Is Schooling Equitable? 

           Schools today across the nation can differ an extreme amount from one another when many different factors play into this scenario. Although there are a wide number of schools providing a fair and equal environment for student there are many across the country doing quite the opposite.  In my personal experience, having the privilege of attending both a private and public school throughout the years I was able to experience the "best of both worlds". In a private school environment where parents must pay for their children to attend, I would say opportunities, resources, events and many other factors were fair when it came to faculty. As students continued their education to higher grades, extracurriculars involved within the school became less equitable for students that came from a less wealthy family or different races. Seeing this type of treatment must mean that there is bound to be areas where students are treated just as or more unfair than what I had been seeing. On the other hand, my particular high school, which was a public school, also provided a significant number of opportunities for its students treating everyone with fairness all around not only education wise but pertaining to extracurriculars as well. When thinking of how students are being treated in schools typically, I am able to observe that most teachers, coaches and staff are fair to their students, but the harsh treatment tends to come from fellow classmates. When students grow up around an environment making it seem like they are superior to others whether that be because of race, sexuality, economic status, etc., they are more likely to carry this mindset into schools with them. When beginning the school year, I feel that it is important to cover basic rules of how bullying or harassment of any sort will not be tolerated and to give students an understanding of what an equitable schooling environment looks like in order to create a healthy space for students to build one another up and grow. Although children play a big role in whether schooling can feel "fair" when it comes to their peers through respect, many teachers can also be held accountable for that unequitable space as well and it is crucial they are held accountable for their actions by other surrounding adults.