Rate My Teacher

A year ago, a colleague of mine told me of a site: www.RateMyTeacher.com where students get to rate their teachers. I thought this was a fantastic resource, not only for students, but also for us teachers. Immediately I went on the site to check whether I was rated, and in fact I was. I was pleased, firstly that some students were compelled enough to submit a rating about me, and secondly, that the rating was positive.

A teacher’s job is to teach / influence/ inspire students, but there is no “real” result, one that you can touch, see, and say that “I created this”. Even when a student does well, succeeds at something, we cannot say that this is due to our efforts, as there is so many other influences (other teachers / parents / genetics / peers) in their lives. Yet we still need to see results, to know that what we are doing is the right thing, that we are doing something positive with our time in the classroom.

Of course there are many ways we get evaluated, and many ways we get feedback on our teaching: principal evaluations, parent teacher interviews, daily feedback from students, cards / presents at the end of the year, teacher awards, examination results, interschool competitions. This website is just another way of getting such info. But I think that this website is very telling, as the entries are anonymous. Not only can I get positive feedback, but also the negative. In an anonymous situation, on a computer far away from school, not thinking that the teacher will ever read their opinion, the student will not hesitate, and will most likely be honest, brutally truthful. This kind of brutal truth is what I need.

Submitted by bogusia on Mon, 03/26/2007 - 21:18

Hope you liked the post. Please do me a favour ...

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Submitted by Rupert
on Thu, 01/13/2011 - 05:13

Bogusia: Hello - There is no date on your posting. This is written 12 Jan 2011. You say "Yet we still need to see results, to know that what we are doing is the right thing, that we are doing something positive with our time in the classroom." As a retired teacher I can relate to what you say. And I imagine this need will be addressed in different ways for different people. One way I was nourished in the classroom was by watching the lights go on, and feeding the hunger of those who were ready to learn. I mustn't forget those who were not ready to learn, who needed daily reinforcement as well - "the pep talk", the encouragement that would, eventually brew with all the competing internal agendas that we have no control over, and turn that student into a learner who believes in him/herself. What I'm trying to say is that the warm fuzzies, and the validation of your vocation can come in minute daily doses - they're there and for me they were far more powerful and eloquent than RMP could ever be.

You have a compelling argument i.e. the student is permitted to express the brutally truth when submitting anonymous comment. And that you welcome brutal truthfulness. Fair enough.

What then for the simply brutal comments, that you receive and others read? How will others sort out from what is said about you where is the grain of truth and what is simply sour grapes albeit neat and persuasive? Your position may alter when you've accumulated negative and undeserved comment. Anonymity can be a refuge for the coward, and there's no way of filtering out the cowardly and abusive. Reader take care because it's impossible to trust what you will read.

best wishes,
R in Thunder Bay

Submitted by bogusia
on Fri, 01/14/2011 - 20:49

Hello Rupert,

Very strange about the "no date" thing. I'll check into that. It usually is posted. I wrote this post a long time ago. Since then I have changed my opinion slightly about RATE MY TEACHER website - and the idea of it (check out the post on: How to Evaluate a Teacher). You are completely right about strangers not being able to filter the comments. As I have pointed out in the recent post, my colleague gets terrible comments regularly, and I can bet anything that it's from one or a couple of students. This is unfair!

Thanks for the comment.

Submitted by Augustina
on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 17:58

There are many opinions about this site. I also am retired and have long since learned that when you have a problem with someone, you go and discuss this with the person, you do not engage in a poison pen campaign. Unfortunately this seems to be legal and fall under the umbrella of "free speech", although I shudder to think what those who fought hard for this right would think of what we do with it.

It is of course also open to abuse. Anybody can post: you neighbour, a jealous colleague, a jilted boy/girl friend or spouse, all anonymously.

Someone once said that, whenever something negative is said about you, act in such a way that no one will believe it. Good advice, but I can see how the RMT site creates problems, especially for young teachers, whose worst ratings, regardless of how out of date or how many good ratings there are, will pop up on the first page and often in first place of a Google search for their name which takes a lot of clout with the search engine. That is where I have the problem with it, not only with RMT, but also with Google, who will not do anything about this.

There seems to be less steam in this site lately, the bulk of comments being from quite some time ago, but this is cold comfort for those negatively affected. I also wonder why teachers' federations have not come up with some kind of strategy to deal with this issue.

Let us not mistake the reason for being for this site: it preys on immature and spiteful knee-jerk reactions in order to sell eyeballs, in this case from those of a very impressionable age. The parents of the creator of this site truly raised a prince. And Google should have more integrity (what am i thinking?) than to allow this ranking practice.

One other word for those affected negatively this way: anybody who would judge you on the basis of this practice does not deserve you, and even if it may cost you one interview, you will be the better for it: you do not want to work for or be associated with anyone who will evaluate on this basis.