Creating and sustaining a culture and
climate of high expectations for each learner and learning begins first
with high expectations of self.
There are so many educators who exemplify the very best of this incredibly challenging and rewarding profession.
They expect the utmost from self day-in and day-out. They take their work, their craft seriously and sincerely. They wrestle with the reality that if their students aren’t successful they are not successful.
These educators are extremely critical of self and take full responsibility when a lesson’s objectives are not met. They don’t make excuses nor to they affix blame on their students or someone else. They own their work and thoroughly delight in the success, growth, and maturity of each learner in their care.
Sadly, these are not the educators critics of public education have in mind. These are not the educators our policy makers consider in policy decisions. No, these individuals are berated and beaten down by individuals, groups, and etc. that, if I may be so bold, have little or no sense of the depth of character, commitment, and passion expended on behalf of learners - all learners.
These are also not the individuals my comments are directed at especially related to creating and maintaining a climate of high expectations.
The school effects researchers were clear in their findings that schools and school systems that out performed the erroneously perceived demographic limitations of ethnicity and economics consistently and constantly practiced high expectations for each learner emergent from high expectations for self.
Expecting less than from any learner feeds into the belief that some children are not worthy of our very best every day, every hour. Creating and sustaining a culture and climate of high expectations is intentional. It is based on an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence - not perfection. It requires individual and corporate courage to not accept mediocrity or any form of compromise when it comes to preparing, planning, implementing, monitoring, measuring, adjusting or correcting instruction and learning.
High expectations fundamentally build upon the construct of self-efficacy. Differing from self-esteem, self-efficacy is about knowing one can perform, complete a task and be successful. Caring adults that stretch, challenge, support, encourage, guide learners fuel learner-efficacy - truth telling about effort and performance. Efficacious learners certainly experience setbacks and shortcomings but do so with the full knowledge that is temporary not permanent.
Efficacious learners demonstrate grit and perseverance and don’t easily give up or in to a challenge. They are more willing to take risks and try more challenging and difficult learning tasks because they have the full knowledge their instructors are in their corner.
Efficacious learners are the result of efficacious teachers who are in turn motivated by experiencing learners being successful as a result their guidance, instruction. This in an interesting cycle - learner efficacy interdependent on instructor efficacy - both reinforcing one another.
Interestingly enough, efficacious learners and instructors actually build leader efficacy.
Creating and sustaining a culture and climate of high expectations requires leadership with vision, passion, a sense of mission, and an unwavering commitment to what is good, right, and true – not what is easy or without conflict – high expectations is the first step.
There are so many educators who exemplify the very best of this incredibly challenging and rewarding profession.
They expect the utmost from self day-in and day-out. They take their work, their craft seriously and sincerely. They wrestle with the reality that if their students aren’t successful they are not successful.
These educators are extremely critical of self and take full responsibility when a lesson’s objectives are not met. They don’t make excuses nor to they affix blame on their students or someone else. They own their work and thoroughly delight in the success, growth, and maturity of each learner in their care.
Sadly, these are not the educators critics of public education have in mind. These are not the educators our policy makers consider in policy decisions. No, these individuals are berated and beaten down by individuals, groups, and etc. that, if I may be so bold, have little or no sense of the depth of character, commitment, and passion expended on behalf of learners - all learners.
These are also not the individuals my comments are directed at especially related to creating and maintaining a climate of high expectations.
The school effects researchers were clear in their findings that schools and school systems that out performed the erroneously perceived demographic limitations of ethnicity and economics consistently and constantly practiced high expectations for each learner emergent from high expectations for self.
Expecting less than from any learner feeds into the belief that some children are not worthy of our very best every day, every hour. Creating and sustaining a culture and climate of high expectations is intentional. It is based on an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence - not perfection. It requires individual and corporate courage to not accept mediocrity or any form of compromise when it comes to preparing, planning, implementing, monitoring, measuring, adjusting or correcting instruction and learning.
High expectations fundamentally build upon the construct of self-efficacy. Differing from self-esteem, self-efficacy is about knowing one can perform, complete a task and be successful. Caring adults that stretch, challenge, support, encourage, guide learners fuel learner-efficacy - truth telling about effort and performance. Efficacious learners certainly experience setbacks and shortcomings but do so with the full knowledge that is temporary not permanent.
Efficacious learners demonstrate grit and perseverance and don’t easily give up or in to a challenge. They are more willing to take risks and try more challenging and difficult learning tasks because they have the full knowledge their instructors are in their corner.
Efficacious learners are the result of efficacious teachers who are in turn motivated by experiencing learners being successful as a result their guidance, instruction. This in an interesting cycle - learner efficacy interdependent on instructor efficacy - both reinforcing one another.
Interestingly enough, efficacious learners and instructors actually build leader efficacy.
Creating and sustaining a culture and climate of high expectations requires leadership with vision, passion, a sense of mission, and an unwavering commitment to what is good, right, and true – not what is easy or without conflict – high expectations is the first step.
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