I know that I am guilty of having very high expectations for myself and those around me, and this certainly includes my child. And really, as the parent of "Alex P. Keaton" how could I not have high expectations?
However, even in preschool it seems that expectations must be attainable for all. Based on our meeting with his teacher, it appears that the highest aspiration for a preschooler is to be "ready for kindergarten." This makes me wonder how many 5 (and nearly 5) year olds are NOT ready for kindergarten. Or maybe this is just the latest in grade inflation - Johnny gets an A because he meets our expectations.
It's clear that his teacher thinks highly of him, and enjoys having him in class. At the same time, it really seemed like the highest praise she could give was he is DEFINITELY ready for kindergarten. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to hear that my kid is exceptional in every way; I was actually a little disappointed at the lack of clearly stated areas for improvement.
It's just that to set the bar at what (I think) should be what most should be able to attain seems to engender at best a striving for mediocrity.
Comments