Quoting from another thread:



Going off of what was said, if you can't be both is it better to be fair or equal?

For those that didn't read the thread that Rodney is quoting that from, I said "Fair is not always equal" in reguards to how you treat your students in the classroom.

This is a dangerous philosophy, but I avidly believe in it. Too often kids, and even adults, think that fair is the same thing as equal. How many times as children did we say, "That's not fair, I wasn't allowed to go out until I was in high school, and you're going to let <younger sibling> go out in the 7th grade!!!" Anyone who has spent any time in a classroom has heard similar things with only the parameters changed. Students are not the same, their lives, prior education, family income, friends, home life and beliefs are not the same. Because of that, and in reguard to your question, Rodney, I say that it is better to be fair rather than equal.

With that said, there is a great deal of responsibility associated with taking that stand. You must not only be fair to the student you are directing it towards, but also thoses with which your decision affects.

PS - Gayle, could you delete the above copy of this post. I must have been signed out and it posted as a guest. Silly me.