This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents.

One of the biggest difficulties that many teachers face is grasping the reality that treating students equally is often not even remotely fair. In fact, fairness in most circumstances necessitates inequality.

One hallmark of a great teacher is that she is fair in her dealings with her students. He has different expectations for every student, but they are all equally achievable. Students with disabilities are one example that immediately comes to mind. We have to provide accommodations for their education. That doesn’t mean we are treating them unfairly, simply that we are adjusting their education to make it more conducive to learning and appropriate for them.

Today’s assignment
Realize that treating all students equally is usually unfair. Consider in your own classroom how you treat some students differently than others, and yet it is still fair.

There’s really no actionable item you can check off today, but in your mind (and on paper if it works for you), consider ways that fairness is not the same as equality…

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Circumstances | education | Equality | Fairness | General | Hallmark | Inequality | Students With Disabilities | Table Of Contents | Transformation Day | Transformation Series