Rate My Teacher Comment



132 comments and still going strong,  This comment needed highlighting.

Steve Smith, Ohio has left a new comment on your post "Rate My Teacher":

Let's face it, teachers. We're in a day when teachers are increasingly seen as public enemy number one. I am a veteran teacher who has earned awards for my work. I have a masters in English and have been approached in public restaurants by former students who have told me how much I meant to them during their developmental high school years. One young man had tears in his eyes, and we embraced then. My wife told me that no one in the private sector knows what that moment is like. She's right. However, this Rate My Teacher has become a sounding board for the underachieving student who feels maligned. If students looking back at say, age 25 (once reflection occurs in the adult), were allowed to post comments that required a name, then the site would have credibility. I personally have two positive comments and two negative comments on my rating. The one comment I know came from a student who was not permitted to turn in a paper late without a penalty, because I stand on the principle that the group and its fair treatment trumps the rights of the individual, no matter how much a student may see his or her treatment as 'unfair.' It's that notion that has seemingly lost popularity in America, a country where at times it appears that raising our young has gone off track. I point at the droves of helicopter parents who interfere with the maturation and seasoning of their children by taking issue with teachers who are teaching them life lessons in addition to an academic ones or skills. Conversely, some parents could care less because they are dealing with their own life issues--substance abuse, broken families, joblessness, etc. The summative effect of all this is that one of the last vestiges of authority--teaching--has become the whipping boy of today's society. Be careful what you wish for. Remember, a vacation from teaching 100 kids everyday is necessary for anyone who's done it. And, for the supporters of the super-rich right, just remember that making $50,000 isn't a sin. Teachers earn it with stress and in some districts, physical danger. Bad teachers exist. Bad lawyers exist. Bad plumbers, pilots, managers, etc. I have witnessed a few in my time, and yes, they were shown the door by concerned administrators doing their job. I will write plainly to close; I am tired of the vilification of teachers. I am currently applying for employment outside the field of teaching. When the value of doing what I do is trumped by wage freezes, pay cuts, invasive politicians, meddling legislation, and lawyer-happy parents, the job loses its appeal. I am confident I am not alone. And when the tipping point is reached and enough talented educators have either left or young aspiring professionals have avoided teaching, the schools may be staffed by mindless goons, like the blogger on this site who hates teachers and remains nameless.

Rate My Teacher Revisited



It still amazes me that this post, written on March 28, 2010 is still getting hits.  I wanted to share #119

Ok. After I posted my last comment, I started to get curious about WHO runs RMT? Interesting that it is anonymous, yes? Here is the link to the info I found on its IP address - http://www.ip-adress.com/reverse_ip/174.120.49.148 - but no info on who actually owns the site. (Yes, I used to be a public librarian and now I'm VERY curious). Why don't they name themselves? And how do we find out who runs it? (You know they're in it for the advertising money). Anyone else want to investigate?

and #120

Personally, I have a hard time taking RMT seriously. I actually think it fits in perfectly with the Neo-Con agenda of undermining civil servants and wouldn't be surprised if it were sponsored by folks who support the privatization of education (and everything else for that matter) and reducing teachers to clerical staff rather than trained professionals. For a good laugh, read those anonymous comments from teenagers whose frontal lobes are not fully developed (according to the brain research I've read) and who reside in a state of narcissism and are therefore somewhat incapable of contextualizing their educational experiences or taking FULL responsibility for their own contribution to their learning (and no, I was no different at their age, but I am from a different generation where my parents reminded me of my responsibility rather than believing and enabling all of my self centred adolescent narrative). The comments say as much about the writers themselves as their teachers.
On another note, I've emailed the RMT people 4times to get my name removed (I no longer teach at the school I'm listed at and have in fact changed my teaching area) and have had no response. Does anyone actually work there? Has anyone been able to delist themselves? (The school I was at now lists Principal Skinner and Chuck Norris among others as illustrious instructors - it's a very well taken care of website!! ;)

I know what #120 means.  Several months ago I found myself lumped together with a secretary and a language teacher.   It is obvious to me, from reading the comments many belong to the others.  I've written to RMT to make the change, but they did nothing.  No one should take this site seriously but sensitive people can't help but be hurt by some of the comments.  There has got to be a better way.

Evaluation Time



As students get ready for their final exams at college, teachers are also being evaluated and it is not a five minute visitation by a no nothing supervisor.  It is an evaluation by the students who actually sat with this teacher every day. 

The evaluation form begins asking the students about he course and covers questions about their interest before and after, difficulty, objectives, workload, homework, things the student must deal with on a daily basis.  The student is even asked to rate their level of effort which includes attendance, note-taking, reading, homework, studying and participation.  Since the survey is anonymous, it is hopeful that the kids will answer honestly and this will give insight to who is doing the evaluation, unlike the anonymous RMT.

The next section asks about the instructor and includes topics such as preparedness, knowledge, ability to explain, availability for help, encouragement, organization and then ends with rating how effective the instructor is.

The evaluation then asks the student to mark their year in school, requirements class fulfills, current grade and the number of hours spent studying for the course.  Lastly there are four more questions the students must write out answers to, including if they would recommend this instructor or take another course with him/her. The instructor can even add a personal question.

The teacher is not in the room while the evaluation forms are being filled out and does not even see the results until the students in the class are a distant memory.  I know the schools use these forms.  When I interviewed for my current position I was asked to bring evaluations from the other college I taught at.  I know these reviews were carefully read every term and if enough comments warranted, I would not have been rehired.

It is always good for me to hear what my students think and want.  I've read, listened and adjusted based on their comments which were often right on the money. 

Millions of dollars are being spent on evaluation methods but that money is being wasted when the best evaluators are sitting in front of us.  They are cheap (free), available and want to help.  These are the voices that can help make a difference in education.  It is time to start listening them an.d using what they say.

A Comment Worthy Of Its Own Post

T

This little, nothing post, Rate My Teacher, written last March has gotten 110 comments.  Most are pretty lame--some trash teachers and some praise them.  Most I just hit publish and ignore.  This one, deserved sharing.  Thanks goes to the anonymous commenter.  I wish I knew your name to give you credit.

  

Yep, that's right folks, teachers are only in it for the HUGE paycheck they get. It's like the easiest job in the word to teach 30+ kids at a time with 60 adults banging on the door everyday just to tell you what a crappy job you're doing. Oh yes, please sign me up for that job! Because you know teachers are in it only for the money and to screw up YOUR child. They wake up just thinking about how they can make your child dumber and how to make your life more miserable by sending home homework. GASP! So yep, I spent over $50,000 in my college tuition and over 5 years in college just so I can sit on my ass and screw up your child. So to be fair, go ahead and rate your teacher, but I think we should have a rate the student and parent. I think a grade for parental support should be on the report card, and a website that rates students should be started. Is this student a pain in the ass? Yes. Argues? Yes. Does homework? Nope. Parent support and follow through? F- Truth hurts doesn't it?

By Anonymous on Rate My Teacher on 10/28/11

Student Rating Systems

The statistics unit of my college class spends quite a bit of time talking about valid studies.  As an extra credit assignment, I asked my class to make up a survey that could evaluate their teachers.  It is interesting that not one question in this study deals with test grades.  Kids are a lot brighter than the people running the school system.

Survey 1:

This is a confidential assessment that will help evaluate your teacher’s performance.

Consider each of the following statements below. Then, rate them accordingly to your teacher’s performance.

Statement	1           2             3                      4                      5 Never  Rarely  Sometimes  Frequently  Always
1. Is available outside the classroom
2. Provides clear lessons
3. Provides lessons with an objective/aim
4. Actively involves students into the lesson
5. Seeks constructive feedback from students
6. Knows and addresses students by name
7. Gives students sufficient time to finish exams
8. Values what students have to say
9. Communicates with students respectfully
10. Explains homework efficiently

Statement	1                  2                 3                      4             5 Strongly    Disagree  Neither      Agree      Strongly Disagree                      Agree/                          Agree                                        Disagree
11. Treats students equally
12. Assists students individually, if needed
13. Displays the enjoyment of teaching
14. Actively involves students into the lesson
15. Arrives to class late on  regular basis
16. Promotes  a great classroom environment
17. Teaches lessons at a reasonable pace
18. Informs students of grading policy
19. Speaks in an appropriate tone
20. Admits to mistakes and fixes immediately

Comments:                                                                                                        

Purpose of this assessment

The purpose of this assessment is to be reliable means of determining the quality of education a teacher gives. This assessment is designed to remove as many biases as possible. The confidentiality of the test ensures the participant is being as truthful as possible. And the comments section is used to identify any confounding variables. For an example, if a student mentions they have had teacher twice and failed both courses, we take this into account.

How to interpret this test

The Maximum points a teacher can receive on this assessment is 100 points,

The Minimum points a teacher can receive on this assessment is 20 points

Ranges

Excellent teacher =                                                                      90 – 100 points

Great teacher =                                                                              80- 89 points

Satisfactory teacher=                                                                  70-79 points            

Teacher needing a vast amount of improvement =             60 – 69 points   

Unsatisfactory teacher =                                                  20-59 points                                                                                                

Survey 2:

1. From a scale of 1-5, how affective are Ms. Lopez’s learning methods?

1         2         3         4        5

2. From a scale of 1-5, how hard are Ms. Lopez’s tests?

1         2         3         4         5

3. From a scale of 1-5, how easy are Ms. Lopez’s projects?

1          2         3         4         5

4. From a scale of 1-5, how much can you rely on Ms. Lopez for extra help during class?

1          2         3        4         5

5. From a scale of 1-5, can you trust Ms. Lopez with things you don’t feel comfortable telling to other teachers?

1         2         3          4         5

6. From a scale of 1-5, do you understand Ms. Lopez’s way of teaching?

1         2          3          4          5

7. From a scale of 1-5, do you think Ms. Lopez is organized with her lesson plan?

1          2          3          4         5

8. From a scale of 1-5, how much homework does your teacher give you every night?

1         2          3          4         5

9. From a difficulty level of 1-5 (5 being the most difficult), how hard is Ms. Lopez’s homework?

1          2         3        4        5

10. How much does Ms. Lopez show that she respects you as students?

1         2         3         4        5

11. How much do you respect Ms. Lopez as a teacher?

1         2         3        4        5 

12. Do you think Ms. Lopez cares about you enough to help you reach your goals, set your goals in life, etc.?

1         2        3       4        5

       13.  Does Ms. Lopez give you too much or too little discipline?

  1       2        3        4       5 

13. Do you think Mr. Lopez has fair control over the class?

                                 Yes                 No

14. Ms. Lopez listens to our opinions and things we have to say.

                               Yes                   No

15. I want to keep contact with Ms. Lopez when I graduate High School.  

                                    Yes             No

16. Ms. Lopez makes me feel welcomed in her classroom.

                                   Yes              No

17.  Ms. Lopez takes the time to get to know each student in our class.

                                  Yes                No

18.   Ms. Lopez lets our parents know how we are progressing in her class.

                                   Yes                 No

19.   Does Ms. Lopez take her time teaching you the topics so everyone in the class is able to understand?

                                    Yes               No

20.   Ms. Lopez encourages us to challenge our selves so we can fully understand a topic

     Yes              No

To Advertisers On RMT

 Template letter promised

DD/MM/YY

Dear Name of Vice President for Marketing,

           

            I am a teacher in a community with many gifts and many needs.  Many years ago, I was asked by my principal to teach a class of students who experienced many social difficulties.  Unfortunately, one of those students was a very angry young man who had intense feelings of rage towards females in positions of authority and persons of colour.  This young man began to obsess and fixate on me to the point where he would stalk me and post swastikas on my classroom door. The Hate Crimes unit of the police department became involved and the student was seriously cautioned.

            At about the same time the website “Rate My Teacher” was created.  This website became a vehicle through which this student could express and post intense feelings of hatred towards me.  Knowing how disturbed this student was, I believe that he, in fact, was the moderator of the site and continued to generate his particular breed of hate against me for a number of years and provide a forum for others to do the same.

             And, it is for this reason that I writing to ask _________Company of Canada to remove its advertising sponsorship of this site.   I do not believe that  Ford would knowingly sponsor a website which encourages people to make anonymous racist comments like “y don’t u just go back to where you came from b****” or  “insert other comment” let alone post the corporate logo beneath them. As your approach to marketing is one that presents an image of integrity and corporate responsibility, I think that we can agree that the type of thinking this web site generates and cultivates none of these.

And, if you were to multiply my experience by the many other teachers in North America who have been unfairly maligned on this site, many of whom are your customers, I think you would find that your corporate images suffers more than it benefits by advertising on “Rate My Teachers”. Although I have personally requested for my name to be removed from this web site, “Rate My Teachers” has refused to do so. 

Secondly, to put it mildly, insert name of company yields a great deal of power through its advertising budget.    Perhaps I am extremely naive, however I believe that this is really a wonderful opportunity for your company to be an incredible force of change. 

I realize that, despite their claims to the contrary, I am a means through which this website can generate more revenue. Should you choose to withdraw your sponsorship of the site, please inform “Rate My Teachers” of your concerns.  At the very least, please encourage “Rate My Teachers” to re-consider the intent of the work that they do.  In a world where people feel

Campaign To Ban RMT



From the reader who sent me this post.

You and your site rock!
I'm a teacher in Canada, and I try not to give the site too much attention, but this summer I just got sick of the whole thing.  There is nothing more violating than seeing the horrible things written about me-- except having the self righteous folks at RMT try to broker their terms of whether or not they would remove the information.
 
I was wondering, is there any way your site would be willing to organize a campaign? You wouldn't have to do much, except provide teacher readers with a little direction. 

The process of contacting advertisers is quite simple for teachers-- it just takes time. Go to the site, note the advertiser, look up the info about the VP of advertising, write a letter or an e-mail (polite) and follow up with a phone call to the corporation and (very important) inform the people at RMT of your success-- they need to know that their advertisers find their actions to be unacceptable.

I would even be willing to provide my letter as a general template that teachers could modify. (I just asked her to send it so I can post that as well.)

Also, were you aware that in France the site was banned.  Because of their history with the Nazi occupation, the French government finds the act of anonymously berating an individual to be disgusting.  Oh to live with French morals! :)

Anyway, it's just a thought and if you need any info from me, I would be happy to help.

Take Care