The Kind Academic

I’ve just finished reading Catherine J. Denial’s (2024) “A Pedagogy of Kindness” and found myself nodding along and fiercely underlining throughout. The book shares practical strategies for infusing kindness into every aspect of our academic practice – from assessment design to curriculum planning, from classroom management to self-care.

But it was her concluding question that really stopped me in my tracks: “Why not be kind?”

It’s a simple question, but it’s harder to answer than you’d think. When I reflect on it, I can almost hear the familiar chorus of objections that pop up whenever kindness in academia is on the table. So let’s unpack these resistance points — and see why they might not stand up to closer examination.

“I don’t have time for kindness”

I hear this one a lot, usually in rushed corridors between lectures or during particularly hectic marking periods. The argument goes that kindness – with its emphasis on flexibility, personal connection, and careful consideration – takes too much precious time in an already overcrowded schedule.

But here’s the thing: being kind often saves time in the long run.

Just last week, I spent 15 minutes having a kind, honest conversation with a student who was struggling with their assignment. By taking that time to listen and offer support, I prevented what could have become weeks of email exchanges, extension requests, and potential appeals.

“That’s not how I was taught”

This response often comes with a hint of pride – a badge of academic survival. “I made it through the tough love approach, and it made me stronger.” It’s part of a broader narrative in academia that glamorises struggle and sees suffering as somehow necessary for intellectual growth.

But this raises an important question: Just because we survived a system, does that mean we should perpetuate it?

The academy’s struggle narrative is deeply entwined with broader systemic issues of exclusion and privilege. When we say “that’s how I was taught,” we’re often really saying “that’s how those who succeeded in the system were taught.” What about all those who were pushed out by this approach? Whose voices and potential contributions have we lost?

“My job isn’t to coddle students”

Ah, the “coddling” argument – perhaps the most common pushback against pedagogical kindness. It often comes bundled with concerns about “academic standards” and “preparing students for the real world”.

But this reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what kindness in education means. Kindness isn’t about lowering standards – it’s about creating conditions where students can meet high standards.

A colleague at the Business School where I teach shared how this played out in her classroom. After explicitly incorporating kindness into her teaching approach, she noticed her students taking bolder risks in their case study analyses. “They started challenging established business theories and proposing innovative solutions,” she told me. “The quality of debate skyrocketed once they felt safe enough to be wrong.” Why? Because kindness created space for experimentation and critical thinking.

“It takes too much emotional energy”

This one hits close to home, especially in our current academic climate where academic burnout is increasingly common. There’s a legitimate concern about emotional labor and setting boundaries.

However, what I’ve found – and what many colleagues confirm – is that practicing kindness often generates rather than depletes energy.

A colleague recently told me how shifting to a kindness-based approach actually made her enjoy teaching again. “When I stopped seeing myself as having to be the tough, uncompromising academic and started allowing myself to be kind,” she said, “everything became lighter. Even the challenging parts of the job felt more manageable.”

This isn’t just about individual experience – it’s about systemic change. Yes, kindness requires energy. But perhaps the real energy drain comes from maintaining the barriers, the artificial distance, the performance of academic toughness that our current system often demands.

So perhaps the real question isn’t “Why not be kind?” but rather: “Why do we resist kindness when it could make our academic spaces more effective, more inclusive, and more energising for everyone involved?”

Because ultimately, kindness in academia isn’t just about being nice (as I’ve explored in a previous post). It’s about creating spaces where genuine learning can happen, where diverse voices can flourish, and where both students and staff can bring their whole selves to the work of education.

And really – why not?

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Reference: Denial, C. (2024). A Pedagogy of Kindness. West Virginia University Press.