It seems that, as parents and educators, we mold children's values and
morals. We teach them valuable lessons related to honesty, courage,
integrity, loyalty and so on. Yet it seems that we allow
children to dictate to
us
the concept of 'fairness.' When asked to define 'fairness,' most
children respond: "Fairness means everybody gets the same."
Unfortunately, we often allow children to convince us that this indeed
is the definition of that concept. As a result, we attempt to deal with
all children in an identical manner. When a teacher modifies a lesson
for an LD child or adjusts the course requirements for him, his
classmates charge that the situation is 'unfair.' Rather than respond to
their complaints, the teacher should explain that the mature
conceptualization of 'fairness' is not equal, identical treatment;
rather, 'fairness' means that every student receives what he needs.
Because each individual's needs are different, 'fairness' dictates that
their programs and expectations will be different. Children are capable
of understanding this concept if it is explained clearly and if it is
observed daily in the teacher's modeling behavior.
