Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/getting-clear-about-our-expectations/5015528/
People are always longing for someone to help them realize their best selves, to understand their hidden self, to believe in them and demand their best. When we can do this for people, we ought not to withhold it. We ought not be just an ear to them.�" Mary Haskell
As I watch directors struggle with upgrading or maintaining the quality of caregiving and teaching in their programs, it is clear they are between a rock and a hard place. When you can’t find many qualified applicants, can’t pay staff what they deserve, and can’t find time to regularly observe and give them feedback, the issue of expectations gets quite foggy. Is it fair to expect high quality from teachers who don’t have pre-service education and are probably “just passing through”? Beyond fairness, will high expectations scare people away from the work and result in more staff turnover? How do we hold people accountable for job performance when they don’t get the resources and coaching they need and deserve?
My own deliberations around these questions have come not only from watching directors struggle with expectations, but from my college teaching and conference seminars. People often come to these settings blurry-eyed after stressful work ...