Teacher Explains Why Students Can’t Truly Be Treated Equal

21-year-old Aimee, who goes by the handle @aimeesadvantures on TikTok, is a third-grade teacher from Utah who implemented an impressive technique for teaching little ones about equity. In a video that has gotten more than seven million views, Aimee shares a simple way to educate others about equity.

To start her video, Aimee explained that she used band-aids as a helpful teaching tool. She revealed that she asks her students if any of them have ever bruised their elbows. Of course, the children raised their hands to signal that they had experienced a bruised elbow before.

When several students raise their hands, she asks one of them to explain the circumstances surrounding their injury. At this point, Aimee hands the kids another band-aid and says, “Here’s a band-aid for your elbow.” The children are understandably confused by her gesture, as a bandage for an elbow does not help someone who has bumped their head.

She continues the same routine before telling the children, “I’m so sorry you scraped your knee, here’s a band-aid for your elbow.” The kids are beyond confused by this point, but that is when Aimee educates them on the power of equity in certain situations. “Even though I handed the same thing (band-aid) to everyone who was hurt, it wasn’t helpful to most of them,” she explained.

Not every child needs certain things such as a fidget spinner or noise-canceling headphones, but it seems “unfair” if a certain student gets something while others do not. Aimee’s method accurately portrayed a “fair” situation where everybody getting the same thing was not beneficial to each child’s specific needs.

“After this lesson, students are much more understanding when their friends with diabetes need an extra snack, when their friends with autism need noise-canceling headphones,” she said. “When they’re friends with someone who has ADHD and needs the fidget-spinner. It helps with everything.” Aimee’s technique has been so valuable to her students that she wanted to share it on TikTok.

A fellow teacher wrote, “I’m teaching a diversity club and this will be great for teaching equity vs equality! Thank you!!” Another commenter who aspires to become a teacher was quick to comment, saying, “It also covers empathy! As a future teacher, I’m taking notes.”

“Quick now teach all of the adults,” wrote one person while another said, Can you explain this to Congress?” One woman wrote that Aimee’s explanation even helped her grasp the concept of what it means to be truly fair, writing, “Kids were confused?! Heck I’m 26 and I was confused until you explained.”

The positive feedback Aimee received from the video has been astounding. She has periodically reposted the viral video to her TikTok account along with the caption, “The video that changed my life,” and has garnered thousands of views each time.

Understandably, some kids tell her that “it’s not fair” when a diabetic classmate gets candy to regulate their blood sugar while the other kids don’t. Amazingly, Aimee revealed that all she needs to do is say “band-aid” and her class immediately understands.

Being a teacher requires the ability to be flexible and to understand every child. Therefore, Aimee acted out several examples that might suit one student but not another. In one instance, she outlined why a fidget spinner could be very helpful to a student with ADHD, but it could also act as a distraction to others.

Aimee’s TikTok videos have collectively amassed more than 3.8 million views. As people around the world utilize similar teaching methods to educate their students on the importance of equity, Aimee’s video continues to be an eye-opening experience for those who watch it.