Lanie Quinowski

Instructor Henderson
ECE 160
May 17, 2015
Positive Expectations
The expectations that an educator holds for their students, whether individually or as a
whole, greatly impacts the success of their students. It can affect the way the teacher plans
lessons, grades papers, and interacts with their students. Because it has such an effect on student
and their success it is important to hold positive expectations for every child regardless of their
current level of development or their background as a person. As an educator I have many ideas
on holding these positive expectations and make them clear to my students. It is important to
communicate these expectations to your students so they know you believe in them.
Having positive expectations starts with the educator themselves. If I have an optimistic
outlook for the lessons and the year my teaching will reflect this. As an educator you must hold
high expectations for yourself. Because you are with your students so often they will tend to
imitate your behavior. If you constantly look at things in a negative light they will too. If you
look at them positively the students will pick up on this and adopt that behavior. Holding the
belief that every child will benefit and grow from the time spent in my class will not only help to
make this happen but it will keep you looking for positive things. Research shows that having a
negative mindset causes you to narrow down on the negative thing you are seeing and makes it
difficult to see the positives. When you have a positive mindset you see more opportunities and
in a positive light. For an educator this means that when you have positive expectations for the

year and the students you will more positives than negatives. This will help you to problem
solve, create richer and more diverse lesson plans, and to build a positive learning classroom
community. According to Psychologist B.L. Fredrickson, Because positive emotions arise in
response to diffuse opportunities, rather than narrowly-focused threats, positive emotions
momentarily broaden peoples attention and thinking, enabling them to draw on higher-level
connections and a wider-than-usual range of percepts or ideas. Now that we understand the
effects of positive expectations we will look at ways to implement them in our classroom.
To create a positive classroom community it is imperative that we set clear rules for the
class. Having clear rules that are appropriate for the developmental level of you students will
allow you to better communicate them to your students. You should discuss with the class and be
consistent with enforcing the rules. Holding positive expectations that your students can and will
follow the rules will help you to understand when they break a rule and to act appropriately.
Treating them positively and with compassion shows that you know they can behave properly
and care about why they misbehaved. If you give the impression that you believe they can follow
the rules they too will know they can and do their best. When developing your rules you should
have word them positively such as listen politely rather than dont talk when others are
speaking. If possible you can also have children suggest rules or brainstorm some rules. You
must make certain that your rules and procedures are attainable by all of your students. If some
students are restless you can accommodate this by letting them use fidgets or takes brain breaks
as a class. You can do a short series of exercises or stretches to relax your students. If some
students have difficulty listening or paying attention you should take time to learn why. You may
have to move them to a spot that better serves their hearing or vision. Talking to the children to

see if it is working for them or observing how it is going will help you to see if your students
need other accommodations.
It is important to set procedures and positive academic expectations in your classroom.
When creating these procedures you must keep in mind that all children come from different
backgrounds. You must refrain from making any assumptions about the children based off of
their socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race and any other differences. Your classroom should be
inclusive and show diversity through your lesson plans, items & books in the classroom, and any
posters or pictures. To best support students learning you should have high positive expectations
for them and their work. Always promote that they do their best work and try their hardest. Let
them know that it is ok to have different outcomes than their peers with their work and give them
the support to further their learning. Giving them the support they need will inspire them to do
their best without fear of failing. According to Kim Campbell, author of Expectations: Do you
have them? Do students get them?, Students must be sure that you believe they can learn and
can do things that are even harder than they might think they can do. If they do not know this
unequivocally, you can forget about high standards, and even students who are intrinsically
motivated need to know this. You demonstrate your belief in them (or lack of it) by your
comments, attitudes, behaviors, tone of voice, responses to them, gestures, facial expressions,
body language, enthusiasm for learning, preparedness, lessons, and energy. This statement
shows that your actions and interactions with your students should always be positive.
If you notice students struggling you should have positive accommodations and
adaptations for them. This could include having them buddy up, working one on one with them,
or any other number of modifications. You should present these in a positive way so the student
doesnt feel singled out or ridiculed. Your accommodations and adaptations should show the

children that you understand and care about their success. They should let them know that their
differences are what makes them who they are and they can succeed no matter what.
Overall, your positive expectations should show through your teaching and interactions.
Being sure to look at all of your students positively and refraining from biases or stereotypes will
allow you to create positive expectations and a positive and safe classroom community.

Works Cited
Campbell, K. (2012, April 1). Expectations: Do You Have Them? Do Students Get Them?
Retrieved May 17, 2015.
Clear, J. (2013, July 10). The Science of Positive Thinking: How Positive Thoughts Build Your
Skills, Boost Your Health, and Improve Your Work. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
Dusenbury, L. (n.d.). Set Behavior Expectations. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
Fredrickson, B., Cohn, M., Coffey, K., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. (2011, August 15). Open Hearts
Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-Kindness Meditation, Build
Consequential Personal Resources. Retrieved May 17, 2015.