Comment Some perspective (Score 1) 441
Firstly one of my parents and other relatives are currently teachers in the NSW school system, so I have some insight into this issue. I have listened to my dad talking about this particular website. This probably also makes me biased somewhat.
A few things need to be considered here.
Firstly the problem is that the feedback is largely anonymous. You have to ask would these students walk up to the school principal and make these complaints in person? In a lot of cases they would not. Any derogatory comment made anonymously is a comment made by a coward. Because the feedback is anonymous students probably exaggerate greatly. It can't be treated as a meaningful indication of a teacher's ability. Students will be more likely to comment/rate when they think negatively, students who are happy with their teachers will generally not bother.
Another issue is the affect this has on good teachers. I have heard of one particular teacher in NSW who was scared to go into the classroom because she knew that the person who posted some aggressively negative comments would be in the room. For young teachers entering the system it can be difficult to handle. How would you like it if in your job you were openly discredited so publically by a group of immature teenagers? Negative comments about a teacher is likely more a reflection of the students in that particular class than the teacher.
For people who think teachers should be held accountable, consider this... In NSW teachers are paid quite poorly and generally not held in a high regard by the general community. Accountability doesn't necessarily mean that teaching standards will improve, it could actually lower the standards. What intelligent person would want to become a teacher in NSW with all the crap they have to deal with.
Anyway I actually don't support censorship. So despite all I have written I don't think the website should be closed down. But perhaps what is needed is for the website to allow teachers to respond, not sure if it currently allows this? But these ratings should not be taken seriously and won't be taken seriously by sensible people. So teachers should just ignore the comments.
A few things need to be considered here.
Firstly the problem is that the feedback is largely anonymous. You have to ask would these students walk up to the school principal and make these complaints in person? In a lot of cases they would not. Any derogatory comment made anonymously is a comment made by a coward. Because the feedback is anonymous students probably exaggerate greatly. It can't be treated as a meaningful indication of a teacher's ability. Students will be more likely to comment/rate when they think negatively, students who are happy with their teachers will generally not bother.
Another issue is the affect this has on good teachers. I have heard of one particular teacher in NSW who was scared to go into the classroom because she knew that the person who posted some aggressively negative comments would be in the room. For young teachers entering the system it can be difficult to handle. How would you like it if in your job you were openly discredited so publically by a group of immature teenagers? Negative comments about a teacher is likely more a reflection of the students in that particular class than the teacher.
For people who think teachers should be held accountable, consider this... In NSW teachers are paid quite poorly and generally not held in a high regard by the general community. Accountability doesn't necessarily mean that teaching standards will improve, it could actually lower the standards. What intelligent person would want to become a teacher in NSW with all the crap they have to deal with.
Anyway I actually don't support censorship. So despite all I have written I don't think the website should be closed down. But perhaps what is needed is for the website to allow teachers to respond, not sure if it currently allows this? But these ratings should not be taken seriously and won't be taken seriously by sensible people. So teachers should just ignore the comments.
