Expectations
A lesson in expectations:
I was a chaperone this past weekend for the All-Eastern Honors Ensembles. This is an “elite of the elite” event for students of the Northeast states (Delaware to Maine). It includes band, orchestra, jazz, and choir (BOJC). The groups sounded completely superb. I am a seasoned veteran and I had my mouth agape at the sound that was produced by each group.
So, my story. The morning of the concert were the dress rehearsals, each group getting an hour on stage. The choir was huge, measuring 350 students. Obviously there was no place in the hall for them once the audience came in.
The choir/jazz concert was to start at 1pm.
The choir dress reharsal started at 11:30am. All students dressed and on stage.
At 12:30pm the curtain is dropped and the house is let in. The jazz ensemble will perform first in front of the curtain. The choir is told “we will wait here quietly until it is time to perform”.
At 1:00pm the concert starts. Jazz ensemble plays until 1:45pm.
Curtain is raised for choir at 1:50pm. They had been on stage for 2 hours and 20 minutes. All 350 had stood silently through the 45 minutes of jazz performance. They proceeded to sing like angels.
So….
Were the behavior expectations high for this group because they are elite?
Or…
Were they elite because the behavior expectations have been high?
March 13th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I think that both are correct- they are probably all self-motivated students because they have the discipline to practice long and hard enough to get to where they are. By the same token, when high expectations are placed on ANY student, they USUALLY rise to the occasion.
I really believe that students “give permission” for us to discipline them- that is they allow us to have a “hold” over them built on trust and relationship. Thus, my colleagues in other disciplines are always shocked when they see their worst behavior problem student excel in my class…