I object

Whenever students are asked to list the characteristics of their best teacher, they automatically put down the following as one of the important characteristics: “treats students equally”.

I used to think that this is very important; as a teacher you have to treat your students equally to be fair, but the other day I discovered that students shouldn’t be treated equally if I want to be really fair. Why? Since students are not similar and they don’t all have similar life circumstances, problems, responsibilities, or needs.

Take for example one of my students who came to class 10 minutes late, because I believed in equality I treated her like everybody else; so she wasn’t allowed to come in. The irony is that, her class and roommate told me that I would feel pity for her if I knew what she’s going through, but I didn’t take that seriously and my reply was that she is like everybody else she should set coming to class on time as her priority; especially this wasn’t her first time. In the end I discovered that she has a severe case of migraine, she spends nights of intolerable headaches and barely sleeps, sometimes very few hours a week.

This case changed my opinion. Yes students should be equally respected but shouldn't be equally treated, and we should understand their differences and treat them as they deserve and need, not as their friends are treated because they will never be equal entities.