Today is the first official day of summer vacation. The last several days I've been spending time reflecting back on my first year teaching in a new district. Though my primary concern in my reflection and personal improvement centers around my own curriculum and instruction, I've also been analyzing the new system and school culture I joined this year.
Unfortunately, the existing school culture isn't one that fosters excellence among the staff or students. There are many critiques to be made of the current system, but far and away the biggest criticism I have is that the school lacks a culture of criticism.
In general (there are definite exceptions), criticism in any way shape or form is not welcomed. Even minor, soft-spoken constructive criticism is often responded to as if the criticism were a personal attack. As a result, criticism has become extremely rare in any form. This, in my opinion, may be the single most detrimental characteristic of the school.
Criticism is important and should flow freely at any institution that wants to improve its effectiveness. Let me suggest a few ways that a culture of criticism should evidence itself:
There should be regular (I'd say weekly at minimum) observations of classroom instruction both by teachers and administrators. These observations should be viewed by both parties as opportunities to improve existing practices and learn new methodologies.
The decision-making processes should be open and transparent. For example, if a committee is formed to interview and select a new administrator, it should be clear to all stakeholders how the members of the committee were chosen and what qualities they're looking for among the candidates.
Procedures and policies should be open for suggestions as to how they might be improved to be more effective or more efficient. While constantly changing procedure and policy can be detrimental, they should be regularly questioned: Why do we do things this way? Is our current method helping students/staff/the school accomplish the stated goal efficiently?
If the school culture is not open to crtiticism, how can we ever hope to improve? The worst thing we can do is continue old practices simply because "that's the way it is." Constructive criticism from a variety of viewpoints drives reform and is a hallmark of robust and rigorous institutions. As educators, we expect our students to take constructive criticism from us. We also need to learn to take that criticism ourselves.
On a personal note, I've tried to offer gentle constructive criticism many times this school year. The responses have ranged from a simple blow off to downright unprofessional behavior. Through it all, I keep telling myself that eventually some people will realize that I'm trying to improve their lives, not get them fired. What is the best method to create a culture of criticism? I'm looking for any help (or criticism) you might have.
