THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A NEW TEACHER WHO ON HER FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WITH HER FIRST CLASS, MET WITH HER PRINCIPAL. EARLY THAT MORNING THE PRINCIPAL CALLED THE NEW TEACHER TO HER OFFICE TO WISH HER WELL. BUT, SHE ALSO WANTED TO INFORM HER ABOUT HER STUDENTS SHE WAS ABOUT TO EMBARK ON. WITHOUT BEING TOO SPECIFIC THE PRINCIPAL WARNED THE TEACHER THAT HER CLASS OF KIDS WE’RE VERY UNIQUE. AND THAT’S ALL SHE SAID!! JUST “VERY” UNIQUE!!
SO WHEN THE TEACHER GOT TO CLASS AND STARTED LOOKING OVER THE ROLL SHE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A NUMBER WRITTEN AFTER EACH STUDENTS NAME IN A COLUMN, SUCH AS 154, 136, AND 142, SO ON AND SO ON. “WOW! LOOK AT THESE IQS,” SHE THOUGHT TO HERSELF. THESE KIDS ARE REALLY SMART AND GIFTED. “ WHAT A TERRIFIC CLASS.” SO THE TEACHER WAS NOW EXTRA DETERMINED AND ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT WORKING VERY HARD AND BEGUN TO PLAN OUT CHALLENGING WORK FOR HER CLASS. WELL, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SHE CAME UP WITH INNOVATIVE LESSONS THAT SHE THOUGHT WOULD CHALLENGE AND STRETCH THE STUDENTS, BECAUSE SHE KNEW THEY WERE GIFTED BECAUSE OF THERE HIGH IQ’S AND SHE DIDN’T WANT TO BORE THEM WITH WORK THAT WAS TOO EASY FOR SUCH INTELLIGENT KIDS. HER PLAN WORKED!! THE CLASS OUTPERFORMED ALL THE OTHER CLASSES AND WON TOP HONORS IN ALL CATEGORIES. THEN DURING THE LAST QUARTER OF THE YEAR, SHE DISCOVERED SOMETHING THAT REALLY AMAZED HER. SHE FOUND THAT THOSE NUMBERS AFTER THE STUDENT’S NAMES THAT SHE THOUGHT WERE THEIR VERY HIGH IQ’S;….ACTUALLY TURNED OUT TO BE THEIR LOCKER NUMBERS!!! YEP!!! THAT’S RIGHT. WHAT SHE THOUGHT WERE IQ’S WERE ACTUALLY LOCKER NUMBERS. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!! ALL YEAR LONG THIS TEACHER WAS PREPARING LESSONS THAT EVEN CHALLENGED HER INTELLIGENCE. BUT SINCE SHE BELIEVED THAT THESE KIDS HAD TO BE TAUGHT THIS WAY BECAUSE OF THEIR GENIUS LEVEL; SHE DIDN’T WANT TO LET THEM DOWN AND FIGURED THIS HIGH LEVEL OF LEARNING IS WHAT THEY WOULD EXPECT!! SO, THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS PROFOUND AND YET SIMPLE!! “YOU GET OUT OF PEOPLE WHAT YOU EXPECT!” ITS LIKE THAT QUOTE I REMEMBER THAT SAYS: “ TREAT PEOPLE NOT AS THEY ARE, BUT AS THEY COULD BE OR SHOULD BE!” WHEN YOU EXPECT EXCELLENCE YOU GET IT!!