Expecting Less Than Excellence

From CURMUDGUCATION

Most teachers have heard it in the last year or two. It is apparently hardwired into all administrative training about new evaluation methods.

You will not live in Excellent (or above average or super-duper proficient or whatever language your state prefers). You will only visit. You will live in Mostly Pretty Okay (or whatever).

Imagine if we started out the year by telling our students, “You’ll only get a couple of A’s this year. You are never going to excel. You will only be mostly pretty okay the majority of the time.” And you’ll have to imagine it, because who would actually say that?! Not any Mostly Pretty Okay teacher, because we know that expectations matter. I tell my students every year that we are shooting for awesome. I tell them a gajillion times they can do this and they will be great. Because expectations matter. Read More>>