The flag raising ceremony was held in the gym yesterday. Our theme for this month is high expectations. Setting high expectations means that we should devote ourselves to certain tasks. This requires us to concentrate all our energy and eliminate distractions so as to achieve the best results within our ability. To adhere to high expectations, it is important to persistently pay attention to high standards and pursue high goals, to realize the high value of one’s life, rather than just talking about ambition without taking actions. Now we should become the person who pursues high standards, and then we will be the person with high standards. As students, high expectations should be reflected in all aspects including our study, daily life, and time management.
Mr. Edward gave us his understanding on high expectations. Billy Zhang from Grade 8 translated for him.
So what exactly does “High Expectations” mean? Well, first of all there are two types of High Expectations, those of oneself, and those of others. Having high expectations of oneself is a key factor in being a successful individual. Without exception, every individual that is perceived as highly successful shares the trait of having high expectations of themselves.
Successful business leaders like Bill Gates, set themselves very high expectations of their own work ethic, this can be seen in one of his quotes, “If you are born poor it is not your fault, but if you die poor then it is your fault.” But of course not everyone judges their self-worth and success by money, many famously successful people set high expectations of themselves when it comes their beliefs and morals, sometimes even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
History is filled with famous individuals, such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, who set such high expectations in their beliefs that they were persecuted, imprisoned, or even in some cases killed for sticking to their own high expectations. Whilst no one is suggesting that you should risk like and limb in order to prove that you have high expectations of yourself, having a strong, underpinning of what you believe to be right and wrong will go a long way to guiding you through life and its challenges.
Successful Sportsmen and Women are another good example of individuals who succeed because of high expectations of themselves. One key feature of most great sportsmen and women is that they hate losing. They also work harder than their competitors. While it is true that many greats were genetically gifted individuals, inheritance alone can not explain their greatness. Great footballers tend to be those that stay on after training has finished, as a young player, David Beckham would stay on the football pitch and practice free-kicks for hours after others had gone home. LeBron James is a good example of someone who sets high expectations of them self, as he says “Every night on the court I give my all, and if I’m not giving 100 percent, I criticize myself.”
We can also set high expectations of others. Nowhere is this more important than in education. A famous psychological study of the 1960’s referred to as the “Pygmalion effect”. Psychologists Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson visited a Primary School in California. They told the students and teachers that they would give a test that would find out which of the students were most likely to show great progress in their studies. In truth the test was just a regular IQ test, and in reality the results of the test were not important. They then selected 20% of the students at random, and told the teachers that the test had shown these students to have the greatest potential.
At the end of the study the students academic performance was tested. Remarkably the 20% that had been selected showed a much greater degree of progress than the rest of the students. Why was this the case? By having high expectations of these students the teachers actually instilled in them greater self expectations, and as a result they made more progress.
High expectations are important for success, but they should also come with a caveat or a warning. Sometimes factors outside of our control can limit our success (Coronovirus being a prime example of that). In addition, High Expectations does not mean that we should feel sad or frustrated when we fail, on the contrary, failing is a vital part of learning. The important thing is not whether we win or lose, but the lessons that we take from both our successes and our failures.
Band Slppeless from grade 8 brought us a song “Feituolun”
The sharp sword only forms after constant sharpening, The fragrance of plum blossom only overflows after bitter cold. I believe that we can imperceptibly transcend ourselves, if we set high expectations on ourselves.