Despite the comments of another poster, this documentary and the experiment contained therein was not sadistic. Had the teacher implemented the brown eyes/blue eyes hierarchy in the classroom and then done nothing to debrief -- that would be sick. Instead the students in her classroom understood discrimination in a way that I, as a fellow teacher, have no ability to do regardless of the number of days I show "Eyes on the Prize" or devise ways of comprehending the evil underlying the Holocaust. The film's follow-up with her old students demonstrates the lasting effect her teaching had.
Although modern ethics -- and a lawsuit happy public -- preclude a teacher from doing this kind of thing these days, we can still screen the film for our students and discuss the issues. Not quite as effective, but still powerful.
Although modern ethics -- and a lawsuit happy public -- preclude a teacher from doing this kind of thing these days, we can still screen the film for our students and discuss the issues. Not quite as effective, but still powerful.
