Activity 1.1 | Thinking About Inclusion

Fairness

Fairness is difficult to define. What is fair to one person may not seem fair to another. 

We have a bag of cookies, and we give everyone one, and that seems fair, but perhaps one child is two and happy with one cookie while the five-year-old wants another as she did not have breakfast. If we had another, maybe we would give her one. The two-year-old does not necessarily mind, especially if we explain. 

It might be unfair to allow one child to have a longer turn on the swing, but you realize he needs the time. Sometimes, we use fairness to excuse ourselves from making a difficult decision to allow something for a child who needs it when we would normally not do that for other children. This is an interesting conversation to have with your co-workers.

Reflection

Think back to a time when you had to make a decision that felt "unfair" to some but necessary for the well-being of an individual. How did you navigate that situation, and what did you learn about fairness from the experience? How might you approach discussing these decisions with colleagues or others involved?

Capture your reflection in your journal.