Ever wish that you could rate one of your teachers? Well you can on Ratemyteachers.com. All you have to do is search your school and teacher, but if the teacher isn’t there you can add them. You can rate your teacher within the categories of “easiness”, “helpfulness”, and “clarity”, on a five point scale. You can also post comments, positive or negative, about your teachers. Both the comments and ratings are anonymous. These comments aren’t measured for their honesty and some could hurt a teacher’s reputation. So is ratemyteachers.com a good or a bad thing?
There are many cases that show the negative sides of ratemyteachers.com. A comment posted by andy2505 on Talkreviews.com said “This site condones anonymous bullying. This site encourages kids to rate their teachers.”Andy2505 is not alone; some people feel the same way about this site. Many students may have the urge to post libelous comments, and that could ruin a teacher’s reputation. Some students, however, use the website to their advantage to see what their teachers are like before the school year starts. Roslyn High School freshman Amanda said, “It is a bad thing because teachers can look at their comments, but it it’s also a good thing because you can express your feelings about your teachers anonymously.” Another Roslyn High School freshman Kierra said, “I believe that ratemyteachers.com is a bad thing because everybody has different opinions and people might rate their teacher based on a bias.”
Not all people think that this website is a bad thing. Many teachers find the website helpful, and like to see what their students write about them. Roslyn High School Special Education teacher Mrs. Braun said, “I think it is both a good and a bad thing. I think it can give a student a chance to see what a teacher’s personality is at the beginning of the year, but if a student is angry with a teacher if may affect the way they write about a teacher and it may not be fair.”
When I asked if the website should be banned and shutdown, Braun replied, “No, but I would like students to be careful and not to form an opinion based on what someone says. They should think and experience things for themselves.” So far no teacher has had the misfortune of being fired due to a comment on the website, but that could change. It has all been speculation, but in chat rooms kids have been looking for ways to get their teachers fired. Will they prevail? The ongoing conflict of Ratemyteachers.com may never end, but as long as students use the website in the correct way and avoid posting libelous comments, ratemyteachers.com will maintain a good reputation.