Mary's Minute
"Looking for equality everywhere is a huge mistake because equals are terrible and boring. But a sense of fairness and justice is a totally different thing and a much more complex thing."
- Josh Homme
"Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently.” -Tom Robbins
We often think of fairness and equality as synonyms when in reality, fair is not always equal. In terms of basic rights equality is important, and that is not what where I am going with this. We are not all equal. We are all created with unique skills and have different life experiences. The children we serve are far from the same in terms of skills, needs, and experiences. To be fair to our students, we cannot treat them equally. Obviously everyone must be accountable, and rules must be enforced consistently, but we always need to be aware of unique circumstances to fully meet students’ needs and to "be fair."
A powerful example of this happened recently on a bus. A Perry Central bus driver became frustrated with two misbehaving boys and pulled the bus over to give them a verbal reprimand. When the driver threatened to call their parents, the response was startling. The first boy said, "My mom and my dad don't even like me, so I have to live with my grandma." The second boy chimed in and said, "Well my mom is dead, and my dad is in jail." To be fair we need to be consistent, but all is not equal. Being fair means searching for understanding and facing each situation with compassion. Because fair is not equal we believe that we need to provide extra time for some students to meet the same goals. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly. Thank you, Perry Central staff, for understanding the importance of fairness from a stance of understanding and compassion. During this Appreciation Week and always you are appreciated for all you do to show compassion and fairness to our students!
Mary
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