It is hard for me to believe that the public school system has chosen to label the groups of children who are having to come separately to the hybrid classrooms as “A,” “B” and “C” groups.
Educators above everyone else should be conscious of the Jane Elliott “exercises,” as she called them, that were created to demonstrate prejudice.
The idea was to divide groups of children by an irrelevant distinction, eye color in the initial study, and create days when one group will be labeled as high achievers and the other low achievers.
The division created terrible feelings, behaviors and self-labeling by the children themselves.
Not only did they interact differently with each other, but they also began to perform in their classrooms according to the expectations of being in any one group.
The results of Mrs. Elliott’s work revealed aspects of the great sociologist’s work, Erving Goffman’s, on “Stigma: Management of Spoiled Identity.”
The effect of the label by which humans, especially children, are labeled and known is very powerful in influencing our behavior and our own expectations of ourselves.
Therefore, it is appalling that any educator would consider labeling groups of children with the very letters that distinguish levels of academic performance.
Group “A” is clearly the outstanding students, the “B” group is so-so, and the “C” group will be just passing. Why would you want to label groups of kids this way?
What’s so difficult about using colors — green group, blue group — or even animals — zebras and giraffes?
Kristen Larson
Port Angeles