Newspaper: April 2019

14 The Voyager

Opinion

April 2019

Should students be able to grade their teachers?

By JULIA KIRK ‘19 Staff Reporter

S

tudents receive grades through their test taking abilities, homework completion, and even graded discussions. They have their strengths and weaknesses, but seeing their grades allows them to see where they need to focus more of their energy.

But imagine if students were able to grade their teachers; imagine if they were able to evaluate their teacher’s success and inform their teachers what works and what does not work.

Some people think that students would provide insight not received from administration evaluations.

Sophomore Morgan Bromley said that most teachers know when they are getting observed. “So they plan to look good for the administrators,” she said.

“Having students grade teachers allows the administration to fully understand how well a teacher helps the student understand the material.”

Tenured teachers receive one announced and one unannounced evaluation per school year. The New Jersey Department of Education requires non-tenured teachers to have a minimum of three observations each year, although Eastern has four dispersed throughout the year.

Senior Aleeha Khan said the administration doesn’t always “catch the things that happen during class.”

With a school year of 180 days, a nontenured staff member would only be evaluated on 2.2% of their teaching. This means that the other 97.8% takes place in

the presence of students.

So if students are the ones primarily exposed to their teachers, why are they not the ones that evaluate their teachers?

Science teacher Mr. Douglas Berezansky said group meetings and in-service days “help improve the quality of teaching.”

‘Horizontal meetings,’ which are comprised of staff members with different field specializations, and vertical meetings, which are inclusive to faculty in the same department allow for diverse viewpoints to emerge.

Berezansky also said that while evaluations only show a few days in the classroom, “they do offer some good points.” He agreed that student feedback could pose beneficial outcomes, although it would depend on how the grading was composed.

There is a common disagreement on the issue of tenure. Tenure allows for job protection and is received after a teacher’s fourth year and a day of working at a single school. Tenure is lost if a teacher leaves that school. While this allows teachers to feel secure with their positions, can it pose a barrier between both them and their students?

Students interviewed claimed that tenure may often cause fear that teachers may become complacent. How accountable are they for teaching their classes?

Having students “grade” their teachers may insure teacher responsibility towards their work and could “improve their understanding of the amount of work students have to deal with for school and other classes as well as extracurricular activities,” said Bromley.

There is also the worry that some students would hold grudges against teachers that did not pass them, or disciplined them when they showed inadequate behavior in the classroom. “Some students could lie if they don’t like the teachers. They could grade them badly, or vice versa,” said Khan. Bromley, in agreement, said, “Some high school students are mature enough to grade their teachers fairly while others are not.”

Websites like ratemyteachers and ratemyprofessor allow students to anonymously review their former teachers.

Eastern has an average rating of 4.23, but there’s still room for improvement.

Comments range from “Coolest.

Teacher. EVVVER!,” to “Blah, there could be better,” to “the only teacher I’ve ever had that used to be a bouncer.”

With a general trend of students giving teachers high ratings, a common recommendation is for quicker grading and attainable due dates. If teachers received feedback from their classes, they could receive individual and specific advice that would benefit the experiences of both the teacher and the student.

Some teachers educate their classes by lectures, some by PowerPoints, and some by interactive lessons; but students learn in a multitude of ways.

There are visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners, and it’s important for teachers to understand the needs of their students and receive feedback on how to adapt to those needs. “It could be good to have a different point of view on things,” Kahn said.

Rate your teachers using this sample evaluation!

Thoughts on recent college admissions scandal In early March, it was revealed that dozens of wealthy parents had “paid enormous sums” to a man named William Singer, who then helped fake credentials to get their children admitted to the top universities in America. SAT and ACT scores were faked, as well as athletic skills and achievements. The Voyager staff asked students, parents, teachers, and college administrators questions related to the recent college admissions scandal.

Do you believe that students need to go to elite schools to be successful?

“No. I didn’t go to an elite school. A college education is important it shouldn’t matter what school it comes from.”

-Señor Garry, teacher “No, I don’t think the name of the school or the acceptance rate really matters in the grand scheme of thing because when you get into the working field, it’s more about the degree earned and working experience that counts. - Sean Smith ‘21

How will the students who did not know that they were admitted into college based on a lie be affected?

“Well I imagine it might be different in each case, and I suspect at least of few of the students might have some knowledge of what their parents did on their behalf, but either way I suspect there might be some significant embarrassment, and in the case of those who were completely unaware, incredible disappointment in their parents’ actions and maybe disillusionment with the college system. For some, this might be a life-altering event, even for those whose parents are already in the spotlight for their fame. On a practical level, I would think at the very least most would leave the prestigious school they are enrolled in, and possibly leave college altogether. Having said that, it appears in some cases, attending that par-

ticular college may have been more their parents’ dream than theirs. So hopefully each, despite this setback, will move on.

I would also think that, while their credentials might not have gotten them into one of the schools in question otherwise, they are likely well-qualified to attend one of thousands of other very good schools.” - Glenn Bozinski, Vice President of Enrollment Management Misericordia University

Could you go to a school knowing you didn’t earn it?

“I wouldn’t go because if I didn’t earn it, I wouldn’t have interest in the school.

People who have respect go to a college that they earn; nobody should pay their way into what they haven’t earned.”

-Alexandra Kauffman, student

How far would you go to get your child into college?

“I wouldn’t go far at all, I wouldn’t do anything illegal or unethical. The only thing I would do is spend money on tutors and whatever legal resources there are to buy. Beyond that you’re on your own.” - Paul Frantz, parent

Do you feel like parents paying their children’s way into college takes something away from you as a student?

“I think it’s unfair because a lot of students work really hard in school to impress colleges and go to their dream

school, but some kids just get to bribe their way in. They didn’t earn it at all.”

-Clare Fitzpatrick, student

Does this change your perception of college or make you distrust the system?

“I wasn’t thinking that even happened.

The system is definitely shady and it doesn’t help that there are people with a lot of money out there that can cheat their way. It’s not fair and all their degrees should be void. Imagine seeing a doctor who is treating you without even going through the hard work— it’s just money. It’s a lack of morals in society now, and more about greed and reputation. This is stupid and overall a new low. Colleges and coaches should be charged, too, for enabling. Don’t they get that there are hardworking people there?

People are in school to work and they deserve that diploma. Money can’t buy instant knowledge.” - Victoria Thyda Thong, student at Upper Merion High School

Do you think that these privileged families will find another way to cheat the system? How so?

“Yes. There’s always going to be more rich men and women looking to find an easy way to get their kids the best possible education regardless of intelligence, and there’s always going to be people looking to profit off of that.” - Joseph Loverdi, student

Do you feel stressed or anxious when you see students comitting to schools of higher caliber?

“To a certain extent I do, but for the most part I’m more anxious just because of the fact that I’m waiting for the schools I applied to to get back to me.”

- Mike Padula, student

Does the name of the school matter?

To a certain degree, yes. I think there’s a level of college that you should go to and as long as you’re within that level the name doesn’t matter. I would like you to go to a competitively ranked school, but the actual name doesn’t matter. -Paul Frantz, parent The name means a lot to me. A school with a good name/rank it usually means there is a great alumni association and many more opportunities. - TJ Rickey, student

What advice do you have?

Take time to pursue hobbies and interests. Find your bliss. Spend time with that which enriches your life. Read a book. Take a walk. Study the arts and sciences. Play the piano. Spend time as deliberately as Nature, as Thoreau says.

Make yourself an interesting individual at a dinner party. SAT prep never made one person interesting or engaging.

- Mr. Bowne, teacher