The evaluation sheet for teachers, who will be graded this year by students based on their performance in the classroom, has sparked debate among teachers and parents alike. Let this form be just a form without substance, just another paper filed in drawers, which no one will remember? Or are we in front of a measure that will work smoothly and contribute decisively to better communication between students and teachers, to an adaptation of the teaching and evaluation process?
The President of the Federation of Parents asks teachers to be closer to children. Personal archive
Opinions are divided, believes Cătălin Nan, president of the National Federation of Parents: “The importance of this form will depend on the importance the teacher gives it. If we are talking about teachers who are really interested in student feedback, then surely this handout is more than welcome. If, on the contrary, the teacher will not take it seriously, will not take it into account, then this measure was given in vain”.
Cătălin Nan is of the opinion that there are many teachers who really want to know what the children think, what they feel, how they perceive the teachers, what they would improve in the process of teaching and evaluating them. “It can be a very good form and tool for the teacher to help him get real feedback from the ‘beneficiaries.’
It is debatable, however, whether this form should remain only “in the classroom” or should end up on the table of the management of the educational unit or even be made public: “Great care must be taken as to how the problem will be posed. Because the students have no way to evaluate a teacher based on the scoring method from 1 to 5. But an appreciation of the subject, of the way of teaching, of the way in which the concepts are explained, an appreciation of the man behind the chair is necessary”.
Failure to comply with this provision has no consequences
On the other hand, Cătălin Nan believes, there are also teachers who have remained stuck in the paradigms of the past and it will be impossible for them to think “outside the box”: “They won’t adapt, for sure. Some won’t want to, some won’t be able to. There are many teachers who are outdated, embedded in prejudices and ideas that no longer have a place in the present”.
What do parents want? “We would like the teachers to be closer to the children, to know them better, and this will only happen after a very well-designed feedback, through effective communication. Now, what will they do with these forms, if they will take them into account or not… it is not known. That they can’t be forced. I mean, if they don’t, what will happen to them? Nothing”. Because those who do not comply with this measure will not bear any consequences”. Nan says.
Indeed, there is no penalty for teachers who, although they should give students the right to feedback, fail to do so. Or they will do it just because they followed a regulation, but in reality they won’t even look at the form. “We talk, we tell stories, we pretend to consult each other, others pretend to listen to us. As long as regulations are of no consequence, nobody will change anything. Any change in any system is done only because of the consequences. People are used to it in a way, the system is outdated and cumbersome, it cannot be moved unless people are afraid of certain consequences, when they do not follow certain rules, measures, laws, etc.”, the president of the Federation of Parents also declared.
What the evaluation form looks like and how to fill it out
Below is what the feedback form looks like that students will fill out at the end of each semester or annually.
The teacher evaluation form is actually a 16-question questionnaire. In the feedback sheet, students must write down the class they are in, the teacher’s name and the subject they teach. The feedback is anonymous, so the student does not have to write their name. Students can evaluate the work of teachers by giving marks from 1 to 5 for certain statements.
After filling in the boxes related to the grade awarded, the student has a space where he can freely write what he would like in addition to what he receives from the teacher and what message he sends to him. Students also have to complete their class attendance.
The Student Statute states that the procedure by which students can provide feedback to their teachers will be determined by each governing body (the governing body of the school). At the same time, the feedback given by students to their teachers should be discussed in class.
