Praise is persuasive.
So is criticism.
Both can become shortcuts.
A practice has thousands of enthusiastic participants, so it must be valuable.
A former participant attacks it, so it must be fraudulent.
Neither conclusion follows automatically.
Testimony is evidence about experience.
It is not the whole evaluation.
The same discipline should apply in both directions.
What exactly is being claimed?
What evidence supports the claim?
Is the criticism about conduct, outcomes, doctrine, leadership, money, method, or personal experience?
Is the praise specific enough to examine, or only an expression of loyalty?
Serious misconduct should not be neutralized by testimonials.
A useful teaching should not be declared false merely because its teacher has critics.
The evaluation becomes stronger when admiration and hostility are both allowed into the room without either being given automatic authority.
A mature inquiry can tolerate mixed evidence.
Praise deserves examination.
Criticism does too.

A reflection on evaluating teachers and practices without making admiration or hostility the final verdict.

A practice has thousands of enthusiastic participants, so it must be valuable.

A former participant attacks it, so it must be fraudulent.

Neither conclusion follows automatically.

The same discipline should apply in both directions.

Is the criticism about conduct, outcomes, doctrine, leadership, money, method, or personal experience?

Is the praise specific enough to examine, or only an expression of loyalty?

Serious misconduct should not be neutralized by testimonials.

A useful teaching should not be declared false merely because its teacher has critics.

The evaluation becomes stronger when admiration and hostility are both allowed into the room without either being given automatic authority.

A mature inquiry can tolerate mixed evidence.

Praise and Criticism Are Both Evidence to Examine