Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“Is there a rule at school you think a teacher enforces unfairly? Tell me about it.”
What to listen for
If they launch into a detailed case, they're building the skill of noticing unfairness and want to know an adult will actually hear them out, not dismiss it as complaining.
If they seem hesitant to criticize a teacher, reassure them this is a safe space to think out loud, kids this age often worry that noticing unfairness means they'll get in trouble for it.
If they insist everything's fine, that could be true, or it could mean they don't yet feel it's safe to question authority out loud, either way, thank them for whatever they share.
What this tells you
How they talk about fairness at school shows whether they feel safe voicing disagreement with people in charge.