Declining Feedback is Harmful

Assalaamu'alaikum, wonderful people.

Maudy Ayunda once said, "Orang yang nggak mau menerima feedback itu rugi berat" (people who decline feedbacks would be deprived). Once I heard this, offense hit me hard. Since then, these words stick in my mind. They keep lingering when it comes to my personal evaluation.

I did so for I used to be that kind of stubborn person. I felt that I knew much, I've done things right, I've experienced, and therefore I was better than the others (at that "dark age" of my life). I did not want to listen what others said, eventhough it has been considered appropriately, according to particular situations and conditions. And it led me to be quite "arrogant". 

I had that attitude in me a few years ago. It happened in the first one-two years of my teaching career at Al Azhar 55. I'm sorry but I put a little blame on age. I was 7 years younger and had that idealism of what good education is all about. 

When I came to the school, I felt that all the curriculum and learning activities were far from being "high quality". They put emphasize on knowledge and memorization instead of critical and analytical thinking. They relied on books. Homework was considered important part of learning. National exam-whose questions are based on memorization-was the main goal of learning. Sorry for exaggerating, but it was all true. 

These facts led me to shape an image in my mind that the school was of "low quality". And having an experience of teaching in a national-plus which implemented the IB (International Baccalaureate) made me feel confident that I could do anything in education better. I tought I could teach students with the most ideally appropriate method and strategy. I thought I knew much about literacy. 

However, aside from that experience, being too confident was wrong. This led me to decline feedbacks. In the long term, it stops me from making improvements. Yes. TOO MUCH CONFIDENT makes us slowly DETERIOTED. 

The logic is as follows. When we are too confident to be able to do something, we will start to undermine others. When we undermine others, we would disregard the capabilities that others have. When we disregard others' capabilities, we would not listen to them. When it happens, we lose the opportunity of regarding others' ideas and feedbacks, which  might be excellent and appropriate. And disregarding these ideas might stop us from learning. In the end, when we stop learning, we will never improve.

The idea of making improvements is very basic: keep learning and listening. Even when our heart and mind still say NO, push them to do it. They need to learn to accept others' perspectives. By then you would be able to learn. Therefore, instilling these characteristics would be a must-do if we want to be progressive. All in all, declining feedbacks is HARMFUL. I leave it on you to decide.

Wassalaamu'alaikum, wonderful people.