Equality consists of treating people the same. No matter their race, ethnicity, language, gender, and socio-economic background. Educational equity is where educators treat all their students with the same respect. Teachers are making sure that students are receiving the adequate education needed in order to succeed as they grow older. A good education is what leads to a bright future. Educators’ teachings are what makes a school environment feel more equitable. With this being said, educators need to make sure that every student’s needs are being met, create accommodations where needed and create a safe classroom space where there is fairness and justice. This can be achieved with principles of distributing resources, creating opportunities and success for every student.

In order for an educator to create a school where equity is practiced within students. Below are some ways educators can show equity within their classrooms:

• Treat others the way you want to be treated: Make sure every student is well aware of the rules of how they should treat other staff members and students.
• Multicultural themed in-class events: Every week or month have a themed topic where you can encourage students to bring ethnic foods of a specific country or watch videos and listen to the country’s most popular song.
• Diverse lesson plans: Showing students books with people of color or having them read books written by people of color. Create a plan where everyone gets to participate and don’t ostracize any student.
• Accommodate for those who need it: If you need a student struggling with their vision move them closer to the front of the classroom. If a student while reading can’t see certain texts make their font bigger or have them listen to the audio book, if it’s an option.
• Testing a student’s learning: Understand that not every student is great at taking tests. Sometimes what a student needs is a different way of testing. Creating different methods for testing can help see if the student is actually learning.

• Different teaching methods: Not every student is an auditory learner. Students struggle trying to gain all the information the teacher is saying, so it is important to visually show what you are saying and using physical activities, if needed for the student to learn better.

With this being said, being culturally aware of what a student needs, creating a safe space where the student is aware that you as an educator know about their culture is important. As an educator, you need to know what best suits a student’s learning because equality in schools starts with educators.