Here's a true story that I read in a “great” book entitled, Developing the Leader Within
You, by John C. Maxwell.
A principal of a school called
three teachers together and said, “Because you three teachers are the finest in
the system and you have the greatest expertise, we’re going to give you ninety
high-IQ students. We’re going to let you move these students through this next
year at their own pace and see how much they can learn.”
Everyone was delighted––faculty
and students alike.
Over the next year the teachers
and the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The teachers were teaching the
brightest students; the students were benefitting from the close attention and
instruction of highly skilled teachers. By the end of the experiment, the
students had achieved from 20 to 30 percent more than the other students in the
whole area.
The principal called the teachers
in and told them, “I have a confession to make. You did not have ninety of the
the most intellectually prominent students. They were run-of-the-mill students.
We took ninety students at random from the system and gave them to you.”
The teachers said, “This means
that we are exceptional teachers.”
The principal continued, “I have
another confession. You’re not the brightest of the teachers. Your names were
the first three names drawn out of hat.”
The teachers asked, “What made the
difference? Why did ninety students perform at such an exceptional level for a
whole year.”
The difference, of course, was the
teachers’ expectations.
Our expectations have a great deal
to do with our attitudes. What type of expectations do we have for our
students? What kinds of attitudes do we project onto our students? By believing our students will succeed we
transmit an attitude that instills in them confidence, discipline, and hope.
Our attitudes are opportunities to
bestow success on our children. In other words: ‘Our Vision for our students becomes their Reality.’
K, you nailed it. I love this story. I'm actually going to try it in a future circumstance and see if I get similar results. Personally and professionally.
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