The Power of Language

Fair versus Equal

Fair versus equal is something all educators struggle with grasping. It's a hard technique to master because we want to make sure we're giving each student the amount of opportunities in class. That would be fair and equal would be providing the right supports for each student to met or excel in those opportunities. The easy way out would be to just provide the opportunities and help all the students to complete the tasks in the same way. The hard, yet most beneficial way would be to figure out what each students' strengths and weaknesses are and use them help the students excel in the tasks. With the given curriculum and daily tasks, it seems nearly impossible to work the students strengths and weaknesses but we need to develop the time in order to  help them succeed. 

Achievement Gap versus Opportunity Gap

There is an achievement gap not only due to the lack of opportunities but I believe it relates back to the fair versus equal. Students may not be succeeding in class because there aren't specific supports for their learning styles. When their needs aren't met as learners they struggle in class and as a result fall behind because the support isn't there. There is also an achievement gap due to the lack of opportunities. Students who aren't getting the support will not qualify for possible scholarships or other offers resulting in the lack of opportunities the students will receive.

"At Risk"

The term at risk immediately sends a red flag. I think it automatically puts a label on students before we actually get to know them as individuals. Students who come from difficult family backgrounds and struggle in school are these "at risk" students. Whose to deem them as at risk? Personally, I was a student who came from a difficult family situation (single parent home), in an urban area and by definition I would be coined as "at risk". However, my educators and mentors did not label me at risk therefor I was aware or opportunities and took advantage of them. So as educators we need to discard the "at risk" label and get to know our students individually to be able to help them succeed so they would fall into the stigma and make them a product of their environment.