Hard Work and High Expectations

AZTF Fellow - Thai Nguyen

“Hard work + High expectations = Endless possibilities” is a simple formula that every teacher should live by.  I wish I could take credit for it.  But it was Drew Shaw, my 2010 AZTF Fellow Advisor, who inspired me with this quote.    

Of the three sixth grade classes at my school, I have the bottom third students who scored the lowest on the AIMS test last year.  Some of my students are reading at the fourth and fifth grade level and most of my students struggle with basic multiplication and division fluency.  For 23 out of my 25 students, English is a second language.  Yet, my class’s average on district assessments has been among the best in the district throughout the year.

What is my secret?  Hard work and high expectations.  I strive to be the hardest working teacher and for my students to be the hardest working students.  For example, when working on a math problem, students are not allowed to just write the answer.  As tedious as it might be, students must show their work every single time.  Almost as important, if not more important than hard work, is high expectations.  For example, I expect all my students to achieve an 80% or higher on all assessments.  No exceptions.  I remind my students every morning that we are working together to achieve this big goal.          

“Hard work + High expectations = Endless possibilities.”  I don’t remember if it was Drew who came up with this saying or if he heard it from somebody else.  Nonetheless, these words have been pivotal to my success as a  teacher.