Not Rotten in Denmark

Similarly to the Danes in the article, we can take a lesson from the Walt Disney World experience. Using the simple “under promise, over deliver” principle, thousands of visitors have their expectations exceeded at one of the Disney theme parks. Visitors come in with strong, but realistic expectations and walk away satisfied. As we move through life we need to have a good understanding of what we can expect in most situations. I don’t think this means we should have low expectations, but we need to realize that there will be difficult times along with the good. We also need to understand that it takes work to improve our situation and that we can choose our own destiny. Looking back to Disney World, all of the employees or “cast members” work very hard at their jobs every day to ensure their guests have great experiences. If we work hard each day, and have realistic expectations, we too will end our day as satisfied customers. Adam Pomerantz WINGS for kids, Inc.

In reading the article Lowered Expectations, it's not surprising that people who have unrealistic expectations are often disappointed in life. I am a huge supporter of realistic expectations. Being realistic in your expectations helps to be able to better deal with bumps along the road. At the WINGS program, I try to lead with realistic expectations in regards to the behavior of the children. If I come in expecting them to do everything they are told, to sit, still, and never talk out of turn I would most likely spend the day wanting to pull my hair out! On the other hand, if I come in knowing that things won't go perfectly, I am better able to think on my feet and adjust to "unexpected" behavior issues. I do not think that setting expectations super low is helpful either. I am getting ready to train approximately 50 WINGSLeaders for the upcoming school year and finding the best way to help them set realistic expectations. I believe that Americans in general live in a dream world. They think that if they want something. They should be able to get it. One of my favorite WINGS objectives relates to teaching kids how to set goals. In our social skills activities related to this objective we really focus on helping the kids set realistic goals and think of the steps needs to reach that goal. So many of the kids we work with think that so many things are out of their reach and no one at home pushes them to follow through with things. The littlest set back can lead a child to give up on a dream. Learning to have realistic goals and expectations at a young age should be able to help them make it further and be happier in life. Nicole Lovecchio Program Director WINGS @ Chicora Elementary