Dear Ben, You write about balance. If we don't expect enough of children, we are not helping them challenge themselves. They may tend not to invest of themselves in their endeavors and may be at risk of losing confidence in their ability.
Balance needs a fulcrum.
I wonder if it is the fulcrum we've been missing. It is what we are about here, I think. I know the parents of the children I have taught are prepared to advocate for their children, and I think documentation had as much to do with that as the children's passion for what they were doing.