For over a decade parents screamed “We want higher expectations in the classroom” and the schools yelled in reply “Yes, we will have higher expectations of your children.”

“My child is not doing well in your classroom.” parents said worriedly. “Your child is not doing the work that is expected of them.” teachers and administrators replied disconcertedly.

High expectations means harder work for students, teachers, and parents. Decades of parents abdicating the responsibility of educating their children to teachers who will never love students differently that parents love their children translated into teachers being the stern guardian and the parents being the soft pliable guardian.

Making it easy for your children will translate into adults who have no guts (non-risk takers), no perseverance (fighters for what they want in the face of adversity), no dignity (people who know who they are), and no purpose (people who know that they are here to serve others not themselves).

Bless your children with hard tasks, responsibility for themselves and others. In other words High Expectations.