Our team sorts through all blog submissions to place them in the categories they fit the most - meaning it's never been simpler to gain advice and new knowledge for topics most important for you. This is why we have created this straight-forward guide to help you navigate our system.
And there you have it! Now your collection of blogs are catered to your chosen topics and are ready for you to explore. Plus, if you frequently return to the same categories you can bookmark your current URL and we will save your choices on return. Happy Reading!
I am the kind of person who has “high expectations” of myself (and, to a lesser degree, others). I have always viewed this as a virtue. I strive for the best in all that I do and therefore I am being the best I can be. Aren’t I?…
Well, yes, perfectionism will lead to excellent results initially. You will outshine others, set precedents for work ethic, raise the standards considerably… become unpopular with colleagues, take on more than is manageable, allow others to set unrealistic targets for you and ultimately, inevitably, unwittingly you will let people down.
So how do you manage your expectations? I hear people say frequently that it is the pressure they put on themselves rather than external expectations that has caused stress. I disagree. It is ALL external.
Having gone through an episode recently where I had to relinquish ALL expectations I came to a realization. There are very few people who accept me entirely for who I am. Who can I actually go to, safe in the knowledge that they will not judge? Who would I ask if I needed to “bury a body”!?
I came up with one person. One. Out of the hundreds that I know. She would not run or be horrified at my truths. If she could hear my head and my heart she wouldn’t flinch or turn away. I will never be “too much” for her. She has no expectations of me other than this: I exist as well as I can.
I am therefore not judged by her standards of existence. Nor her standards of living, working, friendship or any other life skill.
We say that we set our own expectations. It is a lie. Everyone in our life has expectations of us that influence our choices. The media, society, our peers. We can say that we make the choices, that we won’t allow others to set the expectations but it is inevitable that they do.
The societal expectation is that we will get students through their exams. Is this YOUR true priority? Your core expectation of yourself?
There is an expectation that we should complete marking and data drops. Do you honestly set this expectation for yourself?
It is only when we stop, place the values we hold dear at the core of all that we do, and are prepared to shun some of the expectations that have been subtly placed on us by society, that we will be able to truly steer our own course.
The next time you worry about meeting an expectation think this:
WHO IS IT FOR? WHERE HAS THIS EXPECTATION COME FROM?
And will it still matter to you ‘when the chips are down’ and you’re on your knees?
High expectations are not the same as aspirations. You can aspire to the clouds and beyond. Dream and envisage being everything you want and work to get there. Aspiration will build you up, not knock you down.
Expectations are a yard stick by which to fail if not chosen and set with care.
You are enough. Expect no more than that.
The author
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Are you looking for solutions? Let us help fund them! Nexus Education is a community of over 11,000 schools that come together to share best practise, ideas and CPD via online channels and free to attend events. Nexus also offers funding to all school groups in the UK via nexus-education.com
Established in 2011, One Education is a company at the heart of the education world, supporting over 600 schools and academies. Our unique appeal as a provider is in the breadth and synergy of the services we offer, supporting school leaders, teachers and support staff to achieve the best possible outcomes for their pupils and staff.
School Space is a social enterprise that has empowered schools for over 12 years through their profitable and hassle-free lettings services. So far, they’ve generated over £5 million in revenue for education, helping to connect over 200 schools with their local communities.
Operoo is a school operations and productivity platform. We help thousands of schools and trusts to eliminate slow, expensive and repetitive tasks. Operoo helps schools streamline and digitise processes, drastically reducing the associated costs: From student pre-admissions, permission forms, payments, and school trips; to medical information and emergency contacts, incident reporting, staff agreements, and more in over 100 languages.
Unify is an online sales and marketing tool that allows users to create tailored personalised documents in moments.
There’s nothing special about the energy we sell. In fact, it’s exactly the same energy as all our competitors provide. But there is something special about the way we do it. Where others complicate the process, we simplify it. Where others confuse customers with hidden terms, we’re an open book. And where others do all they can to make as much money from their customers as possible, we do all we can to make as little. Everything we do, we do it differently. Our customers are a privilege. One we’ll never take advantage of.
Securus provide market-leading monitoring solutions to safeguard students on ALL devices both online and offline. We also offer a full monitoring service, where we carry out the monitoring on behalf of the school, freeing up valuable staff resources. From the smallest school to large MAT groups, Securus offers safeguarding protection for all!
As European leaders of Time Management Solutions, Bodet offer Lockdown, Clock, Bell & PA Systems. Harmonys, our five-in-one IP/PoE Bell System, provides a unique customisable lockdown or panic alarm alert. Melodys, a Wireless Bell System, is useful where wiring can be difficult.