Welcome To The Classroom

What is the level of expectation in your classroom? The expectations we set will determine the overall success of our students. If we set the bar too low, then there is nothing for students to work for. On the other hand, if we set the bar too high, students become discouraged, and they will stop striving to achieve the impossible expectations that we set. We need to set expectations that are just out of reach but attainable with hard work and discipline. 

When standing at the starting line of a marathon, we don’t look at mile 24. We look at mile one and push ourselves to get there. Once we hit the first mile, we can look to mile three, and so on. Expectations are no different. We set expectations just outside of the comfort zone, and once those expectations are met, we extend those expectations just a little bit further to encourage growth. When teachers set low expectations, students are not challenged. When teachers set the bar too high, students get discouraged and quit trying to reach an unattainable goal. The happy medium is setting expectations that force students outside their comfort zone but not so far that they are too afraid to try. 

An example of an unattainable goal is to expect students to sit for 7 hours a day and stay focused with full attention. This expectation is so astronomically high that it will lead to chaos and frustration in the classroom. On the other hand, if students have little to no expectations about talk and fidgeting in class, then the same thing will occur – frustration and chaos in the classroom. Did you know that the average attention span for children in elementary school is 25-30 minutes? It doesn’t get any longer for students in high school, where the attention span increases to 35-50 minutes. Knowing that our students don’t have the greatest of attention spans, we need to set up expectations that will meet them where they are at but force them to work a little bit harder to improve themselves. Expecting students to sit for hours on end, staying focused and paying attention, is unrealistic.

What are your expectations for the quality of work turned in? Do you allow students to turn in colorings and drawings that look like scribbled work and aren’t colored inside the lines, or do you expect students to have neat, clean, and organized work? Do you allow doodles on work turned in, or do you expect clean papers? In my class, I tell my students that I expect ALL work to be NCO (Neat, Clean, and Organized). Students who don’t follow my expectations must redo the work until it meets my expectations. Does this mean I deduct points if a line of color is outside the lines? Of course not. However, if I see multiple areas where the student colored outside the lines, they must redo it. I expect that students turn in nothing less than their best. This goes for every assignment they are assigned.

I hold this expectation because there is a lesson to be learned about taking pride in what we do and doing it to the best of our abilities. I believe we need to do a better job of teaching this concept in schools and society. We allow students and employees to do a haphazard job rather than holding them to the expectation of doing their work to the best of their abilities. We must expect nothing but the best from our students. With that, we must also expect nothing but the best from ourselves. We must never allow excuses to have a foothold in the classroom. 

What are your expectations for behavior? Do you allow students to put their heads on their desks while you are teaching? Do you allow students to slouch or put their feet up when you’re teaching? Do you let students talk over you when you’re teaching? Do you allow students to sit, waste time, and not do their work? Behavioral expectations are some of the most critical expectations to have in the classroom. However, as I have mentioned in previous posts, whatever you set as your expectations will not matter without consistency. Classroom behavior is a high indicator of how successful students will be throughout the year. 

In my 12 years of teaching, I have learned the importance of setting expectations at the beginning of the year. I explain to my students the “Why” behind my expectations. I also tell them that they are free to make whatever choices they want, but they are not free of the consequences of those choices. I reaffirm my expectations throughout the school year but make them a major emphasis the first two weeks of school. I give one warning to students who choose to not follow my expectations in class. After they exceed that warning, they are kicked out of my classroom to sit in the hall until I have a one-on-one conversation about their behavior. After our discussion, I tell the student to come in when they are ready to follow the expectations in the classroom. I also explain that they are still responsible for the work we are doing in class that they are choosing to miss. Depending on the severity of the student’s choice, I will either keep it between the two of us, or I will send an email to parents or call home. Ultimately, I remind the student of the expectations and that they are allowed to choose whatever actions they want, but they are not free of the consequences of their choices.

Whatever expectations you set in your classroom, it is vital that you remain consistent. Reflect on you expectations and determine if they are unrealistic, too allowing, or if they are just enough to push student to better themselves without getting discouraged. Expectations are critical to a good learning environment. However, the expectations we set need to set our students up for success. If our expectations are too lenient, they will get bored and create chaos. If they are too strict, they will discourage students and keep them from wanting to try. Set expectations that are just out of reach but are still attainable with a little hard work and discipline.