Nancy Androtti teaches ninth grade social studies at a high school in Brooklyn. It is not paradise. Teachers and students have been mugged and even raped in that building. Armed guards are on duty and the faculty turnover is high.

But Nancy, a twenty-eight-year-old, has not one been threatened or harassed. In fact, the students would fight for her if it ever came to that. In a workshop for teachers on discipline, she stated: “During the first week of every semester, I don’t teach. Instead, I sit down with each student individually and ask them about their families, their friends, their interests, and their hopes for the future.”

Then she tells each one, “I have great expectations of your this semester and I know you won’t let me down.”

They don’t. Nancy communicates total respect, concern and love for her students. She doesn’t ‘demand’ a positive teaching environment, she just expects it, and it happens.

People respond to respect – and they do not want to disappoint your expectations. When you demonstrate a positive belief, you’ll see positive behavior.

Neil Eskelin jumpstartlist@neileskelin.com www.neileskelin.com