Back To School, Time to ... Grade the Teachers?

Along with the requisite Facebook account, MySpace page (poor, misguided children) that have become must-have accessories for highschool-aged kids, more and more students won't start their fall without a visit to one of a host of websites that allow them to grade their teachers.

Sites like ratemyteachers.com, the biggest example of the genre, allow students at high schools (including local Clear Creek and Clear Lake highs, were the site is in widespread use) to rate their teachers on everything from their helpfulness to how much homework they give. The site looks a lot like ratemyprofessors.com, an affilliate which is used by their college student brothers and sisters. Ratemyteachers.com will allow parents to rate their kids teachers as well, but like any site it's usefulness at a particular school is limited by how much it's being used--For example, if nobody's rated Mr. Smith, math teacher at Podunk High, none of his future students will hear about his killer pop quizzes (not to mention killer bad breath).

As you might imagine, not everyone's a fan of this trend. The Chronicle's reporting that while experts saw this coming in the age of school-rankings we live in, and some teachers find it helpful, others say that the evaluations are often based on things that matter less, like a teacher's lenient homework policies or even his or her physical attractiveness. (ratemyteachers.com, like its collegiate counterpart, allows students to designate teachers they think are hot with a chili pepper icon).

While many schools--including Clear Lake and Clear Creek--have added the site to the list of internet destinations banned on school computers, we're betting this trend is here to stay, even though high school students don't often have the option to change classes and avoid a bad teacher as college students do.
So, teachers? When you walk into your classroom tomorrow, take heed: this years students may know more than you think.