FROM RHETORIC TO ACTION: STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHERS

In many parts of the world, student evaluation of teachers is a commonplace occurrence. Teachers know throughout their course that yes, they are teaching and assessing their students’ levels in many ways. But they also know that there are those evaluations in the end, where students exercise the most fundamental of rights, which is the ability to evaluate their teachers. This is the rule of the game. Much depends on those evaluations: tenure, promotion, prestige on the one hand, and the looming prospect of being terminated or at least being stuck in a certain rank much longer than usual.
***
In some parts of the world, such as the University of Sfax, action is being taken to put this process of evaluation in motion. Not that it doesn’t informally exist. By all accounts, students have their teacher heroes. They vote for a teacher by choosing to attend that teacher’s class in big numbers. A different kind of punishment (read evaluation) is meted against those who are not popular. Students know, almost intuitively that X is awful while Y is sweet, or tough, or friendly, or irresponsible. Swamping a lecture hall is not necessarily an indication of universal approval; students too are pragmatic and know which side their bread is buttered and that attendance c0unts, but that is another story.
***
Informal evaluations are therefore the rule, and no one can stop them, but they don’t represent a systematic account of the abilities of a teacher. I tend to believe that the teacher gains must have a lot of truth behind it, but it still is unofficial and informal. One argument may hear is that students are not qualified enough or mature enough to evaluate a teacher, and from then, it can be argued that teachers are not qualified to evaluate administrators and high-ranking college or university officials. If we believe this argument, it will turn out in the end that there is no use evaluating anyone, because the claim will be simply made that the evaluators are not competent or knowledgeable to issue a statement about their evaluees. A well-designed evaluation form, though, when administered to the totality of students taking a specific course, can yield a very representative and balanced, collective, judgment.
***
It should be clear that this judgment, when negative on the whole, is not necessarily a condemnation of the teacher’s practice; I would like to think that a teacher stands to gain much from such evaluations, whichever way they go. When these are positive, the teacher’s approval rating will boost their confidence that they are doing a good job. Where the ‘verdict’ is negative overall, a teacher will know that they have to review their teaching philosophy, daily classroom practice, and possibly their assessment tools. This is no less positive, because it is telling someone that instead of carrying with teaching methods that create boredom and do not produce learning, they should rethink their tools, enrich them, and try new ways. Obviously, this is more like a win-win situation.
***
At any rate, with the prospect of institutional accreditation looming larger and larger in the horizon, student evaluation of teachers will soon be instituted, regardless of any lingering opposition. And there should no qualms about that. Performance evaluation is almost a reflex. In its strongest defence, we will say that it’s second nature: as patrons in any service-institution, we rush to say that so and so has not served me well, has wasted my time, has procrastinated; has bluffed me, hasn’t given me the specific piece of information I need, hasn’t responded to my telephone call, has ignored my email message, etc. etc, and, we’re all entitled to our views on how we are served anywhere, by anyone. This feeling should simply be extended into the area of teacher evaluation.

Who is a qualified teacher, and who is a legitimate teacher?

This may appear to be somewhat of a redundant question that takes up again the issue of qualifications. What I am thinking is that a qualified teacher is not necessarily the same as a legitimate teacher. Let’s look at qualifications first. Saying that someone is qualified is saying the following: (i) they have graduated with a degree in their field of specialization from an accredited institution and a certified program; (ii) they will have taken some kind of pre-service training or in-service training that is not bogus, and (iii) they will have received certification following a probation period of however many months or years from credentialed supervisors. Fair enough. This person, as evidenced by their academic, professional, and training records, can be said to be qualified.
***
What do I mean by ‘legitimate’? Legitimacy can also be translated into records, but it is more of a moral, abstract, and spiritual quality. Legitimacy means your students recognize you as a teacher, as an educator, as a coach, as a friend, as a supporter, as a prop, as a model, etc. The way you behave while teaching sends a crystal-clear signal that you are there to push them beyond their current boundaries of knowledge, that you recognize and capitalize on their knowledge, and that you are seen to respect and appreciate that knowledge as unique, rich and very much worthy of representation.
***
A legitimate teacher in this sense is someone who is not in the business of flexing their muscle, silencing their students and telling them that his/her authority is supreme and that if they want the truth, they must use him/her as first and last reference. Eventually, a legitimate teacher is someone who, on top of delivering their lessons, knows how to listen, appreciates what they hear, builds upon it, and definitely creates a sense of self-worth among learners. A few years ago, I saw a poster on the wall of a colleague’s office where a boss was seated on his chair with his feet on the table. Behind him was a banner written in bold characters; “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you’.
***
For me as a teacher, the politics of neutralizing, minimizing, marginalizing or down-talking to students will not lead to forming persons who will be capable of behaving as a constructive, balanced, and forward-looking individuals, whatever they may be: employee, employer, parent, compatriot or world citizen. My goal as an educator is to form students who, before and after they graduate, will carry with them values of respect for the people they serve or are served by in any capacity.