Expectations

I think that, on some level, people react in the ways we expect them to, and when we give them the opportunity to have a new, different reaction, we may be pleasantly surprised. I remember when I was in fifth grade, I was a “Marshall” for the kindergarteners – I helped them at lunch time and when they left for the day. Sometimes I would play with them at recess. I had “favorites,” mostly little angelic girls that were fun to play with. And then there were the trouble-makers – the bullies who were always getting in trouble. Gerard and Alfred (I can’t believe I remember their names). I was warned about Gerard and Alfred when I first started marshalling – “Look out for those two – they are trouble.” And sure enough, I often had to pull them off of each other, or stop them from throwing things at those same angelic girls that everyone loved. I could not figure out why they seemed to be so evil! One day at recess, I decided to take a different approach. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I thought I would try playing with them. To my surprise, they were incredibly excited, and played in a well-mannered and sweet way for the rest of the day. I had stopped persecuting them before they even had a chance to show themselves. I expected more of them, and they lived up to my expectations. They never went back to their bullying ways, and I learned a lesson I will never forget.