Analizing Teacher Evaluations

By: Joseph Fisher, Managing Editor

As we near the end of yet another semester and look forward to the start of summer vacation, we look back at the entire year and all of those people who have helped each and every one of us to make it through.  We think of our professors who pushed us to our limits and either helped us do well or fail while trying. Students get the opportunity to grade professors on the work they do, and how they present the material to us with evaluations at the end of the semester.

Students get the chance to fill out these forms and judge their teachers based on the course outlines that they gave in the beginning of the semester. They have the power to analyze whether teachers came to class prepared and with enthusiasm to spread their material.

We at The Voice have noticed that many students do not take these evaluations as seriously as they should. If the students are getting the grades they want, they just fill in the letter ‘A’ for all the questions and give their teacher a good score. However, they don’t compare how the professors specified their grading procedures or whether they provided quality education and instruction.

The professors get to hear the scores for the vague evaluations that students submit, but they only receive back the white comment sheets. We at The Voice believe these comment sheets are important for students to submit because the comments can improve or give suggestions on making the professor’s class a better environment. Teachers are not perfect and are human beings like the rest of us. They look for ways to help students in anyway they can, but there is no way to help students if they do not know how.

Keeping in contact with professors after the semester is over is a great way to show how students care. It is a good feeling that comes from holding onto that relationship and can ultimately help down the road. When in need of a gleaming reference or letter of recommendation, these professors are the ones to turn to. A student who is respectful, kind, and courteous to professors throughout the college experience will develop a long-lasting relationship and ultimately form a friendship.

In the recent uproar over bringing a controversial eatery to campus, many professors and university personnel showed their support for the LGBT community and their students. They stressed the importance of the university to stick with its core values of diversity and growth.

The budget cuts are another great example of people on campus coming together in support of saving students’ money. We at The Voice do not think these supporters and backers of heated issues are thanked enough for their dedication to justice. 

The teacher evaluations may not go beyond the efforts made outside the classroom, but maybe there should be some more questions addressing this. After the teachers spend hours upon hours grading our work as students, students should have five minutes to spare to write comments for how they can make their learning environment a better place.