Racism In The Classroom Essay

Racism can be defined as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” (Merriam-webster, 2015). Racism can evolve when individuals of one race feel targeted by individuals of another race. Racism affects not only adults but children and teenagers as well. Children and teenagers who are apart of the school systems are exposed to racism both inside and outside of the classroom. There have been many cases, even in these past few years, of kids in classrooms being mistreated in school. There are many forms of racism that can affect not only students but the teachers and faculty who are in schools on a day to day basis. There is no

Jane Elliot separated the people with blue eyes and made them sit in the middle of the entire class. While there she would mistreat and make a big deal out of the littlest things the blue eyed people would do. She would demoralize them and make them feel like they were less than normal people, like they were below everyone else in that room. At one point in the film, a woman was so sick and tired of being treated the way she was just because of the color of her eyes that she got up and walked out of the room. Seeing this, Jane Elliot turned to the rest of the class and told them that she has the option to just leave this simulation and go back to her normal life, but when real people of color and different races are faced with the same situation, they can not just up and leave the racism. They can not just leave their own skin because the issue of racism will just follow them wherever they try and go to escape

Our study of racism is related to the video because when the girl walks out of the classroom agitated, Jane Elliot said when one gets tired of being basis of their eye color, one can walk out that door, but when people of color get tired of racism, they can’t just walk out. Being a victim of racism isn’t something anyone wants to be apart of because being picked on because of your race, religion, or ethnicity isn’t something to be happy about because people should be happy of who they are not made of. I personally know people who have been victimized of racism in schools like people from the film too. Witnessing this isn’t something to be proud of because if you don’t it or try to prevent it from happening then you are no better than the person who was giving out the bullying to that person. Hopefully by seeing all these things happening around us involving racism we can finally put an end to it so people’s lives stop being in danger and put on the line