The Urge for Teacher Evaluation
I breathed science, it can do amazing things such as extend life, cure disease, and make machines that do the daily work. Life without science would be dull and miserable. Until my sophomore year of high school, I had the worst teacher. She would swear all the time and make inappropriate jokes that usually singled out specific people.
Since I was passionate about science, I was expecting amazing labs and interesting lectures. But all she gave us was a textbook and made us answer questions and then take a test. Ultimately she was so bad of a teacher that I lost interest in science and didn’t enjoy it as much and pursued a different career pathway. The issue at concern is teaching at schools across the nation and how it’s essential for student success. Many students in schools across the nation are failing and the teachers are under little to no evaluation or responsibility for this.
Poor teaching can cause hatred for certain subjects or ruin potential careers. A great teacher can make or break a student’s willingness to want to succeed, even as far back as elementary school. According to the NY Times, “A great teacher is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to each year’s students, just in the extra income they will earn. ” James H. Stronge states, “Without capable, high quality teachers in America’s classrooms, no educational effort can possibility succeed.
” It’s been proven redundantly that teachers are the most influential in student success. In many classrooms, the student will choose not to do the work, and the teacher will neglect it and say it’s your choice but teachers are supposed to encourage the students in a positive and effective way. It is essential for teachers to posses uplifting qualities such as demanding but supportive, caring, shows interest in each individual student, was excited about what he/she was teaching, and a sense of humor. A teacher can’t expect kids to pay attention to them when a rock has more personality than them. Many years down the road, students will remember the smallest things from their teacher whether it be or bad memory or good. It’s vital that teachers should be required to undergo some sort of evaluation each school year to meet the needs of students so that they can succeed.
Instead of the cut and dry evaluation that’s in use, the students could offer advice to the teacher to help them to ensure and reinforce the care for this generation’s knowledge and future. It’s a more personal motivation for the teachers, to see their weaknesses and improve to become a more effective teacher. The evaluation would be a semester check that’s more than an expected assessor sitting in a teacher’s classroom for five minutes. It would be a thorough questionnaire, for the students to fill out unanimously to offer advice. This way it’s fair for both sides and would be lucid to see the areas of needed improvement.
Virtual Salt suggests certain techniques for teachers to bring to the table such as explaining directions thoroughly, rewarding and giving incentives, caring to show interest, have students participate, etc. Students respond well to energy that’s energetic, creative, and thought provoking. If all the teacher does is stand in front and lecture, then what your saying is most likely going in one ear and out the other. After the numerous published articles, it’s apparent that cell phones will be a part of this generation’s life; so all that the teachers can do is work with it. Instead of prohibiting it, they can incorporate it in their teaching such as texting the students as a friendly reminder to do their homework or study for an important quiz or test. Since the students respond well to any sort of technology, the possibility of them doing the assignments increases as well as their grades.
Ultimately, a teacher has an everlasting effect on the students they teach. CNN News reports, “The effect of a good teacher on a child’s life is monumental.” The response you get back from your students reflects the effort you put in the classroom and if your feedback is positive, you will have an everlasting effect on the next generation.
