Reflection of today’s activity

I would say today was quite an interesting day. Grade 6 did an educational activity as part of tuning in to our new unit “Sharing the Planet”. To start off this activity, our teacher went around the classroom; giving all of us a sticker of either blue, red or yellow. I did not know what each color meant, so I asked for a yellow one. But now I regret that decision.

It turned out different colors represented different rankings. Those with the red stickers were in high positions and were allowed to do almost anything they wanted. Those with the blue stickers were in the middle positions and could do specific things. Those with the yellow stickers like me were in the lowest positions and had to do small things that the reds and blues ordered to do. The yellows could not even talk to the reds and blues.  Instead of small things, the reds and blues asked the yellows to do their homework, or even give them massages. In the first round, some yellows wanted to rebel the orders. I was one of the shy ones and did not mind working for others.

After the first round, we got to switch positions. The yellows got to choose either be red or  blue and I chose to be red. I went to the red who made me do her work in the first round and ordered her to switch with me. So I was a red and she was in turn a yellow. But then I decided not to ask the yellow to do insane things like some other did in this second round. On one hand, I did not want to make the yellows do so much because I have experienced being a yellow before and I knew exactly how it felt. But on the other hand, I wanted the blues and reds to know how it felt to be bossed around and forced to do things that they did not want.

I think this activity is to teach us about equal rights. There were a lot of things that reds could do but yellows couldn’t. The yellows were sometimes treated badly also. This is not just a scenario in an activity. If you look closely, you can find this in our everyday lives.