I (really really really) strongly agree with having high expectations. But, I think the point you are trying to make (and correct me if I’m wrong) is that you must scaffold and meet your students where they are before you can bring them up to the level of rigor you must have in your class.

I think this is illustrated by your comment of “when you make things too complicated…” High expectations and a rigorous class does not have to be complicated, and, in fact, it should be complicated. Because you should have built the ladder with scaffolded material before jumping in to an ambitious and rigorous topic.

Scaffolding doesn’t mean that your expectations are lowered. And it is possible to maintain your high expectations.

We’re not superheroes.

But the kids aren’t charity cases, either.

High expectations can be as simple as remembering that any child can get excited about learning. That doesn’t mean that all of them will, though. Try as we might, some of them are preoccupied with other things, and we won’t always win that battle.

Today’s high expectation? “Sit down, young lady. I am not going to let you waste these other children’s time, and you are too bright to be making such a fool of yourself.”

She sat down, too.

I would like to know if you do everything you feel a good teacher should do. How many years have you been teaching? I work from 8am to 5pm everyday. Sometimes until 8pm. I spend my entire Sunday planning lessons, making assessments, and getting instructional materials together. The only day I have for my family, who need me, is on Saturday.
So you propose I give up my only day to help the students who will sit idly in my class and not attempt to finish assignments. Even when I send assignments home, the parents don’t even help them complete these assignments.
We are teachers, we are not these students’ parents. There needs to be more parental responsibility, and less blame on teachers.

And the fact that you cannot understand the OP leads me to believe that you are completely out of touch with reality. When you are a new teacher you feel high expectations means that if you believe a child can do something, they should be able to do it, but as a new teacher we forget The Zone of Proximal Development, and set unrealistic expectations. That is what he is trying to say; don’t start with unrealistic expectations.

I have very high expectations for my students, but I will not set them up for failure. I will provide them work they can feel successful with, and then work them up.

Btw, I teach in a NYC public school, that has successfully raised student scores. My children attend a NYC public school, and are excellent students. Just because there are teachers that clearly do not belong in the classroom, do not judge all others based on your misconceptions.

Laura/Steph, I don’t need to spend extra hours and weekends working with these students. I have been teaching for ten years and have no problem helping them during the school day, as it should be. I teach the lessons well enough that 80 to 85 percent of the class can do their work independently. If they can’t, then either the lesson wasn’t taught well, or it is way over their heads and needs to be broken down into smaller lessons, or just scrapped all together. I spend enough of my own time at home grading papers, lesson planning, and communicating with parents. That doesn’t make me a lazy or mediocre teacher. I am just an efficient teacher. The Government pays for tutoring for the Title One students who are way below standards. So if I stay after school and tutor, then I get paid for it. One thing I can’t stand is a teacher with poor grammar! Not only does it set a bad example for the students, it gives teachers a bad wrap! Try using your grammar and spell checker if you cannot do it on your own.

Anyway, on the subject of high expectations:

When I first started teaching fourth grade, I began in a different district than where I student taught. To my shock and dismay, the students’ abilities were much lower just 12 miles down the road. The district’s expectations were even lower than mine! My expectations were so high, that I left myself open for nothing but frustration and disappointment. Over the years I have adjusted my expectations to reach the “upper middle” level of the class. This way, the excelling students still excel, and the rest of the students fall almost exactly where they should on any bell curve. Then I found that I don’t like seeing a lot of C’s and some D’s and F’s, so I adjusted them again. My graph looks more like an “on ramp” to the freeway now! It begins with one F, one D, a couple of C’s and the rest A’s and B’s. This way, the students feel successful, and I am happy. I gradually increase them as the year goes on and I have gained their respect and established relationships with them. Three years in a row, 100 percent of my students passed all 3 of the State Tests. However, last year, one “lazy” student who was crippled by his parents because they do EVERYTHING for him, didn’t pass the math test. Nevertheless, each year I have found that I must adjust my expectations to meet the needs of my new students. (Academic and Behavior)

Why does it seem that each year comes with worsening behavior, diminishing respect, and a rising percentage of students who are “above the rules”? Not to mention, a lack of critical thinking and problem solving skills. I haven’t changed! Where can I get a new book each year that will evolve with our changing society? How can I get parents to stop doing EVERYTHING for their kids? How can we remove some of life’s quick and easy solutions? It’s ruining our kids’ brains!! And, motivation to do well is superseded now by a motivation to just hurry up and finish!

I am beginning to believe that 50 percent of elementary students have a significant attention problem as a result of all the electronic entertainment!

Gary, I found your book on Amazon.com and can’t wait to get it! It sounds like you and I started out teaching the same way. (Softies)

http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Disciplinarian-Management-Eventually-Successful/dp/1877673366/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

Have a great day!
Kelly

Just a note of clarification: the Mississippi Teacher Corps is not an off-shoot of TFA. MTC is a state-wide program founded in 1989. That being said MTC and TFA draw many of the same kinds of participants, work in similar settings, etc. Oddly enough MTC was co-founded by a Harvard student while TFA was founded, at almost the exact same time, by a Yalie.

Wish I could say I’ve enjoyed the debate, but clearly Laura has never taught…

Ben Guest

You should know that this idea that you’ve been so against (that it is possible that some new teachers set unrealistically high expectations, which could lead to less learning) is not a controversial point of view to Teach For America or related programs. See the comment from the program manager of the Mississippi Teacher Corps (which is an offshoot of Teach For America). It’s just part of being professional, knowing what the right amount is to push your students. Teach For America tells the same thing to the corps members in their training, though they say it less bluntly than I do, I’m sure. My complaint wasn’t that TFA wasn’t trying to convey this message, just that they didn’t succeed with that new CM with the Brit Lit reading list. This is the reason that only you and your buddy Steph are the only people fighting with me about this post.

I don’t know a lot about the British educational system, but I’ll try to explain things in terms that you might understand. Maybe all the schools are as good your esteemed Hogwarts. But even there, the teachers know that you don’t try to teach more than students are capable of. You slowly bring them along until they are defeating Lord Voldemort. Why do you think they didn’t teach Harry the Patronus Charm until the third book? Was it low expectations? No. It was just doing what good teachers (like me) do. Figure out what students are ready for, pick a goal a bit beyond that, and keep doing that over and over, raising their skills that way.

You really don’t know enough about my track record and the results that my students have achieved to warrant all the insults you’ve thrown at me.

You also don’t know how much people have understood and appreciated my point of view.
See http://missbennettinthebay.teachfor.us/2008/06/24/an-open-letter-to-gary-rubenstein/ for an example from a very dedicated teacher.

I’m only bothering to dignify them with a response because I’m thinking that if you are a decision maker in a ‘Teach For England’ program, I’m hoping that I can teach you a little about training new teachers. I do believe that I can get through to you since I’m someone with high expectations for the people I’m trying to help.

And I’m not suggesting that teachers don’t challenge kids. The best teacher figures out what kids feel they’re able to do and then push them a little further than that. Then, little by little, you increase their confidence until they reach whatever your high goals were.

I’ve taught for 11 years and have always had high expectations. I’ve had a lot of success — had the highest percentage of students passing the standardized test, teacher of the year award, and a bunch of other stuff.

You need to understand that I’m not promoting low expectations. I’m asking new teachers to try to learn what the starting point of their students are as they try to set goals that their kids can reach.

Even if you look at that post of the British Lit topics that other CM proposed and then look at his or her recent blogs where he/she learns that some of his/her students are illiterate.