Lucky for you, as a ridiculous optimist, I hold high expectations that I intend to have reached! My expectation is that whomever reads the following words will want to remember them, take notes and maybe even pass the link along to someone else who might benefit from being part of this discussion. I also expect that you will have fun while you read, see a bit of yourself within my words, and perhaps find yourself quietly exclaiming, "I never thought of that!" or "Wow, that's exactly what I believe!" My absolute favorite would be if your mind takes you to wonderful places that help you to create a haven in your classroom or home where children can flourish and grow more exuberantly than they even did in the past!
Expectations: those not-yet-realized hopes and beliefs we have, are incredibly powerful. Expectations set us up for future success, and pave the way for those we teach. Read that again...please...so that you understand how advantageous or detrimental our expectations are in terms of our interactions with others. The people around us will live up to our expectations, therefore we should not expect to get more from them than we expect; AND, we should be sure to expect from them what we are willing to accept. An example that comes to mind is the parent who frustratingly counts, "One...Two...Three..." for their child to decide to acquiesce. I for one could not accept my children listening to my directive after a count of three. Why would I? And the truth is, those parents also want their children to listen immediately...but they have lowered their expectation instead of teaching their child to reach higher. How will that go in a dangerous situation when immediate response is needed? But that's another post. For this one, let's just decide that the expectations we set, now in the comfort and relaxation of summer, when we are not distracted by the reality that children bring into the classroom, are the ones we will hold them to...the ones we will expect them to grow to reach. And they will, if we are steadfast!
To be sure, we cannot control the actions of others. We all know that. Our colleagues and students have their own ways of acting and doing things. But we can influence how they will choose to act around us. My expectation is that my classroom, and even just the space around my physical being, is a place of peace, safety, kindness and calm. As such, when anyone is around me, I expect them to feel my presence and to not attempt to change my aura at all. My expectations are high, and they are intended to be met. Period.
What expectations do you have for the upcoming schoolyear? Do not spend the next weeks immersed in dread of what is to come or it will be difficult to have your energy create expectations that will breathe life into your teaching. Let your energy be the excited energy that brings great expectations and new ideas. Writing that line just made me think of the book, Great Expectations. At one time I know it was required reading, but I'm not so sure I spent a lot of time doing what I was supposed to do at that time (sheepish eyeroll inserted as a current teacher of Language Arts), so I just looked up, "Why does Great Expectations have that title?" Look what I found!
"Pip’s desire for self-improvement is the main source of the novel’s title: because he believes in the possibility of advancement in life, he has 'great expectations' about his future." (Sparknotes said that...)
How awesome is that for us right now?!?! We, like Pip, should spend our energy over the next few weeks, desiring self-improvement and believing in the possibilities of creating a wonderful place of learning where we and our students will want to be. We can only expect children to feel as good as the vibe we create in our building and classroom. If we set our expectations to a level of greatness, that is where we shall meet our students over the months that follow. NEVER should we alter our expectations because of the actions of others. If we spend this summer time building the expectation within ourselves, then we will be in a position to offer it to others, and we will be resistant to anyone causing us to lower our expectations. Will our students immediately meet those expectations? Probably not. But we must be patient in order for them to grow to reach them. How wonderful it will be to spend the school year in a classroom that is built upon the belief that everyone can grow to reach as high as our expectations!
