
High expectations. The phrase has been bouncing around the education ether with increasing regularity over the years. As practicing educators, we know the “why” behind high expectations, but it is often easier said than done. Take my story. It is probably not unique, and other teachers may have buried away similar stories in their proverbial shoebox of “not-so-proud” teacher moments.
I share this story not as an omission of guilt or a way to vent, but as a window into the challenges that a multitude of novice (or not so novice) teachers encounter when trying to navigate the new territory of cultural competency in our practice.
In my first year of teaching 1st grade I did not hold all of my students to high expectations and one of my English Learner students suffered the most.
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