I have three beautiful children, two girls and a boy. I love them all equally and have never worried that I might be playing favourites. They are similar and different at the same time and their unique personalities add so much to our family. Today my son said that since all parents have favourites, he wanted to know which of the three of them I preferred. And, the truth is that, I prefer all of them equally. I know it is widely assumed that parents have favourites. Perhaps some parents do; my own mother probably did or at least I thought she did, which makes me wonder if I've done or said anything to make my son think that I have a favourite child? Of course, he could have been pushing my buttons just to get a reaction from me. Nevertheless, he argued that we have favourite family members outside our immediate family, so by extrapolation the same can be said of a special preference for one of my children. I can't imagine having a favourite child and treating any of them...
This blog is a place to ruminate on the problems of teaching. If I am thinking thoughtfully, my posts will hopefully raise more questions than answers. By problematizing teaching we reflect on those questions that are constantly behind, in front, and at center of everything we do in the classroom. Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear what other teachers are thinking about on these and other issues. Cheers! Elisa