Compassion is Easy, Cruelty Is Hard

Good leadership makes life easier for employees and students, not harder

Photo by J W on Unsplash

Earlier this week, I offered a workshop on compassionate pedagogy for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My compassionate pedagogy framework is based on my deep-seated belief that laziness does not exist, but unseen barriers do. When a student struggles, it’s almost invariably because they have too many demands on their plate, or they are dealing with hidden challenges their professor either can’t see, or refuses to appreciate as valid. When we approach our students with a spirit of openness, flexibility, and humility, we can lessen their pain, and if not level the playing field for them, at least stop contributing to their feelings of shame and stress. A punitive or controlling approach, in contrast, only makes things worse.

Tweet from Bobbywithdatool that reads: “Professors be like ‘i know these are troubling times’ then be the trouble during the times”

Of course, getting faculty members on board with this idea can take some doing. Academics often believe they have to sniff out fakers, grade-grubbers, and ‘entitled’ young people who secretly just want to take advantage of them. A spirit of mistrust and micromanagement pervades much of the academy; it certainly came out in full force…