I’m a longtime believer in the importance of projecting a positive attitude in class, and the benefits that provides to students (see Best Posts On Why It’s Important To Be Positive In Class).

But, as an article in today’s Harvard Business Review suggests (see Leaders, Don’t Be Afraid to Talk About Your Fears and Anxieties), maintaining a façade of constant positivity can have negative consequences, too.

In the face of the pandemic, a fair amount of attention has been placed on this type of “toxic positivity” that has a following in education circles (see Down With Toxic Positivity! For Teachers and Students, Healing Isn’t Blind Optimism and When Toxic Positivity Seeps Into Schools, Here’s What Educators Can Do).

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t generally be upbeat and positive in the classroom, but we can still acknowledge the challenges and problems we are all facing.

And our students can benefit from both….