Confronting the Culture of "Nice"

The current issue of JSD [the Journal of Staff Development] features a great article on how the culture of "nice" pervades professional discourse among educators and how school leaders can take firm but gentle steps to challenge that culture.

(Sorry I don't have a full-text link to the article.  JSD is the members-only, bi-monthly magazine of Learning Forward, which used to be called the National Staff Development Council, a excellent organization focused exclusively on high-quality professional development for teachers and school leaders.  I strongly recommend membership.)

The article, "When Nice Won't Suffice: Honest Discourse is Key to Shifting School Culture," by Elisa MacDonald, vividly describes how educators feel deeply reluctant to openly critique their own instructional practices or those of others, and how this serves as a barrier to thoughtful, meaningful sharing, especially in professional learning community (PLC) contexts.  Instead, teachers tend to only say nice things about each other's work, even when the goal of the discussion is to improve practice. MacDonald provides a helpful list of signs that the culture of "nice" may be creeping into your professional conversation:

• Teachers rarely question each other's and their own practice, assumptions, and beliefs.
• Teachers only share successful student work to avoid judgment from peers.
• Teachers who share their unsuccessful student work and those examining it make excuses as to why the student performed.
• Teachers recommend strategies for the presenting teacher to apply, but don't critically reflect and apply them to their own instruction.

MacDonald gives examples of these signs, and then offers some specific strategies PLC facilitators can use to refocus the discussion in a more critical, honest direction.  The goal here, she argues, is to replace the culture of nice with a culture of trust, where teachers feel safe in sharing their own growth areas and those of their students.  MacDonald recommends establishing group norms that allow teachers to recognize when the discussion has shifted to "nice" and actively redirect it back to a more self-reflective approach.   Another helpful suggestion includes focusing on the learning dilemma students are encountering, rather than the teacher him or herself.  Finally, MacDonald encourages PLC facilitators to debrief each PLC session, specifically challenging teachers to reflect on how authentic, critical, and self-reflective their discussion has been.

MacDonald's article echoes points made powerful by Richard Elmore and his colleagues in their work on instructional rounds.  Until teachers and principals can separate the personal from the practice, meaningful growth in practice -- and in student achievement -- will be limited.  School leaders bear a key responsibility for contronting the culture of nice, and fostering a culture of honesty and ongoing professional growth in its place.

 

 

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[Gary Houchens]

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