18 I Used to Be an Expert

A retired colleague visited my office today, completely unexpectedly, to chat with me in my role as Communication Expert.

He reminded me of my years of being called on for peer teams or just in an advising capacity when teachers were perceived by their department chairs as having communication issues in the classroom.  I would ask the chairs about why the particular individual needed a communication expert.  Was it a problem turning up on written evaluations?  In complaints made to the chair by students?  By fellow faculty?  Then I'd observe the classes, have a few chats with the person, and write up my report.

At least once I helped a person I probably should not have. This is one of my regrets.  I was on the  peer team of a teacher whose low skills were matched only by a dislike of students who didn't view the world through the prescribed lens.  I remember (and my still extant peer team report confirms) classes in which students were ignored, talked over, and had their work verbally belittled.  There were also lectures that were disorganized, had incorrect data, and included personal stories that wandered far afield of the stated objective of the lecture.  I wish I'd had the energy or personality to just say, "This is an incompetent teacher."  But I respected the chair of the department who told the peer team that  that our job was to help this person keep the job.  Thus I did my best to couch my write-up on this teacher with language that emphasized the possibility of growth.  I wrote about the positive behaviors I saw as well as the problems.   I treated the problems as solvable and provided options for change.  Sadly, in part because of what I wrote (according to one of my institutional source) the person kept the job.  I heard stories through the grapevine about unfixed problems continuing, including using some of those student-belittling behaviors on colleagues.  Happily, this individual is now no longer at the college. 

Interaction patterns in a small group

In my role as communication expert I was even called upon once to give feedback on another department's communication problems.  I remember sitting in on meetings, diagramming who spoke to whom and paying attention to the way body language encouraged the department's well-known negative communication climate. I did what I would have done as a consultant, providing my observations, feedback, and recommendations.

It was Time itself, however, which both heals all wounds and wounds all heels, that bettered that department, I believe.