Our expectations of our students go a long way in determining if a child is challenged or not. A challenging curriculum doesn't equal busy work or unnecessary tears. It should mean taking a child where they are at and pushing them to the next level. Learning isn't always easy. Students who make straight A's without batting an eyelash are probably not being challenged. We need to continue to set the bar a little bit higher each time they engage in a new task.
Years ago, I worked in a retail store. Each day we set a sales goal, but we always set it a little bit higher than our average sales for that day of the week. Imagine if we set our goals to an average standard each week. Once we meet our average we probably would wind down and close out the day. But instead, we set our goal higher. That means we had to work harder to achieve our goal, and most of the time, but not all of the time, we did just that. Our average daily sales crept up as did our expectations. In the end, we out performed our goal.
Set goals so that they are above your general expectations, but still reasonably attainable. If students continue to slide -make A's without working hard, or fail without really trying -then we are not teaching our students the value of hard work. The A student will eventually run up against a wall. The failing student will eventually shut down. Neither child will develop a work ethic or a sense of personal pride and intrinsic reward after accomplishing a difficult task.
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1:00 p.m. EST is the official moment of remembrance for 9/11. May the victims of that day rest in peace, and their families and friends find peace in their hearts. Take time to remember. Take time to reflect. Take time to take joy in the life we've been given and our blessings. In the daily grind of life, it's easy to forget what's important until tragedy strikes. Don't forget to tell your loved ones that you love them. God bless America.
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