You Are Right, It Isn’t Fair
And it doesn’t (always) have to be
Teachers like rules. They like things to be fair: one rule (or often many rules) to rule them all.
This is understandable.
Schools require, and children often prefer, order, routine and predictability. And, it’s absolutely correct that all children should be treated equally. No favourites, no privileging, no one left behind.
But, we shouldn’t let this desire for fairness creep into all areas of school life. If the PE department can only meet at 4:30pm on a Thursday (because of other commitments), ALL departments shouldn’t HAVE to meet at this time … because ‘it isn’t fair otherwise’. And, yes, I’ve known schools who make this a requirement.
These cries for fairness are often louder in K-13 schools. Rules which work for Early Years teachers also have to work for Sixth Form staff, and vice versa. It’s average fit for everyone, rather than best fit for every department, section, or team. The result is often a mess of compromise and complaint. All in the interests of ‘fairness’.
In other industries it is (more readily) accepted that different jobs come with different expectations, different daily rhythms, and different rules. There’s grumbling of course, but cries of ‘unfairness’ are much rarer. Difference might be reflected in salary or in the accepted swings and roundabouts of workload over time. But difference does not always equal unfairness. It’s just, well, difference. Different people doing different jobs.
As educators we need to be better at accepting this.
It isn’t fair, it isn’t ever going to be — and it doesn’t always have to be.
Dr. Denry Machin is an educational consultant specialising in teacher training and new school start-ups. His latest book ‘International Schooling: The Teacher’s Guide’ can be accessed here.
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