The high school staff is very important to the entire school district. They keep students in check and help them learn everything they might need for their class. They also help prepare students for their future. Though many recognize the hard work the staff does, some students have stronger opinions of the employees and may think differently. Some may think rating teachers is important, while others could think it’s hurtful and mean.
In college, students can use the website “Rate My Professor.” This allows the students to rate the professors they’ve had to let others see how their teaching is affecting many different individuals. This can direct students to or away from each professor, which is a very powerful tool. If high school students had the opportunity to do this, it could change a lot.
Alana Dyrland, sophomore, has been attending school in this district for ten years. Her past two years at the high school have taught her a lot, and she has a good opinion about the school and the staff. Dyrland said, “It’s a good atmosphere here. Not a lot is going on here and nothing bad, unlike other schools, so I like that aspect. The staff here are very helpful and nice. They let pretty much all the students live their lives and be free without being controlling.” As she has met more staff members and has formed new opinions, Dyrland knows how she feels about the whole school and how it’s helping her get through high school.
Students at the high school all have opinions on the staff. Some may feel different than others, but everyone has opinions to form throughout each term and class. The question is, should students be able to freely express their opinions and rate their teachers based on how they help them get through high school? Dyrland said, “I think students should be able to [rate the teachers] because they are allowed to express their feelings on how it’s affecting their overall learning. However, if I were a teacher, I would personally feel a little threatened just because I don’t like criticism and neither might a certain teacher.”
Mallory Sloan is an English teacher at the high school. This will be her second year at the school and this her first full-time teaching job. She was a student-teacher at Harding Middle School and Iowa City High School before committing full-time. She enjoys teaching at the school and making new relationships with her fellow staff and students. Being a teacher and trying to please all the students she teaches isn’t easy. She thinks that her student’s opinions are extremely valid and she loves to know how they feel. Sloan said, “I would like it if my students rated me. I feel like it would give me good feedback because everyone has their perception of how we are doing, so it’s nice to hear how they feel.”
With students rating their teachers, there are always some positive and negative outcomes from it. Sloan said, “The positives would be helping teachers become a little more self-aware and seeing where they can improve or where they are doing well. So unless kids are going to be ruthless and rude about the rating, then I don’t see any negative outcomes from a student rating their teacher.”
So the question still hangs in the air, should students be allowed to express their opinion on how their teachers are affecting them before they get to college? Letting students rate their teachers is just as fair as letting college students rate their professors. It’s all for the same benefits and reasons since teachers in high school should be able to see how they’re affecting their students. It could truly help students share their feelings towards their learning and help teachers learn how to be exceptional.
