Best, Better, Ugly: Mixed Reviews Keeps One Humble

Last week a student stayed behind after class to see me.  He said quietly, “I just wanted to tell you this class has changed my life. More than that, it has changed the way I think about things.  It hit me as I was driving to town the other day, all of a sudden I realized how my view of things has changed and it was like a big weight lifted from my shoulders.”

Humbled, I thanked him for telling me that.  Every teacher likes to hear such positive feedback.

The very next day a student from a previous class approached me and said, “Your course has had the most impact on my life.  I belong to a denomination that is very critical of other groups.  After your class I came away with a sense of appreciating others and I am no longer judgmental of others.

“You may not remember,” another student said to me, “but you taught me in another school in 1998.  I still remember your lectures on the Pokot and your message in chapel on having “Universal Significance.’”

There isn’t a person reading this that hasn’t had such an experience one time in their life.  Perhaps you offered a kind word to someone, a word of encouragement or perhaps a time when you just prayed with someone.  An act you don’t remember that, while you do not remember, made a profound impression on someone else.

BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE!

On my last day of teaching a student asked to see me.  Upset with his test score, he let me know in no uncertain terms that I was unfair, not sympathetic, aloof and not accessible to students.   He even accused me of teaching from a biased western perspective and that I wasn’t concerned with the Indian view of missions. 

Suddenly, all the goodwill you thought you had goes down the drain.  The praise of a three is overshadowed by the negative one.  That other feedback, the one that seemingly comes out of nowhere, blindsides you.  You feel defensive and, even worse that you let someone down.

Though no one likes criticism, in a way I’m grateful for that student’s stinging assessment.  I totally disagree with his judgment and, quite honestly, I felt that I gave him a better grade than he deserved.  But what I did get out of his honest opinion of me was that I am not infallible, not everyone thinks I walk on water and, while I am grateful that I am a blessing to some, there is always room for improvement.

Moral of the story is obvious.  Count your blessings when you are praised but remember it only takes one negative review to bring you down to earth.  Walk humbly as it hurts less when you are humbled.