The Social NetWorker

Better Kids, Better Us, Better Everybody

(This is a guest post by Megan Elizabeth Morris.)

Not long ago I was introduced to the story of Jane Elliot, who taught elementary school in Iowa and crafted an incredibly effective exercise to teach her class the concept of discrimination. You may be familiar with her story: She divided the students into groups of brown-eyed children and blue-eyed children. The next day, she announced that one group was better than the other.

Jane Elliot's classroom segregation came with all the trimmings. The "better" group sat at the front of the room and were told that they were smarter. The "lesser" group wore collars so that their eye color could be identified at a distance. They were separated from each other physically, emotionally, and conceptually. I quoted Jane Elliot in my personal blog awhile back, but she's worth quoting again to be absolutely clear: "I watched those kids turn into nasty, vicious, discriminating third-graders... it was ghastly."

It sounds ghastly.

You probably already know the drill. "Inferior" kids began to think particularly badly of themselves. They began to behave badly, too. "Superior" kids felt quicker, smarter, and happier. More than that, each group's performance in their schooling was altered accordingly. There was a clear difference in scores between groups, even when the groups were switched (to let the "better" kids have a crack at being "lesser"). When we believe we're better, when we're treated like we're better... we're better.

Now, this isn't news to me or you or any of us. But sometimes experiments like this are treated like fascinating finds, and it gives me a sick feeling in my stomach. Who are the kids who grow up feeling lesser? What would they be capable of if we raised them up? And why would anyone not start out thinking that kids -- that everyone -- should be raised up? Given the benefit of the doubt, and every opportunity to succeed?

I suppose we just reached the axe I'm grinding: We're all kids. We all need some kindness and lifting-up; some of us just have more learned patterns to deal with than kids still in school. Anything less than compassion and understanding is kind of a bum deal, whatever the reason. Letting someone assume they're "lesser" is lame; treating someone like they're "lesser" is cruel and has far-reaching effects. No one should have to go without positive reinforcement, another person's faith in them, social sensitivity and support. It's so obvious that we forget it constantly. It's more than worth remembering -- it's essential.

Who have you lifted up today?

Megan Elizabeth Morris (email)
Ms. Morris writes at Personal Revelations of the Magnificent Megan M. Megan Elizabeth Morris, or The Magnificent Megan M., [proper noun]: Superhuman font of knowledge, skill, determination & resourcefulness. Exudes enzymes that cause others to surpass their potential. Master thinker; writes, designs, manages, ideastorms, markets, inspires, connects, grows, teaches, makes things happen, changes the world, and throws a mean right hook. (Okay. Not the last one. Well! Not literally.)