Follow Up

Dear readers, if you would like to add another log to the fire burning inside of you against public schools, read this article published today by the Seattle Times. As you read this article, or even if you don't, think about something that my mom told me.

I was complaining to her about my English 101 teacher. He would continually make comments about us writing our papers the morning before they were due, or he would give us time in class to read something that we should have read before class. I was telling my mom this, and she said something like this, "Your students will only go as far as your expectations. The lower your expectations, the less the students will do, because they will respond to the level of expectation on them."

This message was confirmed by my pastor at the beginning of my year as a Master's Commission student. My pastor encouraged my class to write down our expectations for the year, and then as we neared graduation, look and see how many of our expectations had been met and exceeded. I have to say, all of mine were, and I believe it's because I was expecting it!

If I had thought that nothing would change, that I wouldn't learn anything, that life would just be the same, I believe that that reality would have been established. But because my pastor encouraged our expectations, they were met, and things changed! Expect more.