User Comments
Updated May 3, 2007
May 3, 2007
As a teacher I have mixed feelings out this website. On one hand I love it because I agree that teachers should try to listen to student’s feedback as they can have very constructive things to say. On the other they can also have very negative and hurtful things to say that may not be justified or realistic. Despite wanting to think that all my students are mature and responsible in reality they may not be qualified to pass judgement on what a teacher does in the classroom. This can also be a problem for parents. Since everyone attended school there is a tendency for many people to feel that they know what they are talking about regarding education when they really don't. Ask many people who complain about teachers if they will come and do your job for a week and they all say no way!
Yes like any other profession there are good practitioners and bad ones.
One problem I can see is that the private system generally has more power to select teachers for their staff on merit. The state system can tend to harbour more underperforming teachers because it is such a big system in a time when there are so few teachers available. Performance pay for teachers has not worked anywhere it has been introduced so that is not the solution.
The problem is only going to get worse with over half the teachers in Australia going to retire in the next 10 years. In short we really need to make teaching a strong profession that is valued and attractive to young people.
One of the tragedies of the teaching profession is that the amount of work that teachers are expected to do has grown immensely over time. At the same time the amount of support teachers get from their employers has dwindled due to cost. So basically the general trend is that teachers get more to do with less assistance. To a teacher who really cares about their job this is soul destroying.
Teaching is heavily influenced by politics and bureaucrats. If you look at the experience of ministers and bureaucrats that make the big decisions about education most of them have never been teachers and never taught for any length of time. With political gain the main focus of politicians and bureaucrats with no teaching experience it is a sure fire recipe for an underperforming education system. Practicality tends to be lacking and assistance tends to be directed in the wrong directions. Generally there is very little consultation with teachers on important decisions because it is easier, cheaper and quicker to make the decisions without taking teachers' views into consideration.
Most teachers really care about the kids they have chosen to spend their days with. The general decline of the level of respect and morals in modern society has made teaching a more stressful and difficult job but we can all see the good in kids even when they treat us much worse than we deserve. I think one thing that would really help teachers is if parents were made to be more accountable for their children’s behaviour. I think the quality of parenting leaves a lot to be desired in many cases. Parents need just as much help as teachers in modern society and I don't think they get anywhere near as much help as they need.
All in all teaching is the most challenging job I have ever experienced and I have worked in many different industries from the largest company in Australia to the smallest (self employed). Even though you are not taking peoples' lives into your hands like a doctor you are shaping the future lives of your students (30 at a time). You are not only trying to keep pace with the ever-changing body of human understanding you are teaching, you are trying to; ensure the welfare of your students, teach them how to respect others, develop yourself as a professional, have your own life, cope with the increasing demands without any extra allowance for the time it takes and the list goes on. The range of skills involved is immense.
The entire population of Australia passes through the classrooms of our schools and their importance is severely underestimated.
May 3, 2007
Hi,
Whoever devised this site is a bloody moron. It is a piss-weak device for allowing jaded students to have their say behind teachers' backs. It takes zero balls - well done for being controversial!
March 26, 2007
This website is appauling. Teachers have one of the most difficult jobs and do not deserve this sort treatment. We already have a lack of teachers all over Australia and attacking them publicly like this does not help. If parents or students have a problem with a particular teacher they should deal with it through the proper channels. Personal attacks are not productive. I don't even see how this sort of shaming is legal.
March 21, 2007
Love your little bit of FUN! I am a parent who is at last FREE of narrow-minded pompous little souls masquerading as "hard working teachers"
- Yes I have managed to get through the HSC four times! kids received very little support, encouragement or in fact even a vague belief in their ability to achieve -from most members of staff. I know your site can't FIX any of that but WOW it feels SO GOOD to be able to get it off your chest - and the fact that it is upsetting so many of them is so bitter sweet. I always said "what goes around, comes around - and normally bites
you on the bum on the way" Keep the pressure on!! LOL
March 21, 2007
congratulations on your much needed site. i heard about it by negative publicity on sydney TV news so had a look. I am father to 3 high achieving young adults who have been well educated in the public system but often complained of slack teachers and openly praised the good ones.It reflected immediately in their subject results. I have always trusted my kids assessment of their peers and often discussed that would it not be good if teachers got a percentage pay of their overall rating by students if there was a fair system of ranking. Dream on MacDuff!!! but perhaps principals or the Education Boards could have reference to these results. The criticism you received was by having open and unsolicited comments. I noticed where you ask for local censors but these also could be heavily biased. Perhaps you could use a check box for numerous in many areas of overall ratings with some ability to pass further comment. Please keep up the graet work on what will evolve to be a major reference for parents choice in education of their loved ones.
December 4, 2006
This site is ridulous.
Negative ratings may often be attributed to students who dislike a teacher.
To post ratings you should require the posters to provide a verififable email so that they can be asked to back up their comments.
August 7, 2006
This website is absolutely sick!!! Teachers work their ass off to teach students and I believe that the students should be putting in more effort into actual learning then wasting time in saying awful things on this website! Do you people honestly have no shame!