Words and Ideas in the State of the Union, Part II

Hello dear readers. As the second part of my commentary on the State of the Union 2011, I’d like to discuss the topic of the speech that I found most relevant to my life and the teenage population: education. (Missed Part I? Click here!)

In the speech, President Obama pointed out our educational successes and our flaws. He asserted that the United States is home to “the world’s best colleges and universities” but also acknowledged that many public schools are not reaching goals and the No Child Left Behind Act was not fully effective. Obama especially emphasized the importance of teachers, saying that “we want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones”. This comment spurred a lot of thought and caused me to think about how “good” and “bad” teachers are and should be evaluated. (Interested in more of Obama's comments about education? Click here!)

Students are evaluated on everything they do in school by teachers, but rarely have the opportunity to give any feedback of their own. I understand that that’s probably fine in elementary and middle schools, where most kids are too immature to be fully conscious of learning. But throughout high school, we mature and discover what constitutes a good teacher, and I think it’s vastly unfair that there are no means of teacher evaluation by students.

Sure, one might argue that teachers are checked up on, but those are generally pre-scheduled visits by a supervisor. I believe that one experience like that does not depict a teacher’s integrity. Who is more qualified to truly know what a teacher is like than a student?

Obama did not go into detail about what his comment will enact, but I definitely believe something should be done. To ensure that evaluations are honest and not perpetrated by angry students, they should not be mandatory. In that way, I think only students who actually have constructive criticism or serious comments would take the effort to do evaluations.

Over the past four years, I have had excellent, inspiring teachers. I’ve also learned from teachers who I many not have liked, but I valued for their expertise and commitment to education. And then I’ve had classes with teachers who, frankly, could use a little rehabilitation. And I believe many teenagers share my sentiments.

Rather than waste time in classes where confusion and chaos is the norm, students should be able to make their voices heard in order to be taught to the fullest potential.