In the second CID lesson, the class was shown two pictures, and asked to write down what we see, think, and wonder from the pictures. The first picture was of a man sitting down, holding up a sign that said that he was homeless, his belongings were stolen, and broke, and begging for money. The second picture was of a woman carrying a child and begging for money from a man who looks like a tourist. Then we were given a choice of who would we help if we had a one dollar coin. I chose to help both, because I felt that both were equally pitiful.
However, after we chose, the backgrounds of the two people in the pictures were revealed. The man in the first picture had only one arm, and he collected discarded items and kept them on his pushcart, moving around and scavenging to survive, but recently his pushcart along with almost all his items was stolen, and now he just sits down and begs for money to survive. The woman in the second picture, was actually part of a syndicate, where she was forced to carry a child and walk around, gaining people's sympathy and begging for money. The money that was earned from begging would mostly go back to the syndicate and the woman would not earn much. We were then asked to reconsider our choices and this time I chose to help the man only. If I helped both of them again, and also gave money to the woman, the woman would continue to be used by the syndicate, as the syndicate might think that the woman is useful for begging and not let her leave. I would harm the woman more than I help her in my opinion. From this task, I learnt that we should not simply assume that what we see is true and gained a better understanding of seeing things from different perspectives.
For the second CID lesson, the homework was to observe what is school life like in RV, to take pictures with examples of school spirit, happiness, fear, and life. From this task, I saw that school life in RV is fun, but at times also stressful. In the canteen, especially during recess or lunch, it will be full of students talking, buying food, laughing, discussing about the events of the day or homework, or just doing their own things. It is full of life and happiness. However, in the classrooms, or library, there will usually be students studying for tests, or doing homework. RV is good school and the work load will usually be quite heavy and stressful for students at times. From this task, I have a better understanding of observing life around us, and also of school life in RV.
