High Expectations

May 1, 2023

For my last research blog post I want to write about the high expectations that I found to be placed on the students during my research of the Croft School. It is important to note the different types of expectations that the Croft School puts on their students, whether it be academically, socially, or even parental. And the aspect of language in the school is another expectation for the students, and how the English language plays an essential role to class and the expectations put on the students to speak English instead of their native language of Spanish. All of these aspects combined come together to create the role of standards within and around the Croft School that helps the school to stay elite.

First, academic expectations are pretty obvious at a school like Croft. The students are expected to get good grades always and never slack on anything. One student explained a school day as this, “it’s not that motivating but I go because I have to, it is my duty. It is not an option to not go to school.” This student calls school their ‘duty’ and throughout my research this devotion to Croft and academics became a major theme. Another aspect of the expectations at Croft around academics is to be a student that is good at everything, or as they call it an ‘all-rounder’. One student described this concept as, “an all-rounder is like someone who is good at everything but he doesn’t have to be great. He is just able to do everything. So he has to be someone who is a rugby player, has good notes, has good behavior, you know, like all around.” The students at Croft are just expected to be elite at just about everything to further their elite status and the eliteness of the school itself. This furthers the divisions between Croft and its community, while also adding to the privilege bubble of the Croft School.

Next, social and parental expectations are also a big part of the students’ lives at the Croft School. Students are expected to be a role model and pillar in the community, while also being a good student, good at athletics, and just good at everything. Students are supposed to not flaunt their eliteness but still in a way show their superiority by helping those less fortunate. Parents expect their children who attend Croft to recognize mistakes, fix them, and continue to thrive until they go to college and become very successful. Sounds easy and fun right? Parents teach their children about their high class and their eliteness, as to explain why they have such high expectations.

Finally, the part that the English language plays into the eliteness of the Croft School is a big part of the expectations placed upon students. The Croft School is an English school placed in a Spanish-speaking country, and the school only teaches in English. Students are expected to speak only English and not speak Spanish like everyone else in Chile. The expectations and eliteness start young with these students, “my mother always put me in English speaking daycares. And my school in Spain, also we spoke English so since I’ve gone to school, we speak English.” But when did English become an expectation and such a pillar of eliteness and privilege? The English language has quickly become the tongue of high class and eliteness, and further creates the bubble of the Croft School and pushes the divisions wider between Croft and its community. All of these expectations create elite students and high standards that pushes the privilege bubble to be bigger and helps Croft to maintain their elite status.