As a sports fan I love ( despite the challenges of being an Eels ’ fan ) footy finals as they represent the culmination of effort , training , planning , and action with the recognition of excellence for the champions .

My daughter plays junior netball and from her experience it is not appropriate to have the criteria for excellence as “ number of goals scored ” because there may be opportunities for only two members of the team .

It has been sad to see that some young , enthusiastic netballers who played well are disappointed because they don ’ t understand their position or role .

It ’ s the job of the parents to recognise the important things to encourage and this is the same for parents and teachers when considering school experiences :

- When the criteria are unachievable , excellence cannot be achieved .

- Excellence is open to perception and won ’ t always be recognised the same . Unfortunately for children , often the things that they believe equate to success are not realistic .

So , what if excellence is selfdetermined ? For some it would mean misplaced belief of either over achievement or underachievement , and would most likely be about scores rather

than effort , and outcomes rather than process .

Children need our assistance in determining when they have done their best both in terms of expecting more from themselves and in expecting less from themselves .

It is right for expectations of “ what excellence looks like ” to shift as the context shifts , and the most obvious shift of context is when students get older because what is produced looks better ; but the key element that remains constant is that of “ effort ”.

Effort is the best measure of excellence , because it is the only way that a person can produce something in line with their potential ; when people “ try their best ” they “ do ” their best .

It can be difficult for parents to know the correct indicator for :

- When has my child achieved excellence ?

- What does excellence look like for my child in this particular area ?

- Is excellent attitude better than excellent results ? - Is excellent effort enough ? As the major educators of children , parents play the most critical role in establishing expectations of excellence . This wavers between “ give them a break ” ( don ’ t always expect full marks or perfect behaviour ) and “ raise the bar ” ( drag them up to expecting more of themselves and not delivering second best when they just aren ’ t trying ).

My encouragement is to think through

what you are expecting from your children and to develop expectations of excellence that are unique for each child . As children grow , expectations of excellence can be created in consultation with them . Above all , encourage the effort that has been invested by your children with the context that everything you have is from God .

“ Whatever you do , work at it with all your heart , as working for the Lord , not for human masters , since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward . It is the Lord Christ you are serving .” Colossians 3:23-24 ( NIV )

If you would like more information about education at Norwest Christian College , please visit www . norwest . nsw . edu . au .