Last week my students in Health cried out in despair at the thought that one student was being treated less “equally” as another.  I brought up the discussion of fair v. equal and after a few minutes it became rather clear that as teens, they were having a difficult time understanding the dilemma associated with these terms.  So, I created a reflective piece for them to consider.  There were multiple scenarios provided and they needed to pick out which would be “fair” and which would be “equal.”  Following that was a series of questions, that I hoped would be considered and answered thoughtfully.  A copy of the assignment is attached for reference purposes (fair-v-equal)

One of my responsibilities as a Health instructor of young 9th grade teens is to impart upon them critical thinking, empathy, perspective, decision-making skills, and responsibility in all things health-related.  All things health-related is pretty expansive and stretches far beyond abstinence from sex, drugs, and other risky behaviors.  Teaching tolerance and understanding are probably the most difficult concepts for concrete teens to wrap their minds around.  They very often do not see the consequences of their decisions or actions until they are experiencing them.  I remember vividly my black and white concrete thinking of my teen years all too well.

Fair

Merriam-Webster defines “fair” in no fewer than ten different ways; most relevant to this post are: “6(a) marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism; (b): conforming with the established rules : allowed; 10 sufficient but not ample : adequate.”

Equal

Merriam-Webster defines “equal” in quite a number of ways as well.  Those most relevant to this post are: “(1)(a) : of the same measure, quantity, amount, or number as another (2)(a) : equivalent; (b) : like in quality, nature, or status; (c) like for each member of a group, class, or society; (3) regarding or affecting all objects in the same way : impartial.”

The responses I received were varied, but the gist was that they still believed that life should be equal over fair seemingly because if one person gets treated one way, they want to be treated that way as well.  Yet, when faced with a negatively equal situation, they were quite quick to jump over to the fair side of things.  Sadly, few took the time to consider the many significant considerations that impact whether life is “fair” or “equal.”  For instance, they were quick to argue only students who misbehave should receive punishment in a class, yet they refuse to come forward and report to the teacher who the jokester kids are out of blind loyalty to their peers, leaving the teacher with few all or none equal options, rather than the preferable fair options.

Further, the students have not quite connected with the reality of how deeply some beliefs run, preventing fair or equal treatment for all.  For example, consider the inequality in pay for women v. men.  According to The Gender Wage Gap: 2015; Annual Earnings Differences by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity – See more at: http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2015-annual-earnings-differences-by-gender-race-and-ethnicity#sthash.tBFSYiPv.dpuf:

The ratio of women’s and men’s median annual earnings was 79.6 percent for full-time/year-round workers in 2015. This means the gender wage gap for full-time/year-round workers is 20.4 percent. The ratio of women’s and men’s median annual earnings did not improve significantly during the last year, and has not seen a statistically significant annual increase since 2007.

Economy is another primary consideration that is often unconsidered by teens because they have as yet the experience of pinching pennies to pay this bill or that over something they desire more.  They often still believe money simply arrives like magic from atm machines and there is some never-ending supply for everyone, except them of course. Sometimes this is because the parents are still sheltering the teens from the harsher realities of financial responsibility and sometimes, they are fortunate that they do not have very harsh financial realities.

Interestingly, none of the students to date, even looked up the terms for comparison.  When I began grading their responses this evening, I found myself unable to put in comments playing devil’s advocate to their scenarios – poking holes in their tidy black and white thinking.  I am very fortunate to teach health because so much of life revolves around our social, physical, and mental/emotional health.  Plus, it is just plain fun to provide numerous “real” examples that become teachable moments almost every day.  I have as yet to have any student of mine say they did not learn a tremendous amount in my class, despite the fact that I am neither an easy “A,” and I require them to do multiple research-type projects.  By the end of the semester, they have come to realize that Health was probably one of the most important foundational classes they have or will ever take… not to mention the potential for saving their lives, many times over.

Works Cited

Equal. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equal

Fair. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair

Hegewisch, A., & DuMonthier, A. (2016, September). IWPR Publication. Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2015-annual-earnings-differences-by-gender-race-and-ethnicity