Expectations
Dec. 16th, 2011 02:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cedar_groveFrom The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have.
Rejection and opposition are painful, but being treated as if you don't exist is quietly devastating... and so, we are required to guard against turning our lives over to the expectations of others.
I've been sad today – not that this is related to the quote or the book, but it /is/ important and needs saying – I had a text message that, while I was expecting it (had actually looked at my phone for it a few minutes before it actually arrived), made me feel very sad. Our little Lindsay died. She has been sick for some time, and had stopped eating, so it was not a surprise, but she had been so strong, and so independent, even right up until the last I saw of her on Skype last night, that it was sad to think of her as finally gone. While it means of course that she's not going to suffer, I'll miss her.
This morning, the bus never turned up to pick the staff up from Rehab City. Turns out it broke down, but no one bothered to phone any of us. In the end we all had to take taxis... in small groups of course to keep the costs down but the school's transport manager got it in the neck from management, that's for sure. LOL I got to school a minute or two before the National Anthem. Technically late, but at least on time to be with my kids at registration... it made for a funny story to share with the children, an opportunity for bonding with them – and I took it. The children in my class that live in Rehab seem to think it's funny that my apartment is there too, it's like they expect the teachers to live at the school or something. It was annoying though for the fact that no one bothered to contact us (any of us) to /tell/ us the bus was broken, or to send a different bus, or school cars or something... or even to tell us that we would need to taxi in... like we were just forgotten or something. Oh sure, we were appreciated once we got there, but... this morning, before that, not so much.
I met with the parents of one of my children today. They were worried about their child's report, didn't think her grades were good enough, and wanted to know how they could help her. The child in question is one of the best in my class though, and always tries hard, and works well – talk about 'living to someone else's expectations.' I tried to reassure them that she was doing just fine, but I guess in a fee paying school, parents just expect so much more from their kids. I'm not saying they aren't nice people – they are, they were very warm and welcoming – and friendly, most of the people here seem to be, but I worry about them pushing their daughter too much... and to think, in England my most common complaint was always that the parents didn't push or care enough.
The sun doesn't stop shining
because people are blind.
Rejection and opposition are painful, but being treated as if you don't exist is quietly devastating... and so, we are required to guard against turning our lives over to the expectations of others.
I've been sad today – not that this is related to the quote or the book, but it /is/ important and needs saying – I had a text message that, while I was expecting it (had actually looked at my phone for it a few minutes before it actually arrived), made me feel very sad. Our little Lindsay died. She has been sick for some time, and had stopped eating, so it was not a surprise, but she had been so strong, and so independent, even right up until the last I saw of her on Skype last night, that it was sad to think of her as finally gone. While it means of course that she's not going to suffer, I'll miss her.
This morning, the bus never turned up to pick the staff up from Rehab City. Turns out it broke down, but no one bothered to phone any of us. In the end we all had to take taxis... in small groups of course to keep the costs down but the school's transport manager got it in the neck from management, that's for sure. LOL I got to school a minute or two before the National Anthem. Technically late, but at least on time to be with my kids at registration... it made for a funny story to share with the children, an opportunity for bonding with them – and I took it. The children in my class that live in Rehab seem to think it's funny that my apartment is there too, it's like they expect the teachers to live at the school or something. It was annoying though for the fact that no one bothered to contact us (any of us) to /tell/ us the bus was broken, or to send a different bus, or school cars or something... or even to tell us that we would need to taxi in... like we were just forgotten or something. Oh sure, we were appreciated once we got there, but... this morning, before that, not so much.
I met with the parents of one of my children today. They were worried about their child's report, didn't think her grades were good enough, and wanted to know how they could help her. The child in question is one of the best in my class though, and always tries hard, and works well – talk about 'living to someone else's expectations.' I tried to reassure them that she was doing just fine, but I guess in a fee paying school, parents just expect so much more from their kids. I'm not saying they aren't nice people – they are, they were very warm and welcoming – and friendly, most of the people here seem to be, but I worry about them pushing their daughter too much... and to think, in England my most common complaint was always that the parents didn't push or care enough.
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no subject
Date: 2011-12-17 03:48 am (UTC)On the other hand there are probably plenty of ways to encourage the child while making it /fun/ too. And I don't just mean that in the generic way of learning can be fun, I mean for that one kid, who is being pushed too hard, find something perfect for them... or something. I can't express it well, I guess.