroom. With the use of beautiful quotes and unbelievable details, the story is exciting to read, and informational. ~ Student: Sarina R
March 4, 2014
Powerful book detailing Jane Elliott's educational exercise about discrimination (Blue Eyes vs Brown Eyes) and the life-long impact the experience had upon many of her students. The companion documentary (issued separately) is also well worth the time.
This non-fiction work recounts the experience an all white classroom had when they were labeled with either "superior" or "inferior" group status. Most interesting are students' comments on what it felt like to receive second class treatment status, and whether it made them more empathetic when the roles were reversed. The pictures included in the book are equally moving, capturing the dejection - and the privilege - created by discrimination.
This non-fiction work recounts the experience an all white classroom had when they were labeled with either "superior" or "inferior" group status. Most interesting are students' comments on what it felt like to receive second class treatment status, and whether it made them more empathetic when the roles were reversed. The pictures included in the book are equally moving, capturing the dejection - and the privilege - created by discrimination.
June 16, 2015
Easy to read. Good balance between description of the experiment and commentary.
I wish there was more commentary from outside professionals. This book essentially served as a summary of the documentary. I was already familiar with the documentary so this book didn't give me anything new or different. Commentary from the teachers or researchers she mentioned would have given it a sense of distinctness from the documentary.
But, still, I was surprised at how smooth and quick of a read this was. It covered everything the documentary covered. I also appreciated the photos in the book. If someone hadn't seen the documentary, those pictures probably helped clarify things and leave a lasting image.
I wish there was more commentary from outside professionals. This book essentially served as a summary of the documentary. I was already familiar with the documentary so this book didn't give me anything new or different. Commentary from the teachers or researchers she mentioned would have given it a sense of distinctness from the documentary.
But, still, I was surprised at how smooth and quick of a read this was. It covered everything the documentary covered. I also appreciated the photos in the book. If someone hadn't seen the documentary, those pictures probably helped clarify things and leave a lasting image.
June 17, 2014
The idea behind this book is an important one. It highlights the detrimental effects of oppression and shows the severity of the impact even after a mere few hours. That said, the book itself seemed more like a narration of events and lacked enough profound reflection to satisfy me. I would have like the author to interview the children more.. or the participating children as adults. I also think it would have been important to get the opinions of the parents who lived through that time.
One of the quotes I really like from the book:
Commenting on her classroom's discussion on discrimination against black people: "Yet all I could think of as I saw this attitude of sympathetic indifference develop was the way I had myself reacted to racial discrimination all these many years: Sure an incident can anger you. Sure, you feel sorry about the way blacks are being treated. Sure, something ought to be done about it. And now, what shall we talk about:?"
Those two words, 'sympathetic indifference', resounded with me. There's so many people, myself included, who tout convictions about what's right and wrong and the injustices that need to righted. What are we doing to contribute to that cause? This book, if nothing else, is a call for action.
One of the quotes I really like from the book:
Commenting on her classroom's discussion on discrimination against black people: "Yet all I could think of as I saw this attitude of sympathetic indifference develop was the way I had myself reacted to racial discrimination all these many years: Sure an incident can anger you. Sure, you feel sorry about the way blacks are being treated. Sure, something ought to be done about it. And now, what shall we talk about:?"
Those two words, 'sympathetic indifference', resounded with me. There's so many people, myself included, who tout convictions about what's right and wrong and the injustices that need to righted. What are we doing to contribute to that cause? This book, if nothing else, is a call for action.
December 2, 2012
Interesting book, great in sight into racism and physiology :P
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February 9, 2023It all started the night of April 4th, 1968. Jane Elliott was preparing for her next day’s lessons when she heard of Dr. King’s assassination. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been fatally shot by James Earl Ray on a balcony in Memphis, TN. It shook Elliott to her core as she sat on the floor working on the teepee for the next day’s lesson. She decided that she’d design an exercise for her class that would help them understand how discrimination was wrong. In A Class Divided: Then and Now, William Peters explores the results of the exercise when it was performed and the lasting effect it had on her classes.
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October 22, 2024
It is an interesting premise. I’m not sure a two day exercise would make as long lasting an impact as claimed. I’m sure it makes some impact and is a memory to look back on and think about some time.
It’s more like those kids were trauma bonded by their third grade teacher. ;) Same as the US military and fraternity hazing.
I think it would be less effective for adults. It’s a good message and lesson, I’m just unsure of the validity of the research and claims of effectiveness.
It’s more like those kids were trauma bonded by their third grade teacher. ;) Same as the US military and fraternity hazing.
I think it would be less effective for adults. It’s a good message and lesson, I’m just unsure of the validity of the research and claims of effectiveness.
October 10, 2017
Gives great insight on not only the horrors racism but how early people are influenced by such an epidemic. Damn bruh.
March 18, 2012
A Class Divided is a fascinating story that will help the reader gain a new and invaluable perspective on the immediate power of an authority figure over a group and the tendency of both children and adults to accept established opinions. The author, however, seems to sacrifice a little accuracy for dramatic effect and it's overall an un-nuanced presentation of the perspective; it doesn't delve deeply into the subject matter (psychology, education, and race theory, in particular). It's almost like a written documentary: it gives you the chance make up your own mind about what's going on, and when it pushes you to a conclusion it does so by pathos rather than logos.
September 23, 2012
An interesting experiment, but the writing was shoddy and there wasn't enough story to flesh out the book. Better article than a book I'd say.
April 15, 2015
Amazing and important work.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews