An opportunity for students to ‘test’ teachers
The Bakersfield Californian | Friday, Aug 27 2010 05:34 PM
Last Updated Friday, Aug 27 2010 05:34 PM
By Robert Price
I have no idea what I’d have told any of my teachers about their classroom performance if I’d had the opportunity, lo those many years ago. I was such a knucklehead at 17, I’d probably have suggested that some of them buy better toupees or bring in daily platters of hors d’oeuvres. Such was my capacity for parsing the minutiae of interpersonal communications.
But then, ha-rumph, back in my day, there weren’t opportunities to rate auto mechanics, or eBay sellers, or actresses’ red-carpet ensembles, or books, or films, or practically anything — at least not with the ease one can accomplish it in this post-typewriter age.
Today’s high school seniors have grown up willing and equipped to judge every aspect of their lives, even if it’s just in the “What’s on your mind?” line on their Facebook page. That’s why they should have little trouble adapting to the opportunity to anonymously evaluate their teachers — which, thanks to Senate Bill 1422, signed into law last week, they can now do. First, though, each school’s student council must create a committee of students and faculty that can develop the annual surveys.
The bill’s author, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, said SB 1422 gives teachers a good way to incorporate student feedback. Survey results can only be shared with the teacher whose class is surveyed: Administrators aren’t permitted to see the surveys and the results can’t go into personnel files. Teachers don’t even have to distribute the surveys if they don’t want to, and participation for students is likewise voluntary.
But smart teachers will go ahead and pass them out. Then they’ll wade through the results for worthwhile observations and tips on how to best convey the material, or manage the classroom: More about Fitzgerald, please, and less about Hemingway; more about the Transcontinental Railroad, please, and less about the telegraph. Or whatever.
Teachers aren’t particularly keen on relying on test scores as evidence of their skill and competency, and as a stand-alone measuring stick, they’re right — tests are lacking. Drive-by visits by principals reveal even less. But student surveys have real potential as meaningful tools.
Sure, the opportunity for silliness will always be there. Some kids will take the opportunity to fire off parting insults to demanding teachers. A survey’s design might help manage some of that. But the opportunity for a heartfelt thanks is at students’ disposal, too.
The California Teachers Association, which opposed the bill, argued that students aren’t capable of assessing the legal obligations that exists between teachers and their employers. The CTA is probably right about that, but that’s not the only type of input teachers can benefit from.
The proposal, a top priority of the California Association of Student Councils, is not an end-all solution. But, secondary to its primary purpose, it sends a subtle signal to both students and teachers that education is a collaborative process, that teachers can learn as much from engaged students as receptive students learn from energized (and energizing) teachers.
Many students go all the way through school with the vague sense of being unheard. SB 1422 might help change that. If they can stay away from toupee comments and focus on constructive observations, their voices can only get stronger.
rprice@bakersfield.com
CASC on Facebook