On Expectations

Part of an upcoming class on how to have an ethical practice that Master Gawin Kappler and I are teaching will include a point about the necessity to set high expectations. Since I expect this to be a point of contention because of past misapprehensions I have encountered on this topic, I want to be clear about what this entails, and why it matters.  I don't expect to cover a book's worth of material here, but hope to provide enough background to make my intent clear. 

Frequently, whenever I talk about setting high expectations, the immediate rebuttal returns: not everyone wants the same things, and so on. That is a strawman at best, one, I suspect, borne by a lack of imagination and a desire to include more often than one borne of malice. But, make no mistake: its effect is malicious.

So, let me be clear: not everyone is aspiring to the same things, not everyone has an equal path to the same aspirations, and not everyone has the same potential. That's life, and that's fine. Let me also add a caveat to that, though: everyone deserves to achieve to the degree they are able. 

A good practice will make everyone who attends with a constructive goal happy. Whether you're a competitor who wants to be the best, whether you want a community to belong to, or whether you are looking to improve your fitness, a good practice will accomplish those things and more.

Setting high expectations means that everyone who attends the practice leaves feeling like they improved at whatever they were practicing. That satisfies the competitor, but it also creates a shared experience and mutual congratulations that build community-- and anyone looking for fitness alone gets the benefit of having greater fine and gross motor control over their body. Everyone wins. 

How is this best accomplished? In a word: structure. It is not possible to have a positive practice environment without structure and planning. Repeat that: it is not possible. Without a plan, none of those needs are met as well as they would be otherwise, and it is exceptionally easy for those needs to be actively harmed instead. 

Structure needn't be rigid and unyielding. Play is, in fact, a critical part of structured learning. It just needs to be done within guidelines: no one would suggest that a chemistry class is enhanced by including time on a videogame shooter, but a lab experiment that results in something flashy can certainly do the trick. I suspect that people hear planning, drilling, and structure and imagine lectures and slide deck presentations, but that's like hearing that music should have patterns and imagining only Chopsticks and not Mozart. The best learning experience you ever had with your favorite teacher was planned to the moment and went through many iterations of fine-tuning before you ever experienced it. 

In the end, setting high expectations means creating an environment where a learning community can flourish. Choosing to do otherwise means that you are choosing to stunt the growth of everyone present, and likely means that you are losing many presences over time. The students will rise to the level of those expectations if you show them how to, and let them know you believe they can do it. 

Be that inspiration.