Schooling in a Parallel Universe: Why Students Should Grade Their Teachers

Think of your teachers back in middle and high school. You may remember some being old and crabby, while others may have been angels sent down from the heavens. All of these opinions you’ve conjured up are likely based on how much you like them and how they teach. Throughout all their years of molding young minds, teachers have always graded and judged their students, but what if it could be the other way around? What many teachers fail to realize is that a huge reason why they can be disliked is that their teaching style prevents them from making connections they need in order for their students to learn (Ripley). Teaching without making connections is like firing a gun without a bullet. It just won’t work. That’s why students should grade their teachers. To show them the connections they need to make.

After a test involving over a quarter million middle school to college level students from fourteen different schools or universities, many researchers found that if students are given the opportunity, they can easily identify the “best” and “worst” teachers in their grade, mainly because they spent so many hours in a classroom, listening to them (Mooney). Sure enough, the teachers who taught least effectively also happened to teach the subject that most students were struggling with. Once the teachers who have had the most trouble getting to their students were diagnosed, actions were taken that allowed the teachers to better connect to their pupils, therefore increasing their performance. Doing this revealed that a teacher’s personality and style of teaching directly affects their students in an academic matter (Johnson).

“We knew that the relationships that teachers build with their students were important, but seeing proof ...

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...r such as this, but risks need to be taken in order to mature. What people need to learn is that simply quizzing a group of students on their educators can open many gateways to relationship and academic success -- gates that would never otherwise open. It’s common knowledge that obstacles will always get in the way of a path to success, but overcoming these obstacles is what helps us grow, and simple evaluations could help us get there.

Works Cited

1. Ripley, Amanda. "Why Kids Should Grade Teachers." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media

Company, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

2. Johnson, Ben. "Should Students Evaluate Their Teachers?" Edutopia. The George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 9 May 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

3. Mooney, John. "Should Students Grade Their Teachers?" Hechinger Report. Teachers College at Columbia University, 14 Jan 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.