B y Tom

I was listening to NPR this morning and there was an interview with the authors of Thanks for the Feedback, the Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well. I immediately thought of TPEP, since all of us are about to receive the most comprehensive dose of feedback on our teaching than we’ve had in a long, long time. For me it’s been decades since I’ve had a serious conversation with my principal about what I’m doing well and how I can improve as a teacher. The authors of the book, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, made the point that in the overall scheme of things, the act of receiving feedback is probably more important that the act of giving it. When it comes to TPEP, I completely agree. Much has been made of the role principals play in our new evaluation system. But there’s been little attention paid to our role, as consumers of the feedback.

Feedback, of course, comes in two forms: positive and negative. Most of us have no trouble receiving positive feedback; it’s the negative kind that causes problems. Negative feedback is another term for criticism, and even when it’s “constructive,” it’s still painful. Stone and Heen point out that there’s a paradox surrounding criticism: on the one hand, humans have the need for approval; we want others to think well of us. On the other hand, most of us have a desire to constantly improve at what we do. So while criticism can be used for improvement, which we like, it also makes it clear that someone doesn’t completely approve of what we’re doing, which we don’t like.

Since we’re about to get a hearty helping of constructive feedback, let me make the following suggestions:

First of all, remember that you have blind spots. Felix Hernandez is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now. But two or three times a game, a guy named Rick Waits comes out to the mound to talk to him. Rick Waits is the Seattle Mariners’ pitching coach. A long time ago he was a mediocre pitcher, having one good season back in 1978 with Cleveland. It’s safe to say that Felix Hernandez, while growing up in Venezuela, had never heard of Rick Waits. But when Rick Waits talks, Felix listens, because Rick Waits is very good at observing pitchers and giving constructive feedback, and Felix Hernandez is very good at receiving it. You and I will never teach as well as Felix Hernandez pitches, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take feedback as well as he does. And the key to talking feedback is realizing that other people can see aspects of our performance that we simply aren’t able to perceive. We have to acknowledge that we have blind spots.

Another key to receiving feedback is to consider the motivation of the source. When we’re running late and I’m waiting for my wife to get ready, she may ask me if she looks good in a particularly outfit. I always say yes, not just because it’s true, but because saying no will only cost more time. She knows this, of course, and pays absolutely no attention to this “feedback.” But what if I said no? What if I told her that she looks strange in a particular outfit? I can guarantee you that she will change clothes immediately. Why? Because I had no other motivation for the feedback other than to help her look better. The same goes with feedback from a principal. There is one and only one reason why a principal would give constructive feedback to a teacher, and that’s to improve student learning. If you think you and I are under pressure to perform, multiply that pressure by ten and you’ll get some idea of the performance pressure that principals are under. Trust me, they don’t have the time or interest to play games with TPEP evaluations.

Finally, don’t take it personally. This is far easier said than done. Teaching defines us. If I’m a good teacher, I’m a good person. But unfortunately, vice-versa; it’s very, very easy to hear constructive criticism about my teaching technique and interpret it as someone saying that my entire life has been nothing but a colossal failure. I think we all have this tendency, along with the gut response to get defensive, which is obviously counterproductive.  And that brings me right back to the paradox that Stone and Heen described: my need for approval vs. my need to improve. Ultimately, of course, it’s supposed to be about student learning, which trumps both of my needs.

So brace yourself. You’re about to get some constructive criticism. If you let it, it can ruin your day, your week, your summer. Or it can simply help you become better at what you love to do.

It’s up to you.