Observations

Dear Campus School Families,

Expectations are, in a way, destiny. We often get what we expect, and this is
especially true for children. For example, if we expect a child to be fragile, we
typically get fragility; expect resilience and we usually get it. When I was in
elementary school I had a teacher who told me that I was an average math
student. Sure enough, I became an average math student, and I did not
question this assumption until years later.

Adults have enormous power to shape a child's self-perception. Adult
expectations that are positive and growth-oriented can help children develop
and internalize healthy habits of mind and heart, giving them more agency and
making them less likely to be influenced by negative expectations in the future.

All of this points to the importance of how we talk with children - the words we
use and the implicit and explicit assumptions we make - and how vital this
framing is during the foundation years of a child's life.

Warmly,
Chris