Raising Expectations

My husband has often heard me explain that raising academic expectations contributes to a student’s raised levels of appropriate behavior. Once it was the other way around; we thought if students behaved better, their grades would go up.

The other day husband said: “I saw an article that says the same thing you do. If schools raise their academic expectations or students have better academic success, even those with behavior problems will demonstrate better behavior.”

“I know; isn‘t that interesting? I often tell my students who are teachers to help those kids with ADHD to find academic success and some of those impulsive or oppositional behaviors will decrease or even cease.”

“Well,” he replied, “I was a kid who wiggled and said impulsive things, but my behavior in school was rather good overall, in spite of ADHD. Of course in those days we didn’t know that word, and the symptoms had not been connected to me.”

“You know, it fascinates me that physicians as far back as the 1700s described attention deficits, especially in boys, but in the 20^th century it became linked to an awful term ‘minimal brain dysfunction.’ When I read the descriptions provided by those physicians nearly 300 hundred years ago, I was shocked with the similarity of the symptoms we point to as ADHD.” I said.

“What does that have to do with the way I am and was? What does it matter to what we didn’t know about me?”

“Only that it puzzles me as to why the connection was not made to you as a kid.”

“I got good grades, and I behaved in school. Of course, I felt out of place much of the time. It took much effort to keep my mind on my work. Connection was not the issue.”

“Are you saying that because you made good grades and had strong academic skill your behavior in school followed?”

“I’m saying the expectations at home motivated me to make good grades. Mom and dad expected it, and mom was at our elementary school every day as a volunteer. All our teachers knew her; she and they were on first-name basis.”

“So having your mother at the school served to keep you focused on your work? I always thought you were a good student because you have such a wide-range interest in science, nature, and even math. I know reading was not your favorite.”

“No, because once I read to the end of a paragraph, I forget what the first part was about. I’ve told you I never read a book completely through all throughout high school. I could really fake those book reports.”

“So, in elementary school, you got your work done because your mom knew the teachers, and she was in the building most of the time?”

“I made good grades and behaved because the threat from home in general motivated me. If I got in trouble at school, then I would get into double trouble at home. Neither mom or dad tolerated misbehavior. Mom being in the building was another story.”

I wasn’t certain I caught his meaning.

“They knew mom well, and they probably thought that I was a lot like her. Here’s an example: at her wedding shower, my second-grade teacher was afraid to open the gift from Betty. She just knew it would embarrass her in public. ‘We should put this one aside and open it later.’ She was right. Mom bought her condoms and other birth control items, and thought it was hilarious that she did.”