Opinion

MARTIN: Should students be able to grade their teachers?

In the country of the United States, many states use different ways to see how teachers are performing in classrooms. Many states use tactics such as standardized tests and observations by administrators. For the most part, they use everything but the people that the teachers are supposed to teach, and that is the students. I believe students should be able to grade their teachers. 

One reason why I believe students should be able to grade their teachers is because they are the ones that spend the most time with them. Students are the ones that have the one on one interaction and they also get to see how the teachers treat and teach their peers. Other methods such as standardized tests, do not necessarily capture the teachers hard work or ability to teach all the students. Some students just are not great test takers but may be good in class with projects and participation. Administrators such as principals and superintendents can only so much out of observations every once and a while. Getting that grade or some type of feedback from the closest source is best.

Another reason why I believe students should be able to grade their teachers is because it allows teachers to see their progress. Within the school year, the teacher can access what they can do better to make the class more enjoyable for the students. In 2016 a Gallup poll revealed that as students progressed through the education system, they were more likely to feel bored. Only 32 percent of 11th-graders said they felt engaged in school, compared with 74 percent of fifth graders. This poll is another reason why higher-level students such as high school students should be the ones grading teachers. They seem to be the most bored or the ones that many teachers can not grab and hold their attention the longest. This is not necessarily the biggest issue for schools, but it is one of them.

Many lower level students may not be mature enough to grade their teacher correctly. Some may have bias, or others might not care at all about the process. This why I believe it should only be applied to high school students. Even though they are not fully mature, they are mostly mature enough to give honest grades. Although grades may be a little iffy to some people, at the bare minimum you can get some kind of feedback.

The more feedback you have the better a classroom can be for students. This most likely can have a great trickle-down effect on test scores that the states really want badly to improve. Feedback leads to a more enjoyable classroom. A more enjoyable classroom leads to more learning. More learning leads to better test grades and overall grades. So, why not allow students to grade their teachers? Teachers have graded students for eternity, why not let students do the same.

– De’Vante Martin is a Sophomore Mass Communication major from St. Joseph, La.