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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (34869)	3/16/2004 11:13:17 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793553

A good idea that some teachers dislike. They just don't want to be graded by anybody. while some teachers are vilified, more than 60% of the comments are positive. Students seize chance to grade teachers online By DORREN KLAUSNITZER Staff Writer - The Tennessean Principal Brenda King got panned. On a national Web site, five anonymous students rated the Pearl-Cohn High principal a 1.6 on a scale of five, low enough to earn her the dubious ''sad face'' next to her name on the RateMyTeachers.com site. One wrote that King ''doesn't communicate, help or try to reach out to the students.'' Another pleaded for the school's previous principal to return. All across the country, middle and high school students are logging on and grading their teachers and administrators. So far, more than 3 million ratings have been posted on about 591,000 educators in 31,300 middle and high schools in the United States and Canada. From Tennessee, 852 public and private schools are represented in 23,925 ratings. ''It's loved. It's hated. It's embraced. It's blocked. It creates a strong reaction,'' said Michael Hussey, a co-founder of the site. Hussey said the site has been blocked by more than 600 schools or districts nationwide. Hussey, who founded the site with two California teachers, said the purpose of the site is to ''get students involved in the quality of their education and give them a voice they have never had before.'' It also tells teachers what students think of them. Hussey said some teachers have written the Web address on their chalkboards and asked for student feedback. And while some teachers are vilified, more than 60% of the comments are positive. At Pearl-Cohn, 25 teachers were rated. Eleven had yellow happy faces wearing sunglasses by their names, denoting a favorable rating. King and six others had blue sad faces, sans the shades. Candis Angle, a math teacher at Mt. Juliet High in Wilson County, has a yellow happy face by her name. Five students rated her highly. One wrote that she was the best teacher he or she had ever had. Principal Judy Monroe said the rating was right. ''She is an outstanding math teacher. She has a great ability to explain, and she is so creative,'' said Monroe, who was rated poorly by one student. Monroe said teachers should use the criticism constructively and take inventory. ''We need to know ways in which to improve,'' she said. King said that's how she is going to take it. ''No one likes to see anything negative, but it's good to see what others think of you. I still think it's a good thing, even though I don't have the best rating.'' King added that it's not her job to be popular as principal. ''It's great to be liked, but you've got to make sure you're putting first things first — what they need for an education,'' King said. ''That rates higher to me than a popularity contest. I'd rather they not like me but get a diploma.'' Rules of rating There are some rules at www.ratemyteachers.com. • The site has blockers so you can only rate the same teacher once from each computer, to prevent ballot stuffing. • Students can rate their teachers and administrators on easiness, helpfulness and clarity, which are combined for an overall rating. • Ratings using profanity or vulgar language will be deleted, as will those making threats or referring to the teacher's personal life and family. • Students remain anonymous. The Tennessean

To: LindyBill who wrote (34869)	3/16/2004 11:25:15 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793553

When I posted that, I said, "Well, I will hear from CB on this one. This is probably not the time nor the place, but as both a Catholic and an admirer of Ayn Rand, I would love to have a deep philosophical discussion about the issues raised in that essay. For example, the concept of original sin. Original sin wasn't invented by Catholics, nor even Jews. Many cultures around the world have legends of a former golden age when mankind was better than it is now. Could be nothing more than that the common belief that things were better back in the Good Old Days which never were -- strangely juxtaposed with the common belief that kids these days have it easy, not like we had it in the old days. And then, because we have free will, or, as objectivists put it, because we are rational, volitional individuals, isn't it inevitable that we'll do things we should not do from time to time? Push the limits? Cross the lines? Are men always noble? When an animal kills another animal for food or self-protection, that's instinct. When a man kills another man so he can rape his woman or steal his property, is that instinct? Or is it crime/sin? And what about selfishness? If you are advancing or protecting your society, or your clan, or your ideals, is that not a form of selfishness? Et cetera.