Opinion
School & District Management Opinion

Toxic Positivity Has No Place in Schools

We can acknowledge everyone’s trauma and remain optimistic
By Cherisse Campbell — October 14, 2021 4 min read
A teacher sits on her desk thinking in an empty classroom.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Nothing prepared me to lead through a global pandemic. Nothing. I have been a classroom teacher and a school leader, and now, a district leader. Leading right now is just different.

Through those experiences, I became skillful at helping navigate students, families, and staff members through short-term struggles. I’ve always prided myself in my ability to build strong teams that could band together and knock down any brick wall when faced with a formidable challenge. As educators, our toolboxes rarely included a hammer. Instead, we were armed with passion, innovation, grit, resilience, and a growth mindset that would make educator and psychologist Angela Duckworth herself stand back and say, “Wow!”

But what happens when the brick wall that we so skillfully and willfully knock down continues to rebuild? Eventually, the words of encouragement that once empowered us seem to mock us. Words like “pivot” make us want to stop in our tracks. Whimsical team-building activities make us want to withdraw in solitude. Our educators’ tool kit that once comforted and inspired us has transformed into toxic positivity, which is when, despite our efforts to uplift, we come off as disconnected and tone deaf from the lived experience of those we support. The easy answer to this challenge would be to retreat—we can’t be expected to keep this up. But we must, right?

Although educators never stood with our right hand in the air and took an official vow to “protect and serve,” “do no harm,” or “defend the Constitution of the United States” like those in other professions, we silently took all those vows when we stepped into our first classroom. We signed up for an unrequited love for which we give every piece of our being to elevate the hearts and minds of the students and families we serve. This love rarely yields significant financial gain or even a thank you, but we give it freely because that’s what we were called to do. Society depends on professional educators to prepare the next generation of poets, innovators, scientists, and citizens. Despite the fresh obstacles that await us around every corner, we figure out a way.

Even though a myriad of books on teaching and leading through the pandemic emerged seemingly overnight, no one has ever led through a crisis like this before and can speak from a position of authority. However, what we do know is that our prepandemic professional tools weren’t built for this challenge, nor were our minds and bodies. There is much research on the impact of sustained stress on the brain and body, also known as allostatic load. The intervention to address this stress is not simply positivity and a can-do attitude.

As an alternative to toxic positivity, we must eliminate the false dichotomy that we should always be positive or rest in a puddle of our gloom and doom. In contrast, we can be realistically optimistic. We can both acknowledge the trauma that everyone is going through and remain optimistic and grounded in our self-efficacy.

We are educators that can't do all things. But we can do some things.

Within the context of a school, that means we can acknowledge that things can be terribly hard and scary at times but also recognize that we know some real and effective measures to safeguard us. We know that getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and keeping some physical distance can keep us relatively safe in our schools. We know that healthy eating, adequate sleep, and regular exercise can do wonders for our physical and mental health. We know that we may not be able to do all that we know how to do to teach kids right now, but we can do some things.

We may not be able to squeeze in tight for a small-group lesson at the kidney table, but we can look at diagnostic data and respond to the various learning needs of students virtually or at a distance. We may not be able to offer warm embraces to all our students or colleagues right now, but we can listen with open hearts and wrap them in care. We can be optimistic knowing that the world and the struggles of humankind have been around for a long time and we have always made it through—sometimes a little bruised and worn, but we have always made it through.

Teachers and school leaders bear an incredible weight during “normal” times, and teaching and leading through this pandemic have been no exceptions. However, if we stay grounded by starting from where we are and doing what we can with the skills and resources we have, there is no need for shame or heroism. We are not victims. We are not superheroes. We are educators that can’t do all things. But we can do some things. We can be sad and we can be joyful. We can analyze student data late into the night and sometimes we can walk out of the building when the school bell rings.

So, leaders, at your next faculty or district meeting, resist the urge to offer the battle cry of “we can do hard things.” Resist the urge to judge the student or colleague having trouble navigating the current landscape. Instead, offer a listening ear and build a collective vision of a manageable today and even brighter tomorrow.

A version of this article appeared in the October 20, 2021 edition of Education Week as Toxic Positivity Has No Place in Schools

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Why These K-12 Administrators Left Education—and What They Did Next
What do a nurse, an emergency responder, and an AI expert have in common? They used to work in schools.
7 min read
11 people walk through a large, dark room towards the exit door, which lights up the scene in a dramatic way. People carry boxes and various bags, indicating that they are relocating or have been laid off from work. Vector illustration.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Q&A ‘A Nice and Gentle Disrupter’: Meet the New Principals of the Year
The award went to middle school principal Damon Lewis and high school principal Tony Cattani.
11 min read
Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the annual National Association of Secondary School Principals Illuminate Principal of the Year Celebration in Seattle.
From left, Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference in Seattle. They were both named the 2025-26 National Principal of the Year.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/National Association of Secondary School Principals
School & District Management Opinion The Stunning Resignation of UVA President Jim Ryan—and Why It Matters
The university president’s departure is more than just a headline. It’s a lesson in leadership.
2 min read
Opinion Licensed Not for Reuse Wait What FCG
Canva
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Custodian Got Students to Stop Vandalizing and Take Pride in Their School
Andy Markus, the 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year, helped boost behavior and engagement in his Utah district.
5 min read
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year.
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year for his mentorship of students.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week