Grading Teachers | Teen Ink

Grading Teachers

April 28, 2015
By Aafandre5 BRONZE, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Aafandre5 BRONZE, Waukesha, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll alw


There's at least one in every school; an inefficient teacher. Students say they are boring, they don't explain anything. But no one ever listens; the imperfect teacher never changes and the students voices are lost in the clouds. Some people may think that students should not have the power to grade their teachers, but students should have the right to grade their teachers and their voices must be heard.

     With students grading their educators, the teachers would be able to improve based on what the students' feedback displays. According to a 2014 article published by the New York Times titled "Grading Teachers, With Data From Class" , teachers from Lionel Wilson Preparatory Academy in Oakland California, who were scoring at or above average for aspire after being graded by their administrator, got very different results from a student survey called Panorama Education. Students were saying that they did not feel comfortable or the teacher was not being efficient (Grading Teachers, With Data From Class).  With this information the teachers at Lionel Wilson would be able to improve and make the students more satisfied, now with what they know other schools and their school can change and become better for their students'. 

     Another problem that would be fixed with this form of education is that students' voices would be heard. From a 2012 article published by The Atlantic "Why Kids Should Grade Teachers" a senior named Nubia Baptiste is mentioned. She knew things about her school that some adults would never know, but no one ever asked her until she got a test. The test asked questions with a scale of how true the students felt such as; "Teachers in the hallway treat me with respect, even if they don’t know me." And "This class feels like a happy family." Nubia thought this was a joke, the class never felt like a family and teachers didn't treat her with respect. She chose sometimes for the first, and untrue for the Second.(Why Kids Should Grade Teachers) This shows that giving students a chance to express their voice teachers and schools can learn the accurate feelings of the students that no one ever bothers to ask.


     With teachers being graded by students, relationships between the student body and teachers could advance just by asking a few incomplex questions. An article published by NeaToday from 2011, titled "Should Students Grade Their Teachers?" Declares In Palm Beach, Florida a student survey asks five questions, those questions are; Does your teacher treat you fairly? Does your teacher treat you with respect? Does your teacher answer your questions well? Is your teacher consistent in how he/she teaches and relates to you with or without and administrator present? Do you behave in class?" The students then answer on a 0-5 scale with five being yes, and zero being no. (Should Students Grade Their Teachers?) these few questions can help teachers know about how the learners feel making them able to connect with them more and build a better relationship. I can also make students feel important because schools are taking time to hear what they think.

     There is another side to this argument; plenty of teachers, and school boards disagree with this idea. They suggest that students are irresponsible and would not know how to grade or grade fairly. However most teachers go over with their students how they grade papers and why the student deserved the grade they got, so wouldn't students know what to look for? If administrators explained the purpose and importance of the questions they will most likely be taken seriously. Also the students spend almost everyday with a teacher, when a school board member or principal of a school, grades a  teacher they are only in that class for one period or less. So the students know more about the teacher. Just like when you go to a store and they ask you to take a survey to tell them how they are doing. They ask the consumer, well in this case the students are the consumer. The consume the knowledge that the teachers are giving them.  So shouldn't their feedback be heard? And yes some students might not take it seriously or give a bad grade to a teacher they do not like, but with the right directions a larger percent of students would be honest, and with an explanation the problem would be eliminated.

    In conclusion students should be able to evaluate their teachers because the teachers would be able to improve, the students voices would be heard, and student teacher relationships would become stronger. And although some people believe that it is not a good idea, most students can be trustworthy enough to handle the task. Student need to have the right to grade their teachers.

                                                  


                                                         Works cited

Manjoo, Farhad. "Grading Teachers, With Data From Class." The New York Times. The  
             New York Times, 03 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

 

Ripley, Amanda. "Why Kids Should Grade Teachers." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media
         Company, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.

 

"Should Students Grade Their Teachers? - NEA Today." NEA Today. N.p., 25 July 2011
      Web. 02 Apr. 2015.



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This article has 2 comments.


on May. 1 2015 at 10:23 am
AMAZING!!! I loved this article so much! Very well done.

on Apr. 29 2015 at 5:43 pm
Caesar123 DIAMOND, Union Grove, Wisconsin
50 articles 7 photos 103 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Madness in great ones must not unwatched go" --Claudius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

A good article, and some pretty decent arguments. I know just this year our school began doing surveys like those described for every class and I really like the idea. By and large I think my classmates take it seriously, and while there might be a few goofs, I think that most of the data is good. I hope more schools do this. Can only lead to good things in theory, right?