essay expectation to my teacher example

Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Teacher Expectations Play a Big Role in the Classroom. Here’s How

• Share article

(This is the first post in a two-part series.)

The new question of the week is:

What is the role of teacher expectations in instruction?

I’m not sure that we talk enough about the importance of teacher expectations in the classroom and hope that this two-part series might spark some conversation.

You might also be interested in The Best Resources for Learning About the Importance of Teacher Expectations .

Today, Nancy Frey, Ph.D., Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., and Whitney Emke share their responses.

Expectations Are “Everything”

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is a professor in educational leadership at San Diego State and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Her published titles include Visible Learning in Literacy , T his Is Balanced Literacy , Removing Labels , and Rebound .

Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High. He has published numerous articles on teaching and learning as well as books such as The Teacher Clarity Playbook , PLC+ , Visible Learning for Literacy , Comprehension: The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading , How Tutoring Works , and most recently, How Learning Works :

In a word, everything .

The evidence of the impact of teacher expectations on student learning is both broad and deep. Hattie analyzed 613 studies on teacher expectations as part of the Visible Learning database and found that student achievement tracks closely with teacher expectations . In some cases, race, ethnicity, language proficiency, disability, gender, even appearance can subconsciously influence the expectations of a child. In other words, the evidence is you get what you expect .

Expectations telegraph to students what the teacher believes they can and cannot accomplish. Many of these come in the form of actions, not words. Assignments are a stellar example of this. Educators rarely assign tasks to students that they do not believe most can successfully complete as a result of teaching. Education Trust explored this phenomenon in a series of Equity in Motion reports . They analyzed thousands of assignments in English/language arts and mathematics in the spring of the school year. The researchers found that a startling percentage of tasks were below grade level, focused on basic recall rather than analysis, and held a low cognitive demand. TNTP (formerly The New Teacher Project) further documented the long-term trajectory of low expectations over multiple school years, noting that some students fall further behind with each passing year and never catch up .

In no way do we believe that caring educators intentionally lower expectations. So how might we interrupt the damage that low expectations causes? We turn to the work of Australian educator Christine Rubie-Davies, who has researched how high-expectations teaching is manifested in daily practice.

• Communicate high expectations through your planning. Develop tasks that require students to engage in analysis and reasoning, not just simple recall of facts. Revisit tasks assigned in units to see if they align to the content standards and identify the high-level goals they should be working toward. Ways to increase the cognitive demand of tasks include asking open, rather than closed questions, withholding some information in tasks such that students must work together to locate additional resources, and requiring them to link new knowledge to existing skills and prior concepts.
• Group students carefully. Use mixed-ability groups that encourage students to work together to accomplish tasks. Use differentiation as it was meant to be used: The learning is held constant, while the pathways to get there may differ. Ability grouping widens, rather than narrows, learning differences, because it makes it easier to change the learning expectations among groups. And don’t forget to change mixed-ability groups every few weeks so that students profit from learning alongside each of their classmates.
• Set goals with students and assist them in monitoring their progress. Too often, students have vague and distant goals (passing Algebra 1; making their family proud) with little sense of the actions and incremental steps needed to get there. Meet with students regularly to set goals that are measurable, attainable, and progress toward long-term outcomes. Then ensure that students can regularly gauge their progress. For instance, make sure each lesson includes learning intentions, relevance, and success criteria and then pose them again near the end of the lesson. One frame is, “ Today we’re learning [learning intention] so that [statement of relevance.] You’ll know you’ve learned it when [success criteria.] ” At the end of the lesson, pose these as questions for students to answer with partners, as an exit slip, or on a Google form: “What did you learn today? Why is that important? How did you know you learned it? What do you need to be more confident in your learning?” Student responses to these questions are invaluable to the teacher, who can better calibrate their teaching, provide just-in-time supports to less confident learners, and make decisions about moving forward in the unit.

The good news is that students rise to the expectations we hold for them. Let’s ensure that our actions pair with the words of encouragement we provide.

Austin’s Butterfly

Whitney Emke is a former special educator and behavior interventionist who specialized in working with students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders and autism spectrum disorders. She is the associate director of communications for EL Education :

Austin, a 1st grader in Boise, Idaho, was once tasked with creating a scientific illustration of a western tiger swallowtail.

Not just a drawing or a picture , but an accurate, colored scientific illustration of the butterfly that could be used for identification.

His first draft was fine—it certainly looked like a butterfly:

But when Austin asked his classmates if they could use this picture to identify a western tiger swallowtail accurately, they weren’t so sure.

At a critique group facilitated by their teacher, Austin’s 5- and 6-year-old peers gathered in a circle on their classroom’s carpet to look closely at his butterfly alongside the picture he based the drawing on. They offered him Kind, Specific, and Helpful feedback . They said, “Make the wing shape more pointy,” “more triangular,” and “less round.” They also suggested he include the swallowtails—the extensions to the wing at the bottom.

Austin took the feedback seriously and revised his work. His second draft was better:

Often, teachers allow students to stop here. After all, the student completed the assignment and revised it based on a round of peer feedback—this is an impressive feat.

But Austin’s teacher had even higher expectations for these students; Austin and his classmates engaged in three additional rounds of feedback and revision. Each time, the butterfly improved even more, becoming closer and closer to a true scientific illustration before, at last, Austin’s butterfly emerged from its cocoon as an inspirational model of the impact that high teacher expectations can have on the quality of student work when coupled with rigorous peer critique and revision procedures:

Artwork by Austin, a former 1st grade student at Anser Charter School in Boise, Idaho

Twenty years after Austin created this original butterfly in 2002, the message behind his story continues to resonate with teachers and educational leaders across the country; in order for students to achieve more than they think possible, educators must first ourselves believe in students’ ability to achieve more than we think possible.

In Austin’s case, this deep belief in student achievement was coupled with clear, concise guidelines for success, which ultimately led to deeper, more equitable outcomes for all students in the classroom. His teacher leveraged practices like a high-quality student-work protocol ; the teacher began by choosing a highly complex, rigorous task for students—one that might be expected of a professional scientist even though Austin and his peers were just 1st graders—because they understood that in order for students to strengthen their intellectual muscles, the tasks we ask them to complete must stretch them cognitively.

From there, the teacher ensured that all students understood the expectations of the assignment and could internalize and implement the feedback they received from one another. At the end of the protocol, Austin and his classmates had created a body of evidence their school could use for years to come as a reflection tool on how student work has changed and improved over time in their building.

When educators set a high bar for student achievement, provide students with the right structures and support to meet that bar, and genuinely believe their students will meet it, all students can achieve equitable outcomes.

Challenges like Austin’s butterfly don’t need to be one-off activities, either. High expectations can and should be built in at the curricular level because we know that the expectations school leaders set in their buildings ultimately influence the expectations teachers set in their classrooms. Students deserve to be assigned complex texts—at or above grade level—and be regularly engaged in tasks that both stretch their abilities and grow their confidence.

In the fall of 2016, Hollis Innovation Academy in Atlanta, opened its doors for the very first time to welcome a set of students who almost exclusively came from another school that was closed due to underperformance; students who were “historically marginalized, consistently discounted, and often underestimated,” says school leader Diamond Ford, Ph.D. Ford and her colleagues were determined to provide these students with “a school that embraces their identity and empowers them to speak their truth,” as well as the “knowledge and the skill to dream bigger and lead choice-filled lives.”

A key element in Ford’s plan was providing teachers with a rigorous ELA curriculum to use in their classrooms, based on the evidence that improving curriculum can improve student outcomes.

Ford’s plan was met with concern. Detractors said that the EL Education language arts curriculum she selected would be “too hard for our students” and that they would become frustrated since they weren’t yet proficient readers. Instead, they urged Ford to consider low-level readers, which they believed would be the safest, surest way to ensure those students would make literacy gains.

Ford refused to back down and insisted on setting the bar high for students at Hollis from the start.

Her students would go on to not only meet that bar but to exceed it. When provided with a standards-aligned rigorous curriculum and the support needed to access it, students at Hollis began “facilitating their own learning, establishing their own projects, and just taking their education into their own hands,” says Ford. They went on to grow 18.9 points on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), compared with almost the same population of students a year prior while at their previous school. The CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform for educational stakeholders in Georgia that promotes college and career readiness for all students. Hollis’ success would become an exemplar for student achievement across three dimensions : mastery of knowledge and skills, character, and high-quality Work.

Austin and the students of Hollis Innovation Academy are extraordinary but not necessarily unique in this regard; in schools across the country—from Woodruff, W is., to Portland, M aine, to Detroit —we consistently see that when educators set clear expectations for students to create high-quality work while enabling and empowering them to meet those expectations, students will rise to the occasion every time.

Thanks to Nancy, Doug, and Whitney for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email (The RSS feed for this blog, and for all Ed Week articles, has been changed by the new redesign—new ones are not yet available). And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 10 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below.

• It Was Another Busy School Year. What Resonated for You?
• How to Best Address Race and Racism in the Classroom
• Schools Just Let Out, But What Are the Best Ways to Begin the Coming Year?
• Classroom Management Starts With Student Engagement
• Teacher Takeaways From the Pandemic: What’s Worked? What Hasn’t?
• The School Year Has Ended. What Are Some Lessons to Close Out Next Year?
• Student Motivation and Social-Emotional Learning Present Challenges. Here’s How to Help
• How to Challenge Normative Gender Culture to Support All Students
• What Students Like (and Don’t Like) About School
• Technology Is the Tool, Not the Teacher
• How to Make Parent Engagement Meaningful
• Teaching Social Studies Isn’t for the Faint of Heart
• Differentiated Instruction Doesn’t Need to Be a Heavy Lift
• How to Help Students Embrace Reading. Educators Weigh In
• 10 Strategies for Reaching English-Learners
• 10 Ways to Include Teachers in Important Policy Decisions
• 10 Teacher-Proofed Strategies for Improving Math Instruction
• Give Students a Role in Their Education
• Are There Better Ways Than Standardized Tests to Assess Students? Educators Think So
• How to Meet the Challenges of Teaching Science
• If I’d Only Known. Veteran Teachers Offer Advice for Beginners
• Writing Well Means Rewriting, Rewriting, Rewriting
• Christopher Emdin, Gholdy Muhammad, and More Education Authors Offer Insights to the Field
• How to Build Inclusive Classrooms
• What Science Can Teach Us About Learning
• The Best Ways for Administrators to Demonstrate Leadership
• Listen Up: Give Teachers a Voice in What Happens in Their Schools
• 10 Ways to Build a Healthier Classroom
• Educators Weigh In on Implementing the Common Core, Even Now
• What’s the Best Professional-Development Advice? Teachers and Students Have Their Say
• Plenty of Instructional Strategies Are Out There. Here’s What Works Best for Your Students
• How to Avoid Making Mistakes in the Classroom
• Looking for Ways to Organize Your Classroom? Try Out These Tips
• Want Insight Into Schooling? Here’s Advice From Some Top Experts

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column .

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

How teacher expectations empower student learning

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, niharika gupta and ng niharika gupta project lead - central square foundation sameer sampat ss sameer sampat co-founder - global school leaders @sameerksampat.

July 29, 2021

In primary school, we were both lucky to have teachers who thought we were brilliant: Ms. Darrow believed Sameer was an excellent student despite average grades, and Ms. Lewis made Niharika feel like she could survive anything. Looking back, neither of us knows why they thought this way, but we’re certain that they both truly felt this way, and their feelings made us believe it as well. Our time with these teachers made us believe in our ability to take on academic challenges, building a base of confidence that we would draw on throughout our lives.

We experienced firsthand that what a teacher expects from a student can have a powerful effect. But we also know that there are many students who never have a teacher who believes in them. There is a strong perception among teachers and other stakeholders that students from disadvantaged economic and social backgrounds cannot learn as well. These beliefs adversely impact what teachers do in the classroom and in turn how much students learn and grow. It’s precisely these students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have been hit hardest by COVID-19 and who need the most help. To bridge this growing inequality in learning, we must design support for teachers to nurture the belief that all students can learn.

The problem: The belief that all students can learn is not universal

We recently surveyed school leaders and teachers from India, Kenya, Malaysia, and Indonesia and found that only 48 percent of teachers in our sample believed that all students can learn, regardless of familial background or educational experience. This confirms a comprehensive World Bank survey of 16,000 teachers from eight low- and middle-income Latin American, African, and Asian countries, which found that a substantial portion of teachers believe they can’t help students who start out below grade level or come from troubled homes (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Teacher beliefs on their students’ learning abilities

Teachers underestimate the abilities of their students because of social attitudes and community prejudices. In low-income countries, the high social gap between teachers and students may reduce teacher empathy and motivation to work with their students.

Further, because school leaders and government officials rarely track teaching practices and student progress, teachers don’t internalize their responsibility toward ensuring all students are learning.

All of the above coupled with persistently low levels of prior student performance may reinforce teacher beliefs that not all students can learn.

Why the problem matters: There is a vicious cycle of low expectations

What teachers expect students to learn influences outcomes for their students. In a famous psychology experiment from 65 years ago , Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968) falsely told teachers that selected students were identified by a test to be “late bloomers” and would learn great amounts over the course of the years when in fact the researchers had selected students at random. A year later, the students identified as “late bloomers” had learned more than their peers because the teachers increased their support to these students.

Since this experiment, many other psychology studies have been done to replicate and understand the impact of teacher expectations on student achievement. In a landmark review of more than 30 years of research , Jussim and Harber (2005) find that while the original study may be overstating its results, teacher expectations do impact students, and this can be particularly strong for students from stigmatized groups. Rubie-Davies and colleagues ( 2006 ) found that teacher expectations of Maori students in New Zealand were lower than their peers, and can lead to lower outcomes. Recent research in economics to understand school effectiveness ( here and here ) in the United States find that schools that develop a culture that assumes all students can learn at high levels are best at raising the achievement of students from marginalized backgrounds.

Teacher expectations create a reinforcing cycle. Teacher beliefs about students’ growth potential shape those teachers’ actions, which then, in turn, impacts students’ growth, feeding back into teachers’ beliefs about students. In low- and middle-income countries, decades of underperformance of school systems have created a deeply ingrained belief that not all students can learn, which continues to limit the potential of these school systems to improve what they deliver to students (Figure 2).

Figure 2. The reinforcing cycle of teachers’ beliefs on student outcomes

How we can address the problem: Shift teacher expectations and behavior

Behavioral science has taught us that we must understand the mental models of key actors in a system to shift its outcomes. Sectors like health have extensively relied on learnings from behavioral science to improve health outcomes . In education, we must similarly research, develop, and test behavioral approaches to improving teacher performance. We suggest three broad categories of interventions for school systems to explore.

1. Develop leaders that build a culture of high expectations in the system

In a Global School Leader survey , we find that in schools where leaders do believe that students can learn, 54 percent of teachers also share this belief, compared with 37 percent of teachers that hold high expectations when the school leader does not. This reinforces studies that suggest that school leaders can increase teacher responsibility for student learning through organizational structures and discourse that help challenge existing beliefs . School systems should invest in understanding how they can grow and empower leaders to create an environment where the primary focus is on improving learning outcomes.

2. Explicitly discuss the power of teacher expectations

Pre-service and in-service teacher training must address the power of teacher expectations directly. Teachers can be supported to develop a growth mindset so that they view the problem of low student-learning levels as something they can change. Highlighting positive case studies that illustrate challenges that teachers and students face on a regular basis and ways they can overcome them can encourage teachers to reflect on the link between their classroom practices and the impact on students. Experiential training models can help teachers experience firsthand how their empathy for and expectations of students can drive learning.

3. Improving practices can shift beliefs

Beliefs can be deep rooted and hard to shift, but when teachers succeed in the classroom, that can also shift their beliefs on what students can achieve. Encouraging teachers to adopt classroom tools and effective pedagogical practices could help improve students’ learning levels, which could, in turn, shift teachers’ beliefs on student abilities.

Ensuring that all students have teachers like Ms. Darrow and Ms. Lewis with high expectations for their students’ success will require a totally fresh perception of students’ intelligence and ability. Until current practices address teacher expectations head-on and shift the “soft bigotry of low expectations” into the tangible empowerment of high expectations, students won’t reach their full growth potential.

Related Content

Nicholas Papageorge, Seth Gershenson

September 16, 2016

David Istance, Alejandro Paniagua, Rebecca Winthrop, Lauren Ziegler

September 19, 2019

Lauren Ziegler, Alejandro Paniagua

Global Education

Global Economy and Development

Center for Universal Education

June 20, 2024

Modupe (Mo) Olateju, Grace Cannon, Kelsey Rappe

June 14, 2024

Emily Markovich Morris, Laura Nóra, Richaa Hoysala, Max Lieblich, Sophie Partington, Rebecca Winthrop

May 31, 2024

• Environment
• Information Science
• Social Issues
• Argumentative
• Cause and Effect
• Classification
• Compare and Contrast
• Descriptive
• Exemplification
• Informative
• Controversial
• Exploratory
• What Is an Essay
• Length of an Essay
• Generate Ideas
• Types of Essays
• Structuring an Essay
• Outline For Essay
• Essay Introduction
• Thesis Statement
• Body of an Essay
• Writing a Conclusion
• Essay Writing Tips
• Drafting an Essay
• Revision Process
• Fix a Broken Essay
• Format of an Essay
• Essay Examples
• Essay Checklist
• Essay Writing Service
• Pay for Research Paper
• Write My Research Paper
• Write My Essay
• Custom Essay Writing Service
• Admission Essay Writing Service
• Pay for Essay
• Academic Ghostwriting
• Write My Book Report
• Case Study Writing Service
• Dissertation Writing Service
• Coursework Writing Service
• Lab Report Writing Service
• Do My Assignment
• Buy College Papers
• Capstone Project Writing Service
• Buy Research Paper
• Custom Essays for Sale

Can’t find a perfect paper?

• Free Essay Samples

My Expectations as a Teacher

Updated 12 December 2023

Subject Learning

Downloads 52

Category Education

Topic Teacher

There are rewards and problems that often form part and parcel of the teaching profession. They can be classed as either intrinsic or extrinsic depending on their effect on a teacher. The former classification refers to those effects directly experienced by the teacher while the latter is external. My expected rewards will include improved status in the community, desire to interact with students, and flexible work schedule while challenges entail meeting parents’ and students’ long-term aims, multidimensional classroom issues, and simultaneous class events.

The desire to work with students is an automatic reward that I expect to reap from my role as a teacher. As a teacher, I will have the ability to share with learners directly everything about life and study materials. I love it when I change the lives of others. As a teacher, I expect to change the way the students think and alter the pessimistic ones to view life in a more optimistic manner. In my viewpoint, I often believe that if a person could change one life of a person, it is equivalent to changing lives of a thousand more persons. It is because that one person can have an effect on others and the chain continues. One of my principles is that everyone is equal before God and no student is better than the other. Therefore, everyone has the capacity to reap the benefits of education.  

My status will change as a teacher since the community will entrust me with their children. In fact, I don’t expect, but it is something that will just come naturally if I do my work diligently. It is true that teachers spend the most time with students as opposed to parents. Therefore, as a teacher, the community entrusts teachers with the mandate to show their children the right way (Ryan, Cooper, " Bolic, 2016, p.5). It is something that I am prepared to do to the best of my ability. Therefore, the respect that a teacher reaps from the community is often immense and I expect to deliver the best ethics to students so that they can be responsible members of the society to earn equivalent respect among the school community.

As a teacher, the flexible work schedule is one of the most important rewards of teaching. I will have the capacity to control my lessons, determine which topics to tackle and at what time, and the ability to govern my lessons. Flexibility and self-control give the teacher to impact students’ lives positively (Ryan, Cooper, " Bolic, 2016, p. 6).  Also, being able to share the lessons and work schedule with my friends and siblings at home will foster my status as a teacher.

Meeting the students achieve the long-term goals is one of the toughest challenges that I expect to get as a teacher. Students have lots of things going on in their lives and maintaining the focus is often quite difficult. However, I will keep communicating with my students constantly to keep them on the right track. Undoubtedly, some students cannot visualize the benefits they may get out of education in future, and this makes it hard to convince them to stay focused in class.  The same case applies to parents. They often expect a lot from their children; therefore, they would expect instructors to achieve whatever they perceive.

Simultaneous class events may disrupt class activities. For example, a student may require special care while the lessons are ongoing, which may disrupt the class progress. I expect such things to occur, and some may even be more challenging to the best of my ability. In my years as a student, we had a student who was epileptic. Sometimes he would fall down when sick and this interrupted the lessons. Some students would switch off immediately while some would resume to normalcy after the incident. Also, I will be organizing students to work in groups in class, which is sometimes difficult to concurrently monitor. Therefore, such occurrences are natural, but they significantly upset class progress.

The multidimensional classroom is another challenge that I will expect; some students do need special attention to grasp concepts, some are nagging and are distractors, and any other associated issue. I will not need special skills to understand that students are diverse in terms of needs, study capacity, and concentration capability. There is no doubt that this is the most daunting problem that every teacher may face in a teaching profession (Ryan, Cooper, " Bolic, 2016). The concentration of other learners would still be jeopardized even if an instructor would try to solve them. Note that some scholars may even switch off completely in the presence of distraction in class while others may operate normally as before. It depends on the ability of a learner.  

As much as I prepare for the teaching job as a profession, the rewards and challenges are conditions I anticipate. Apart from salaries and benefits, there are other merits that are fundamental. As a teacher, I will gain a noble status consigned by the community, desire to interact with students and change lives, and lastly, flexibility in work schedule. Besides mentioning advantages, I expect to encounter challenges while disseminating mu duties in class. They may include living up to students’ and parents’ expectations and goals, simultaneous class occurrences, and multi-dimensional classroom situation. Regardless of demerits associated with teaching as a profession, it is one of the most respectable jobs that one would find on the earth surface.

 Ryan, K., Cooper, J., " Bolic, C.M. (2016). Those who can, teach (14th ed.). Boston, MA; Cengage.

Deadline is approaching?

Wait no more. Let us write you an essay from scratch

Related Essays

Related topics.

Find Out the Cost of Your Paper

Type your email

By clicking “Submit”, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy policy. Sometimes you will receive account related emails.

• Undergraduate
• High School
• Architecture
• American History
• Asian History
• Antique Literature
• American Literature
• Asian Literature
• Classic English Literature
• World Literature
• Creative Writing
• Linguistics
• Criminal Justice
• Legal Issues
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Political Science
• World Affairs
• African-American Studies
• East European Studies
• Latin-American Studies
• Native-American Studies
• West European Studies
• Family and Consumer Science
• Social Issues
• Women and Gender Studies
• Social Work
• Natural Sciences
• Pharmacology
• Earth science
• Agriculture
• Agricultural Studies
• Computer Science
• IT Management
• Mathematics
• Investments
• Engineering and Technology
• Engineering
• Aeronautics
• Medicine and Health
• Alternative Medicine
• Communications and Media
• Advertising
• Communication Strategies
• Public Relations
• Educational Theories
• Teacher's Career
• Chicago/Turabian
• Company Analysis
• Education Theories
• Shakespeare
• Canadian Studies
• Food Safety
• Relation of Global Warming and Extreme Weather Condition
• Movie Review
• Admission Essay
• Annotated Bibliography
• Application Essay
• Article Critique
• Article Review
• Article Writing
• Book Review
• Business Plan
• Business Proposal
• Capstone Project
• Cover Letter
• Creative Essay
• Dissertation
• Dissertation - Abstract
• Dissertation - Conclusion
• Dissertation - Discussion
• Dissertation - Hypothesis
• Dissertation - Introduction
• Dissertation - Literature
• Dissertation - Methodology
• Dissertation - Results
• GCSE Coursework
• Grant Proposal
• Marketing Plan
• Multiple Choice Quiz
• Personal Statement
• Power Point Presentation
• Power Point Presentation With Speaker Notes
• Questionnaire
• Reaction Paper

Research Paper

• Research Proposal
• SWOT analysis
• Thesis Paper
• Online Quiz
• Literature Review
• Movie Analysis
• Statistics problem
• Math Problem
• All papers examples
• How It Works
• Money Back Policy
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• We Are Hiring

Expectations for Student Teaching, Essay Example

Pages: 1

Words: 327

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

In my student teaching I attempt to emphasize knowledge gained by feeling. Feelings stir the intellect, provoke reflection, and inspire authentic inquiry. Through dialogue and independent and collaborative work, I develop my skills of imagination and reflection and put them to the purpose of understanding learning – to unveil what has been tacit and to make explicit my thought processes and the impact of my life experiences to my behaviors in classroom.

I believe each student comes into the classroom experience with different readiness, experiences, motivations, and perceptions and will therefore have somespecialwants from me as a teacher. While a lot of time spent on organizing, reading, and preparing, I do so with less anxiety and nervousness to be ‘perfect’. In reassessing my role as a student teacher, I realized my responsibility to improve my students’ proficiency fulfilled only part part of my responsibility to them. I had an equal responsibility to improve their learning. I needed to reflect on the implications of this new responsibility. I had always seen my role in terms of providing language support for my students until they were capable of assuming that role for themselves. I believeI will work diligently to further my skills.

Clear, measurable, and realistic – that is how I evaluate the efficacy of students process. A change in the quality of being, growth in the quality of consciousness, evolution of spirit: these are the results I am talking about. It is about who I am, not what I know. It is about why I do what I do, not what I say, or what I do. I teach students their roles and my expectations. As a student teacher, I work to identify readiness-to-learn moments. For example, I identifyrequired vocabulary and write them on the chalkboard, or I conclude a quick role-play activity to focus attention on the correct words or phrases to use. I conduct ongoing needs analysis so as to effectively prepare for whole-class and more individualized instruction.

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Louis XIV, Research Paper Example

Compassion: A “Universal” Value, Essay Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

• Our Mission

How Students and Teachers Can Develop Clear Expectations for Learning

Simply sharing what teachers hope kids will learn may not be enough—constructing expectations together helps guide students to understanding.

Ensuring that students are clear on the expectations of learning is one of the most effective ways to impact student achievement . Yet, I have found, through trial and lots of error, that establishing clarity is not a straightforward process for students or teachers.

There was an assumption on my part that if “I do” the sharing of expectations with kids, they will learn. I thought if I shared the learning expectations verbally, stated the goals clearly on the board, provided easy-to-read rubrics, and gave students time to write down the learning expectations, they would develop clarity. That didn’t seem to do the trick for most kids. Akin to hearing a lecture without checks for understanding, students watched me teach but didn’t take an active approach to ensuring that they understood the expectations of learning.

Next, I tried the “you do” approach by having students review an outline, preview a passage, or review a previously taught lesson to determine what we might be learning in the future. Again, the whole class came up short on what we were learning. Without my guidance, students strayed from finding the purpose of the learning.

After a time, I found that the best way for students to develop clarity of expectations was through a “we do” process, using activities where both students and I engaged with one another to build clarity of what we were learning together. Research calls this co-construction . I found that this process not only provided students with a better understanding of what we were learning but also gave me a better understanding of what students knew when we began a unit or lesson.

3 Popular Co-construction Strategies

1. Silent protocol: One of the most efficient and effective ways to co-construct expectations of learning is to show students the exact steps to successfully accomplish the learning goals you want them to meet. For example, simply show students an example of how to solve a math problem, but do so without talking. See if they can do the following:

• Write down the specific steps that you have taken
• Share the specific steps with their friends and create consensus
• Revise their steps after viewing multiple examples from you

Here are a few examples:

• The teacher solves several addition of fraction problems with unlike denominators and asks students to write down the steps that they took to solve the problem.
• The teacher writes three paragraphs of an essay in front of students and asks the students to write down the key steps that they took to write the essay.

2. Error analysis: Having students detect errors from others (either the teacher or their peers) is highly engaging and allows students to develop an awareness of common misconceptions. For example, in one class, students were told that they would be assisting the teacher in developing success criteria toward a goal (i.e., counting objects). The teacher began counting and making a number of errors, including repeat counting of the same object, skip counting objects, and repeating the same number in their counting. Each time the students stopped the teacher, the teacher asked these questions:

• What was the error?
• Why was that an error?
• How do we rectify the error?

After the discussion, students shared the steps they took and how to use those in the future. The next day, the teacher presented a rubric to support them in counting. The students thought the teacher should have the rubric up on the wall so that she wouldn’t forget how to count!

• Present students with multiple drafts of a scientific lab report, and have students serve as a senior editor to determine what criteria other editors should be using when assessing the lab report.
• Present students with drafts of paintings that have a myriad of errors, and have them determine the criteria needed to prevent such errors in the future.

3. Evaluating examples: One of the most powerful ways to ensure that students have clarity of learning expectations is to provide work samples. For example, imagine that a second-grade teacher was expecting students to write a personal narrative. He or she presents an example of mastery to students and asks each student to independently write down what they think makes the personal narrative successful.

Next, the teacher asks the students to discuss their criteria with a partner and then asks the class to create consensus on one list. The teacher then asks students to use their list to evaluate other work samples. In this last step, students debate and reference the mastery example when making claims. 

• Provide students with a recording of students reading a passage, and ask them to point out what they’re doing successfully to read and interpret the passage.
• Show students examples of successful art pieces, and ask students to identify the criteria for success.
• Show students worked math examples, and have them identify what success looks like.

• Teaching and Learning

What Students Expect from Instructors, Other Students

• March 23, 2010
• Maryellen Weimer, PhD

Some years back The Teaching Professor featured an article highlighting Mano Singham’s wonderful piece describing how he moved away from a very authoritarian, rule-centered syllabus (reference below). It’s one of my very favorite articles—I reference it regularly in presentations, and it appears on almost every bibliography I distribute.

Since its publication in 2005, Singham has continued to explore the role of the syllabus in his courses (and elsewhere) and has become even more convinced that many faculty are using the syllabus in ways that more effectively hinder than promote learning.

In a presentation at an International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning (ISETL) conference, Singham described an activity he now undertakes on the first day of class. Instead of distributing the syllabus then, he passes out a list of readings, a tentative schedule for the readings and a proposed list of paper due dates. Then he asks students this question: “What do you expect from an instructor who is giving 100% to the course?”

Here’s the list students came up the first time he tried this approach:

• Give students their papers back in a timely way
• Give students lots of criticism and feedback on their work
• Have passion for the material
• Listen and respond to student concerns
• Care not only about academics but also about students as people
• Realize that students have a life outside of class and not make unreasonable demands on them
• Not stick only to the class readings for discussion
• Take all questions seriously and not fake answers
• Provide inspiration to students so that they will want to change their minds

He followed that question with this one: “What would you expect to see your peers doing if they were giving 100% to the course?” And here’s that list:

• Doing the readings
• Listening to others and appreciating diverse opinions
• Learning from each other’s ideas
• Keeping things lighthearted
• Not putting down others if you disagree
• Showing up for every class and being on time
• Showing respect for everyone’s ideas
• Going beyond just academic conversation, bringing personal elements into the discussions too

Singham added three items to the students’ second list: responding thoughtfully to weekly journal prompts; being conscientious about sending weekly private emails to the instructor; and regularly checking the course website for information about the course. The activity confirmed for Singham that students do know what’s expected of them and have a good sense of what professors can do to support their efforts to learn in a course.

References: Singham, M. (2005). Moving away from the authoritarian classroom. Change , 37 (3), 51-57.

Excerpted from Expectations: Students Stepping Up, December 2008, The Teaching Professor .

Stay Updated with Faculty Focus!

Get exclusive access to programs, reports, podcast episodes, articles, and more!

• Opens in a new tab

Welcome Back

Username or Email

Remember Me

Already a subscriber? log in here.

Course Information Documents

9. my expectations.

I will be expecting very active participation from you. Since I can’t see you, I will need tangible proof that you exist and that you are working in a highly motivated way.

One obvious focus of participation will be in the class discussions. This should be taken very seriously. Since each module is scheduled for about two weeks, this is the time period during which the discussion must take place. Try to put some serious thought in what makes documents successful, both from the writer’s perspective and yours. I expect you to participate in the course at least three times each week. I will be looking for your work and ideas that often. Together, we can get a lot accomplished over the next 15 weeks.

I hope that a lot of the discussions are generated by you and your classmates. Sure, I’ll have some comments and suggestions once in a while, but I value what all you have to say. You all have experience as writers prior to entering this class. Have confidence in your abilities and help each other improve and strengthen your writing skills.

Obviously, this is an English course, so I will be expecting you to follow proper English rules in your writing. I also believe the need for rewriting can’t be over-emphasized. I expect you to write drafts, to work with those drafts and to edit final copies. Look for ways to improve your original ideas. Is there a better way to say it? Do you need to say it with so many words, or will a shorter explanation suffice? Rewriting isn’t just adding info. It’s adding and deleting info to best suit your needs and those of your audience.

Stay on schedule. Once you fall behind in an on-line course, you can’t catch up. Information will only be available for a certain amount of time. Essays have to be completed by the due dates, and homework and discussion activities have to be completed on time as well. If you are having any problems, let me know quickly. Together, we can come up with a solution that best meets the needs of this course and your future education.

I’m sure this is going to be a great experience for all of us, and I hope you will appreciate the benefits in using clear, concise written communication.

Academic Honesty Policy

All students are expected to behave with academic honesty. It is not academically honest, for example, to misrepresent another person’s work as one’s own, to take credit for someone else’s words or ideas, to accept help on a test or to obtain advanced information on confidential test materials, or to act in a way that might harm another student’s chance for academic success.

When an instructor believes that a student has failed to maintain academic honesty, he or she may give the student an “F,” either for the assignment or for the course, depending on the severity of the offense.

A student may appeal a decision on the charge of failing to maintain academic honesty according to the procedure described by the Student Code of Conduct in the college catalog.

• Authored by : Jeff Meyers. Provided by : Clinton Community College. License : CC BY: Attribution

Privacy Policy

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Expectations — My Future Expectations throughout the Semester and Life

My Future: My Expectations in Life

• Categories: Expectations Life Goals

About this sample

Words: 452 |

Published: Sep 1, 2020

Words: 452 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

6 pages / 2752 words

2 pages / 990 words

2 pages / 785 words

2 pages / 1179 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Expectations

In the short story "Wedding at the Cross," Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o weaves a poignant narrative that delves into the complexities of identity, social expectations, and the ramifications of colonial influence in post-colonial Kenya. The [...]

As I eagerly anticipate the upcoming academic year, my mind is filled with a multitude of expectations and aspirations. From the excitement of new classes and opportunities to the challenges of balancing academics and [...]

Gender expectation refers to a normative conception of appropriate attitudes and activities for a particular racialized and gendered group. My first experience that highlights gender expectations relates to my childhood, where I [...]

A College is dreamland of every student’s educational life and career. It is a beautiful period and picture of learning, enjoyment, freedom and friendship. Sweet memories of college life are simply amazing. They have an [...]

Gender, a mere noun used to define the two sexes of male and female, seems to be a simple classification based on biology. However, societal perceptions have long created a scenario in which it is believed that men and women [...]

Swirlies, nugees, wet willies, wedgies. We’ve all heard of them and some of us have had the unfortunate luck of experiencing them. If you are like me, when I was a 12 year old in 6th grade it was common to see “locker vandalism” [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Essay on Expectations In Class

Students are often asked to write an essay on Expectations In Class in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Expectations In Class

What are expectations.

Expectations in class are like a list of what teachers and students hope will happen. Think of it as a promise to do your best, be on time, and be ready to learn. Teachers expect students to listen, work hard, and be kind. Students expect teachers to explain things clearly and help them when they’re stuck.

Why Expectations Matter

Meeting expectations.

To meet expectations, students should pay attention, do their homework, and ask questions. Teachers should give interesting lessons and help everyone understand. When everyone does their part, the class does well together.

250 Words Essay on Expectations In Class

Expectations are like silent rules that teachers and students follow in a classroom. They are the things that everyone thinks should happen while at school. For example, a teacher might expect students to listen when they are talking, and students might expect their teacher to explain lessons clearly.

Teacher’s Expectations

Students’ expectations.

On the other side, students hope for a few things too. They want teachers to be fair, helpful, and make learning fun. When a teacher is nice and explains things in a way that makes sense, it’s easier for students to enjoy school and do well.

Respect and Responsibility

Both teachers and students should respect each other. This means listening, being polite, and not interrupting. Everyone is also responsible for their own actions. If you make a mistake, it’s important to say sorry and try to do better next time.

Working Together

When everyone knows and does what’s expected, the class runs smoothly. Teachers can teach better, and students can learn more. It’s like being on a team where every player knows the game plan and works hard to win.

Remember, good expectations make school a better place for everyone. When we all do our part, we can achieve great things together.

500 Words Essay on Expectations In Class

What are expectations in class.

Imagine walking into a room where everyone knows what to do. That’s what expectations in class are all about. They are like invisible rules that help students and teachers work together smoothly. These expectations tell us how to act, how to learn, and how to treat each other in school.

Why Are They Important?

Expectations for behavior.

One big part of expectations in class is how students should behave. This includes being kind, not talking when the teacher is talking, and keeping hands to oneself. It’s like being on a team where everyone has to play fair and respect each other. When students behave well, the class can be a happy place where everyone can learn and have fun.

Expectations for Learning

Another part is about learning. Teachers expect students to try their best, whether it’s reading, writing, or solving math problems. It doesn’t mean everyone has to be perfect, but it’s important to give it your all. When students work hard and don’t give up, they can learn new things and feel proud of what they can do.

Expectations for Homework

Homework is also part of the expectations in class. It’s like practice for sports; the more you practice, the better you get. Teachers expect students to do their homework and bring it back on time. This helps students remember what they learned in class and get ready for the next lesson.

Expectations for Participation

How to meet expectations.

Meeting expectations can be easy if you listen to the teacher, follow the rules, and try your best. It’s like following a recipe; if you do what it says, you’ll end up with a great cake, or in this case, a great day at school. If you’re not sure about something, just ask the teacher. They are there to help you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

24/7 writing help on your phone

To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”

My Expectations for English This Year

Save to my list

Remove from my list

My Expectations for English This Year. (2017, Jan 10). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/my-expectations-for-english-this-year-essay

"My Expectations for English This Year." StudyMoose , 10 Jan 2017, https://studymoose.com/my-expectations-for-english-this-year-essay

StudyMoose. (2017). My Expectations for English This Year . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/my-expectations-for-english-this-year-essay [Accessed: 28 Jun. 2024]

"My Expectations for English This Year." StudyMoose, Jan 10, 2017. Accessed June 28, 2024. https://studymoose.com/my-expectations-for-english-this-year-essay

"My Expectations for English This Year," StudyMoose , 10-Jan-2017. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/my-expectations-for-english-this-year-essay. [Accessed: 28-Jun-2024]

StudyMoose. (2017). My Expectations for English This Year . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/my-expectations-for-english-this-year-essay [Accessed: 28-Jun-2024]

• Science is all around us from year to year we hear about Pages: 4 (1038 words)
• Chinese New Year: Favorite Holiday Of The Year Pages: 3 (845 words)
• Factors affecting the english proficiency of fourth year students Pages: 11 (3204 words)
• Improving the English Language Skills of First-Year Students Pages: 5 (1374 words)
• English Essays Books I Read Last Year Pages: 3 (828 words)
• English Language and British English Pages: 5 (1348 words)
• English as a Global Language: What are 'Kachru's Three Circles of English'? Pages: 7 (1999 words)
• Understanding The Development Of English Renaissance English Literature Essay Pages: 5 (1253 words)
• English Romanticism And Its Characteristics English Literature Essay Pages: 9 (2580 words)
• Non-Standard English and Education According to The Logic of Nonstandard English by William Labov Pages: 5 (1258 words)

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

Use the End of the School Year to Express Specific Gratitude

Thanking your child's teacher benefits both you and your child in multiple ways..

Posted June 17, 2024 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• Find a therapist near me
• When giving positive feedback, be specific about what a teacher did that positively impacted your child.
• Don’t assume your child’s teacher knows how you appreciate their efforts with your child.
• Thanking teachers in writing and copying administrators can get you and your child goodwill.

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post about generosity . This month, I'd like to focus on the important quality that acknowledges generosity: gratitude . Gratitude demonstrates appreciation and offers thanks for others' gifts, help, or kindness. Both generosity and gratitude are qualities that draw others to us, and both can be cultivated and nurtured in even very young children. To do that, though, we may want to start with ourselves.

While most of my posts have explored ways parents can positively affect their children's well-being in school, I am going to take a more indirect approach in this post by encouraging parents to show gratitude toward their children's teachers. Shifting focus from your children to those who teach them gives you an opportunity to boost the morale of teachers you appreciate and, if your kids are older, to model showing your appreciation. It can also have long-term benefits for your children and to your reputation among their teachers, and it can even positively affect the children those teachers teach in the future.

You may be surprised to learn how rarely parents or students thank teachers for the time and effort they take to guide and instruct their students. The reality is that teachers are leaving their classroom careers at higher rates than ever. They are increasingly burdened by enormous workloads and demanding administrators and often feel underappreciated by parents and students. COVID exacerbated this situation, and it was the last straw for many exhausted and underpaid teachers.

The end of the school year is a perfect time to let the teachers for whom you have been grateful know about the differences they made in your children's lives. If your children's teachers encouraged them, inspired them to believe in themselves, gently pushed them to be their best selves, or even saved them from themselves at times, letting those teachers know that you are aware of and appreciative of the special care they gave your kids will make them feel seen and valued.

Parents of especially challenging children—perhaps those with a learning or behavioral issue—may feel grateful that a teacher kept them from being marginalized in the classroom, building bridges that helped the other kids work with theirs. Parents of high-achieving children may feel fortunate that a teacher went out of their way to suggest extra reading or enrichment opportunities to encourage their kids' enthusiasm for a subject. If you know that your children are easily triggered, but they have a teacher who thinks they are fabulous, acknowledge the teacher's skill at anticipating triggers and avoiding the kinds of tricky outcomes you have seen in past years. These kinds of teachers are exceptional and need to hear it.

Expressing your gratitude in writing is best because it can be looked at for years. I know teachers who have a folder in their desks called their "rainy day file" containing messages that remind them on challenging school days why they get up every morning to do what they do. If you send an email, consider cc-ing the teacher's supervisor. School administrators rarely get to watch their faculty in action, so giving them glimpses into talented teachers' classrooms will make them feel proud, too. Administrators may even share your words about the teacher with the rest of the faculty as an example of the kind of teaching valued in their school. It also keeps special teachers in mind for teaching awards and other opportunities to showcase what they do well.

Many parents send their kids to school with token gifts for teachers on the last day of the year. The kind of note I am talking about is more personal and specifically directed at expressing how teachers made a difference in your kids' lives. The more specific you are in describing what you have appreciated, the more likely these teachers will be inspired to continue teaching with the attentiveness and passion they brought to your children's classrooms. It is incredibly energizing for teachers to realize that what they have strived to accomplish has hit the mark. Although your primary purpose is not getting teachers to say nice things about you, it will likely be a side benefit of your expression of gratitude. We tend to like people who value us; when the words are genuine and specific, they carry more weight.

If your children are older, you can tell them you are writing a thank-you letter to their teacher, teaching them to do the same. While there's certainly an expectation that all teachers provide support to their students, the degree of that support and the willingness and effort they take to provide it are all qualities your older child should be aware of. There's no teacher who won't appreciate being appreciated.

Pamela D. Brown, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist, and licensed professional counselor with over 20 years of professional experience.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that could derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face triggers with less reactivity and get on with our lives.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience