Comments like these used to make me feel insecure:
"I like Mr. B. At first, I thought he was gonna be hard, but he's just like one of the kids. He plays and jokes around and we don't have to do so much work!" As students were leaving my English class, one student told another, "The next class will be better. All we have to do for the final is write a little essay and then we can talk." In his evaluation essay, a Hispanic student wrote, "This year really sucked. My day had to start with my two worst classes: Spanish and English. Those teachers work you to death." (Is he talking about me and Ms. Sanchez? We believe in him and we know he can do the work! I talked to Ms. Sanchez and she's really nice. Besides, I modify the lessons and shortened them. So why is he saying that I'm working him to death?)
I wondered why students preferred the teachers who had very low expectations and offered few challenges to students. Many young people may enjoy the "easy" class where they "don't have to work so hard."; but I wondered why a teacher would lower his expectations. I came to the conclusion that some teachers must consider their health when they are teaching. Teaching itself is not a stressful occupation. It's fun to share what you know and you feel a sense of pride when you see that a student "gets it." You get to encourage students to move to the next level. You help them to understand themselves and their world.
The result of low expectations begins to manifest in middle school; and by the time some students get to high school, they have a developed a history of failure. Stress levels are high when you try to force students to do an assignment they don't want to do. Therefore, teachers must provide a curriculum that is relevant, meaningful, and rigorous.
(http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at6lk11.htm)
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