Small Strokes Big Oaks

As a teacher, I do not believe that each student should be treated exactly the same.

This might seem like a shocking statement to you, especially from a blog titled Equality 101, but hear me out.  I absolutely believe that each student should have access to the same opportunities, and I believe wholeheartedly that each student should be given the opportunity to succeed.  But I do not believe that each student should be treated exactly the same.  Each student should not be given the exact same assignment as another student every time an assignment is given.  Each student should not be given the exact same reading material as another student every time reading is assigned.  And each student should not be given the exact same punishment every time punishment is required.

To me, equal rights for all in education does not mean each student should be treated the same.  It rather means that each student should be treated equitably (not necessarily equally): Each student should be given the ability to learn in the best way possible for him or her; Each student should be given every opportunity to grow and succeed and foster interests and lifelong learning; Each student should be given a punishment fitting the behavior and the student; Each student should be given equal and equitable access to every available program.

In the spirit of International Women’s Day, I’d like to acknowledge what I see as the single, most important piece of civil rights legislation for education: Title IX.  I know Tim will be blogging later about Title IX and sports, so I won’t go there, but as Emily blogged earlier, Title IX does not only apply to sports!  Title IX gave women equal access not only to sports programs, but to clubs, classes, employment, and much more.

As Emily states in her post, Title IX should be applied more to education than it is, but I do believe that, without it, women would not have the access that they do to educational resources.  I agree, we still have a long way to go, but without this legislation, equity wouldn’t even be an option.