Supporting the needs of all

In the past, I have blogged about "fair not being equal".  Fair is the process of figuring out what each person needs in order to be successful and move forward with their learning.  Equal means that everyone gets the same thing, regardless of circumstance.

I am reminded of this again as we struggle to support the behaviour needs of a couple of students at school who are going through a difficult time.  The circumstances in each case are very different and therefore require a different approach.  The process of uncovering, and working with the student to figure out what they are trying to get from their behaviours is slow and sometimes frustrating as set backs continue.  Each of the students' issues are manifesting as outbursts of behaviour, in which case the notion of equal would mean that the same consequences are dispensed to each - but how would this support their particular needs and the particular struggle that they are facing?

I think that for the most part, our staff is extremely attuned to this notion of fairness over equality, but it is a struggle for everyone when we consider the competing interests.  As educators we want to take the time to help students learn from their mistakes, but we must also take into account what's fair for: other students who are faced with these behaviours, other staff who sometimes take the brunt of these outbursts of anger and frustration, and other parents who see the behaviour manifest but don't know the details behind the scene.  These are some of the factors that weigh in our decisions as to the best way to support the individual and the broader community of learners as well.

Treating everyone the same and handing out the same consequences in each circumstance would certainly make my life easier, but it would also take away our credibility as an educators.  Education is so much more than math and reading, it is the whole person that requires our attention, our support, and our love.  I am also reminded of advice a colleague gave me years ago:  "what is best for the student is not always easiest for the adults involved."  With this in mind, and with the many successes I have seen over my career, we continue to find what is best for the learner and work hard to make a difference.