This week we completed our work on what ‘FAIRNESS’ actually means, what it looks like and how it can make ourselves and others feel.
On Wednesday Miss. Corkhill greeted us, as usual, at our cloakroom door. However what happened next was far from usual! She invited some of us to sit on chairs and then told some of us to sit on the floor. We told the chosen ones on chairs that they were intelligent and could do anything they wanted to in their lives. However, those sat on the floor were told they would never be able to do certain jobs such be a teacher, doctor or politician.
WE WERE ENRAGED AT HOW UNFAIR THIS WAS!
Carmen tried to go and sit on a chair, however she was punished for this.
The body language of the chosen people sitting on the floor was really negative; their arms were crossed and their faces showing anger. Likewise the body language of those on the chairs was negative as they began to express how unfair they felt this was.
Hallie-Mae then took the plunge and said; “No. Not okay!” as she stood and marched over to join those on the floor. Lots of other children followed her lead, leaving only 3 people sitting on chairs. When asked why they thought this was fair and as to why they hadn’t joined Hallie and those upstanding people, they explained they felt nervous and fearful of what would happen if they had.
This activity lasted for only 5 minutes and was inspired by an experiment completed in 1968 by Jane Elliot and a third Grade class in America.
How would you have reacted to this?
A fantastic discussion then took place of what we felt on both sides. Those sitting on the floor felt offended, segregated, insulted, disappointed, disgusted, fuming and divided.
From this we were ALL determined that no-one should ever be made to feel this way!
