Last Tuesday, during my Values Seminar, we were all asked to split into 5 groups. Each group was then given an envelope, which all contained the same materials. Or so we thought. Initially I didn’t even clock on to the fact that other groups had more or even less resources than the group I was working with. We were right in the middle. We didn’t have nothing yet still we didn’t have enough, which ironically is where I’ve always been throughout my school career. Right in the middle. What’s funny to me is even after intently watching two other groups meticulously cut things out with scissors, the reality that we had less still didn’t register with me. After realising this, I began to understand that through conditioning and force of habit, myself and I’m sure many other students have only ever worked with what we’ve got. I’ve never asked for more even when I knew I needed it and although I thought it wasn’t so important back then, I know now that it was. I hate to think that children even now still feel that same way I did: too afraid to speak up and ask for the help I needed. By being put in that situation directly I feel like it made this issue even more of a reality. Of course I’ve always felt strongly about creating equity in the classroom and strongly advocate the importance of giving everyone the resources they need . But through this session I realised that it takes more than just saying it. It’s a much more complex process to create equality in the classroom and an even harder process to create equity in the classroom. But as an aspiring teacher these are the issues I want to tackle. I want to be more observant and prevent these inequalities from happening at the very start. I want to be aware of how prominent these issues are and be dedicated to each and every child’s needs. These are the very reasons I want to be a teacher. I want to be the person that can identify these struggles and break down the barriers that set our students apart. Teaching is so much more than just sharing information. It’s about building up life long skills and attitudes that create confident individuals who know that it’s okay to ask for help. I cant wait to be someone who can make a change, and possibly make equity in our classrooms the standard.