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The mission of Great Expectations is to motivate, inspire, and challenge individuals to achieve excellence in learning and living.

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How Great Expectations Eliminates Bullying
Great Expectations can effect a systemic change in a classroom, in a school, in fact, in a whole school district. This change, which involves students, educators, administrators, school support staff, and parents, imparts importance o all aspects of school. As the Great Expectations philosophy is adopted and woven into every element of each school day, it has the deep benefit of eliminating the problem of bullying.

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Basic Tenets, Eight Expectations, and 17 Practices

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“I must do something’ always solves more problems than ‘Something must be done.’ ”
- Author Unknown

 

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❖ Great Expectations transformational approach addresses bullying in every aspect of the educational climate. It creates a community of learners by establishing a specific consistent set of standards that guide social interactions throughout the learning environment. This consistency builds life skill habits of positive interactions in living and learning.

❖ Great Expectations is on the Oklahoma state-approved list of bullying prevention programs. GE takes a school-wide systemic approach rather than a quick-fix “speaker” or “presentation.” GE provides training in building relationships and a strong sense of community. With the implementation of GE’s Life Principles, a Culture of Respect results in a higher level of empathy and fewer incidents of bullying.

❖ With full implementation of GE, attendance rates and academic achievement increase and disciplinary referrals and suspensions significantly decrease.

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Great Expectations offers three strategies for eliminating bullying:

  • Prevention - Proactive strategies establish a climate of respect where students learn to value their classmate-comrades and do not use their status, physical strength, or force of personality as weapons of intimidation or hostility towards others. Students and educators share ownership in their school community and so experience shared control, shared responsibility, and a shared sense of worth.
  • Situational Strategies - GE encourages individual responsibility and gives all involved the tools to work through situations such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, general decision-making and goal setting.
  • Ongoing Strategies - Introduction and consistent use of GE provides structure and clear expectations for behavior and attitudes. Great Expectations is not “what we do”, but becomes “who we are!” both socially and academically. GE is a continuous process with all involved and includes the elements of evaluation, revision, and goal setting for growth.

PREVENTION STRATEGIES:
Establish climate and build a culture of respect

 

SET STANDARDS - High Expectations, one of GE’s six tenets, extends throughout social and academic attitudes and behaviors. Well-defined procedures, goal setting, and the use of proven academic strategies coupled with the climate of mutual respect create an optimum learning environment. Respect for each other is foundational. The following are some of the basic elements used to build and maintain this essential climate:

“I will speak ill of no man and speak the good I know of everybody.”
- Benjamin Franklin

 

 

 

 

SITUATIONAL STRATEGIES:
Encourage Individual Responsibility

TEACH CHOICE - Allows learners to assume responsibility for their own behavior and provides them with options, as well as guidelines for making choices. Students learn that mistakes are okay and view them as opportunities to learn and grow. Educators always stop any behavior which approaches bullying and make it abundantly clear that it is never acceptable.

“You can’t make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake. It’s a Choice.”
- Author Unknown

ONGOING:
Implement a school-wide systemic approach building relationships and a strong sense of community

Great Expectations is a proven research-based transformational model containing six basic tenets and 17 proven classroom practices that serve as a standard for instruction and classroom management. With full implementation of GE, attendance rates and academic achievement increase and disciplinary referrals and suspensions significantly decrease. The daily use of these practices assists learners in becoming self-directed learners, productive citizens, effective communicators, critical thinkers, and cooperative contributors to the classroom and society.

Great Expectations practitioners receive training to implement the GE methodology by incorporating 17 Classroom Practices into all facets of their work at school. Many of these practices enhance the opportunities for each student to thrive in a positive, caring, nonthreatening environment carefully developed and maintained by the educators. They have the direct impact of diminishing situations where bullying might occur.

  • 17 Practices Implementation Evaluations - Individual single-pages document evaluations for assessing the implementation level of each of the 17 Practices giving criteria for both climate and instruction
  • Extensive online Resources offer support for implementation of the 17 Practices. These include lesson plans, printables, activities, music, etc. There are also digital downloads and other materials available.

“Wisdom is knowing the right path to take…. Integrity is taking it.”
Author Unknown

Great Expectations uses quotations in order to help learners internalize life principles, high ideals, and the commitment to learning and hard work. Quotations on proper conduct - minus any hint of sarcasm or bullying - are powerful in guiding students to treat one another with respect.

Quotation Strategy Examples:

Testimonials of Great Expectations’ Effectiveness:

National Focus on Bullying

“Bullying has become a tidal wave of epic proportions. Although bullying was once considered a rite of passage, parents, educators, and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school, and even prompting health problems and suicide.”
National Crime Prevention Council
http://www.ncpc.org/resources/bullying/

“When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building
a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy.” https://www.stopbullying.gov/