Perspectives: Should students evaluate teachers?

P E R S P E C T I V E S Should students evaluate teachers?

YES

As districts across the state work to construct educator effectiveness plans, teams of administrators and teachers are considering the components of their programs. State guidelines require the following components: professional practice, professional growth, and student growth data. Other pieces that can be added to the plans include student feedback, as well as parental feedback. Student feedback is an essential part of any educator effectiveness plan.

When making decisions about constructing educator effectiveness plans, our primary consideration should be our students. An effective educator will always put students fi rst. Just like any other industry, we need feedback from our clientele to ensure we are doing the best possible job. For instance, many restaurants, grocery stores, insurance companies and online sales companies request feedback, as they put their customers fi rst. Our students are our customers, so to speak, so in order to make sure we are meeting their needs, their feedback is essential.

Many educator effectiveness plans will require an administrator to complete one or two observations. Peer observations can also be a part of the feedback process. We need to keep in mind that these observations are simply snapshots of one period, or maybe even half a period, completed on a few random occasions. Our students are with us every day, so they know what we are doing, what works for them, and they are best qualifi ed to let us know how we can better meet their needs. They are our best resource for feedback, and it would be negligent to omit their input as part of an educator effectiveness plan.

Lorie Voisine

Northern Aroostook EA, President

With new teacher evaluation laws and websites like ratemyteachers.com, students are increasingly sharing their input online and beyond for the world to see...which leads to the question, should students evaluate teachers?

No

To evaluate something means to assess and rate its worth in some way. To be able to do such a thing, the evaluator must have fi rst-hand knowledge and experience in doing the thing being evaluated. In most aspects of life, we expect evaluation and assessment for things to come from experts in the fi eld. For example, if I am going to buy a house, I want an inspection to be done by a professional who understands what to look for in the structure of that building. They know what signs indicate leaks, foundational issues or other structural damage that would indicate the ultimate value of the house. It might be well appointed and aesthetically pleasing, but that doesn’t guarantee its structure is sound. The same should be true for education. The only persons who should evaluate teachers should be experts in teaching.

Truly, the experience a student has with the teacher is very limited in depth and breadth compared to the actual art and science of teaching. And while students directly experience only a few pieces of the entire puzzle that is their education, and therefore, should not evaluate teachers, that does not mean that their input cannot be valuable in the form of feedback. While evaluation is a judgement that should be done by experts in the fi eld, feedback is a communication tool that should be used often in the classroom, ideally as a dialogue between teachers and students surrounding expectations, perceptions, quality of work and the like. Students will not always like what we do in the classroom, (*cough* *cough* teaches public speaking), but for a teacher to be able to give students a voice, an opportunity to be heard, also means the teacher has an opportunity to listen to that feedback and determine in their professional opinion its signifi cance and make changes (or not). Yet perhaps more importantly, feedback, unlike evaluation, lends opportunity to engage in important discussions with students about their education, the culpability of both student and teacher in that learning process, and in the end, improve the quality of education for all students.

Stacie Cocola

Quamphegan EA

Submit your entries for the Maine Educator “What I Love About Maine” cover contest

All art teachers are encouraged to share this opportunity with students. Art submissions should display the theme “What I Love About Maine.” Submissions must be 8.5" x 11 " in dimension to fi t the cover or able to be photographed for the cover and may be any form of art, including electronic. Please advise students the title of the magazine will also appear across the cover of the magazine toward the top (approximately 2.5" in height), as it appears on each issue. Three fi nalists from each of the following categories will be selected: K-4, 5-8, 9-12 and electronic art. One winner will be chosen from the above categories with his or her artwork featured on the magazine cover.

Submit artwork to: Giovanna Bechard 35 Community Drive Augusta, ME 04330 or Email: gbechard@maineea.org

Submission Deadline: March 4, 2016

Nominate a Colleague for an MEA Award

Each year the Maine Education Association sponsors awards to recognize individuals, groups, and companies for their commitment to public education. We encourage each local association to participate fully in acknowledging those MEA members whose commitments to the ideals of our Association serve as models for each of us. Deadline for award nominations is March 1, 2016. Awardees are recognized at an awards banquet at the MEA Representative Assembly in May.

The awards are: • Award for Teaching Excellence • Joan McGovern ESP Award • Anne Sheehan Political Action Award • Corporate Award • Friend of Education Award • Golden Apple Award • Honor Medal Award • Human and Civil Rights Award • John H. Marvin Local Association Award

Current members of the MEA Board of Directors should not be considered for MEA awards during the time that they are serving on the Board.

Your student’s artwork could be here!

2015-2016 Pre-Retirement Days

Pre-Retirement Days are sponsored by the Maine Education Association in conjunction with the Maine Education Association - Retired. The purpose of these informational meetings is to inform MEA members, who intend to retire within fi ve years, of the retirement options available to them through ANTHEM of Maine (MEABT ANTHEM plan), the Maine Public Employees Retirement System and the Maine Education Association. Information will be provided that should help those who participate in these pre-retirement days in doing the necessary planning to prepare for a smooth transition from school employment to retirement.

To register for one of the pre-retirement days, please go to the MEA Web page at www.maineea.org/preretirement and complete the registration form with all the requested information. Registrations will be taken on a fi rst-registration basis and will cease ten (10) days prior to each seminar.

Skowhegan area* Saturday, March 5: 9:00-12:00 Rockland area* Wednesday, March 16: 4:00-7:00 Auburn area* Wednesday, March 23: 4:00-7:00 Ellsworth area* Wednesday, March 30: 4:00-7:00

MUST PRE-REGISTER IN oRDER To ATTEND Enrollment is limited to 75 at each session so be sure to register early. (NoTE: must be an MEA member to attend.)

* Exact sites will be announced at a later date via emaill. If you have registered please check your Junk/Spam folder for your location.