A few thoughts on Expectations

Having high expectations is a commonly used phrase, particularly in education, but have you ever stopped to think about why we should have high expectations? As teachers and parents, we place expectations on our children all the time. Whether those expectations are verbalized or not, our students and children will pick up on what is expected of them based on our reactions, throwaway comments, and feedback. How many times have we glanced at our children’s work or latest Lego invention and said ‘good job’, or ‘great effort’. Was it actually good? Was the effort that great? Our reactions and feedback will ultimately reinforce our expectations of them – low, high or somewhere in the middle.

Educational studies have been arriving at the same conclusion for decades, the higher the expectation the greater the level of achievement. As humans we respond to expectation. We can’t help but raise or lower ourselves to what is expected of us. What a challenge that presents for teachers and parents. What do we expect of our children? How do we convey that? Being a dad to three little boys, I can’t tell you the number of times I have set my expectations way too low. The end result is usually something like a room that wasn’t tidied properly, manners that didn’t quite hit the mark or a baking activity that leaves me doing all the cleaning while the boys lick the beaters!

Do I make my expectations clear and give timely feedback? When we give truly effective feedback, we don’t just say good job or great effort, we let children/students know specifically what they are doing well and what they need to do to make something better. When we do this we send a clear message that we believe in them, they are capable of more and their work is worthwhile. In other words, we set our expectations high and give our students the best chance at meeting them.

At PCS we desire that our students will work hard, not to impress teachers or parents, but for self-satisfaction. Producing our best is the best thing we can do. We want our students to be proud of their effort whatever the outcome. In producing their best effort our students (and all of us) show a strength of character and strength of character is what really helps us thrive at life. So as parents and teachers let’s make sure our children know that we expect great things from them. Let’s always convey our belief in them and ensure they know that purpose is attached to their lives. We can say this with confidence because we know it’s true. God made that promise in His Word. That is why I love education and parenting! What other professions provide such opportunity to help young people see themselves the way God sees them; valuable, unique, loved and set aside for good things.

Let’s always convey our belief in them and ensure they know that purpose is attached to their lives. We can say this with confidence because we know it’s true. God made that promise in His Word. That is why I love education and parenting! What other professions provide such opportunity to help young people see themselves the way God sees them; valuable, unique, loved and set aside for good things. Surely self belief walks hand in hand with God’s perspective, and with self belief our children will certainly meet high expectations. What expectations will you convey to your children and students today? Have a great week! Glen

What expectations will you convey to your children and students today? Have a great week! Glen

Have a great week! Glen

Glen

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