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It's Not Fair! for Teachers and Parents
It's Not Fair! addresses historical and contemporary issues of discrimination and injustice, and looks at what can be done to make things more fair. This issue of WayBack is inspired by an American Experience documentary on Robert Kennedy, RFK, which traces Kennedy's transformation into a fighter against injustice in America before he was assassinated in 1968. It is also inspired by an event in the "shock year" of 1968: Iowa teacher Jane Elliott's famous, powerful blue eyes/brown eyes lesson, which taught discrimination first-hand to her third grade class.
The site features a two-player quiz game, Inequity!, with multiple-choice questions about injustices past and present. Players will note that the game itself is unfair, slanting the results toward first one player, then the other, regardless of their true knowledge of the quiz answers, and offering an opportunity for both players to feel and react to discrimination first-hand.
Kids can also explore the lives of Fairness Fighters, five people who each saw an injustice and acted to change it. A Speakers Corner offers kids the chance to comment on injustices they perceive, and read what other kids have written, and a cartoon owl dispenses advice in his column, Ask the Owl, which will reply to a new letter every month. The site also offers a gallery of Lewis Hine images depicting an historical injustice kids can really relate to: child labor.
For Teachers:
- If your classroom is equipped with a computer and everyone can see the screen at the same time, divide the class into two and play Inequity! with the two teams. Read all the text aloud together as you go. Pause at the end of Round One to ask the two teams how they feel about how the game is going. Do the same at the end of the next two rounds. At the end, have a class discussion about playing the game. What parts were fair? What parts were unfair? How did it feel to be the beneficiary of favoritism? The sufferer of discrimination? Did playing the game, or reading the questions, remind them of any situations in their lives? What are some ways kids can address discrimination in the real world?
- Assign students to read about the Fairness Fighters and check out the comments posted in the Speakers Corner. Then have each student write a letter to Ask the Owl. Submit students' letters to the Web site, then read through them as a group, taking time to discuss each one and come to a consensus, as a class, about the fairest way to handle each problem.
- If you teach more advanced students, ask them to read a profile of Cesar Chavez on the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: RFK Web site, in addition to reading through the features on this Web site. Talk as a class about Robert Kennedy's transformation into a supporter of Chavez and the United Farm Workers. Note the comment of Delores Huerta, one of the workers: "Robert didn't come to us and tell us what was good for us. He came to us and asked us two questions: 'What do you want? And how can I help?' That's why we loved him." What do the students notice about Kennedy's approach? Do they agree that understanding begins with asking questions and being a good listener? Make a class poster or display listing the questions people should ask each other in order to understand each other better.
For Parents:
- Read about the Fairness Fighters with your children, then choose one of the fighters to discuss. What injustice did this person see? What did he or she do to fight it? What was the outcome? Now talk about injustices in everyday life -- what are some things your child perceives as unfair? What are things you yourself think are unfair? Talk about which of these injustices are petty or temporary (for example, early bedtimes that are necessary now, but will change as a child grows older), and which ones are truly significant and worth fighting against. Discuss ways the significant injustices could be addressed: letter-writing, petitions, publicity about the issue, public meetings, and so forth. If you and your child feel you want to address one of the injustices you discussed, write a letter together about it, and decide who should receive the letter (other family members, a teacher, or the local newspaper, for example).
- Facing injustice is often an exercise in seeing things from another person's point of view. Develop the skill of empathy -- the awareness of another person's feelings, thoughts, or experience -- with your children. If they go to school with a bully, or a kid who gets bullied a lot, ask them how the bully or the victim must feel. Ask them to guess what the bully or victim must be thinking, and imagine what those experiences of being bully or bullied must be like. Another opportunity for talking about empathy might arise if your community, church, school, or other organization collects food or clothing for those less fortunate. Who will receive the donations? Why do those people need donations? What would it feel like to need food or clothing?
- It's Not Fair! presents an opportunity for parents to talk about ethical systems and legal structures with their kids. Most children are extremely aware of rules -- especially ones they feel needlessly constrain them. A conversation about rules as a framework for everyone -- even adults -- can be helpful. What's the difference between something that is illegal and something that is unethical? What rules or principles create a framework for your own family's outlook and behavior -- religious or humanitarian rules, for instance? For example, what are some important ethical elements of your family's religious faith, of your family's own value system, or of your individual conscience? Have a discussion with your child about these guiding principles and how they help you make decisions, using specific examples as much as possible.
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