SMH - Rate my teachers headline article (1 Viewer)

[SpLaTHoWA]

I hope you guys that are still in the school system have seen this...

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/05/02/1177788228075.html

Teacher fury at rating website


Anna Patty
May 3, 2007


Teachers are trying to sue and shut down a website that names and shames them and gives them a mark out of five.

The website names individual schools and teachers, scoring their performance, and in many cases defaming them.

One Sydney principal, who is given a score of 1.7 out of five for "overall quality", is described as rude, condescending, pompous and arrogant.

"Who could allow someone like her to run a school? … [she] is a terrible principal. She is a bully who does not care about the students or the school's wellbeing, but rather how they appear to the outside world."

The NSW Department of Education has blocked access to the site from all school computers, but is powerless to shut it down, because it is based in America.

The NSW Teachers Federation is looking at how it can take legal action against the company.

Its president, Maree O'Halloran, said a number of teachers had complained they had been defamed on the site.

The issue will be raised with the new director-general of education, Michael Coutts-Trotter, when Ms O'Halloran meets him next week.

"It is clearly an absolute disgrace that people are anonymously able to make comments about teachers that are quite atrocious," she said.

"We are aiming to have the site shut down. The problem is that it is legally based in the US. Our next step is to consider how we could use defamation action."

Comments about individual teachers and principals are posted anonymously and teachers are badged with either a smiley or frowning face,

depending on their rating. One maths teacher at a Sydney school is described as being unable to control a class or spell.

"He can't teach at all and going to his class is like having an unofficial free period. He can't control the class to save his life and his teaching is repetitive and boring. Yet he labours on and you have to wonder why."

The president of the NSW Secondary Principals Council, Jim McAlpine, said the Federal Government should block access to "scurrilous American websites".

The NSW Department of Education has given legal advice about cyber bullying to all schools.

A Sydney high school sent a memo to parents last year, asking them to monitor their children's internet access after students were suspended for threatening school staff on a website.

which refers to this:

http://au.ratemyteachers.com/


I am concerned by this silencing of students and parents to protect crappy "teachers" and "educators" (I hate to use those terms to refer to some of the people that are employed in the education system these days) from losing their jobs due to their lack of ability and enthusiasm for the job. I strongly encourage anyone that has the same opinion to write a quick email to letters@smh.com.au to express your concern at what the Department and the Teacher's Federation are doing. It's in your own best interests to do so, whether anonymously or signed off with your real name.

 

[Serius]

they want to block a site because it says things they dont like?

heres a perfect reason why we need a constitution that protects free speech. Where next, the great firewall of australia?

haah quality. I just checked my school and 3 teachers were rated, 2 were rated pretty good and one quite poorly. The poor rating was pretty accurate because whilst she was pretty nice and had fun classes, i considered her a poor educator and rather stupid.

 

[KFunk]

Haha, oh dear... I just looked at the website and it was my principal. All I can say is: no comment.

 

[Gilbert1]

I don't see anything wrong with it.

None of my schools were up there yet

 

[jb_nc]

sweet article smh, dont really care about iraq war or anything else, they know what i want to know about: teachers rating websites

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

^Pointing out the obvious.

Meh, it's ok...I guess. And that's coming from a student teacher. It's just a bit hurtful, I think, to be able to say that kinda stuff about your teachers.

 

[UWS-Uni-Student]

^Pointing out the obvious.

Meh, it's ok...I guess. And that's coming from a student teacher. It's just a bit hurtful, I think, to be able to say that kinda stuff about your teachers.

I think that while this system is very easily open to abuse and tracking through ISP's a system like this has been needed for quite a while, as there have been many teachers allowed to coast through their career.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

I've had some horrible teachers before... I basically had to learn 3 of my HSC subjects on my own because my teachers were that horrible. I think it's only fair that we can rate them so other students know.

 

[UWS-Uni-Student]

It appears that you can also rate Universities http://au.ratemyteachers.com/SelectSchool.php

http://au.ratemyteachers.com/schools/new_south_wales/sydney/university_of_western_sydney
http://au.ratemyteachers.com/schools/new_south_wales/sydney/macquarie_university
http://au.ratemyteachers.com/schools/new_south_wales/sydney/university_of_new_south_wales
http://au.ratemyteachers.com/schools/new_south_wales/sydney/university_of_sydney

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

I think that while this system is very easily open to abuse and tracking through ISP's a system like this has been needed for quite a while, as there have been many teachers allowed to coast through their career.

To be fair though, there are plenty of students out there who would rate a teacher poorly if they did even the smallest thing against them. Consider also those types of students who had random vendettas against every teacher in school. I don't think it's terribly fair that people consider these extremely inaccurate ratings with any real weight.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

Yes, sure you hold your own opinions; just don't 'defame'.

You can't really defame someone who everyone knows is a complete moron. It would be different if it was just my opinion.

 

[UWS-Uni-Student]

To be fair though, there are plenty of students out there who would rate a teacher poorly if they did even the smallest thing against them. Consider also those types of students who had random vendettas against every teacher in school. I don't think it's terribly fair that people consider these extremely inaccurate ratings with any real weight.

Totally agree, thats why a system along the same ideas as this one, but with far more regulation to make it more accurate and representable

 

[PC]

I am concerned by this silencing of students and parents to protect crappy "teachers" and "educators" (I hate to use those terms to refer to some of the people that are employed in the education system these days) from losing their jobs due to their lack of ability and enthusiasm for the job. I strongly encourage anyone that has the same opinion to write a quick email to letters@smh.com.au to express your concern at what the Department and the Teacher's Federation are doing. It's in your own best interests to do so, whether anonymously or signed off with your real name.

1. There is no problem in lodging criticism of a teacher or staff member at a certain school. However there are proper channels through which to lodge it and appropriate methods of doing so. Students and parents are FAR from silenced in expressing opinions. Above all, one should have the courage of including one's full name with the comment. Making anonymous comments is gutless, to say the least.

2. The naivety of many people about this issue amazes me. Why would anyone place any trust in a website which is (a) based in the US and (b) is simply a commercial enterprise. For goodness sake, even if this was a worthwhile exercise, have the balls to set up something in NSW that is fair dinkum, accountable and free from "ads provided by Google". The use of the phrase "School District" simply indicates a lack of attention to detail and no concern about what the site is supposedly trying to do. The website ends in ".com" which is a suffix to indicate a commercial enterprise. In some Commonwealth nations the suffix is ".co". This means that the motive of the website is largely for advertising and profit. It's based in the US, so that's hardly surprising.

 

[Triangulum]

Why would anyone place any trust in a website which is (a) based in the US and (b) is simply a commercial enterprise. For goodness sake, even if this was a worthwhile exercise, have the balls to set up something in NSW that is fair dinkum, accountable and free from "ads provided by Google". The use of the phrase "School District" simply indicates a lack of attention to detail and no concern about what the site is supposedly trying to do. The website ends in ".com" which is a suffix to indicate a commercial enterprise. In some Commonwealth nations the suffix is ".co". This means that the motive of the website is largely for advertising and profit. It's based in the US, so that's hardly surprising.

Gasp! It's based in the US!

Seriously, what's that got to do with anything? And what's the fact that it's commercial got to do with anything? Neither of those factors affect the content of the site, which is contributed by users.

 

[_dhj_]

Totally agree, thats why a system along the same ideas as this one, but with far more regulation to make it more accurate and representable

But that would make it a more respected 'source' for ranking teachers, increasing its potential to 'defame'. A tongue in cheek style website is more suitable for this sort of thing.

 

[iambored]

Gasp! It's based in the US!

Seriously, what's that got to do with anything? And what's the fact that it's commercial got to do with anything? Neither of those factors affect the content of the site, which is contributed by users.

I think the poster was getting at the fact that the website obviosuly only exists for profit, but the original poster made out like the website had students' educational interests in mind.

Do you really think it's fair to have such a site exist? How about we make 'rate your accountant' or 'rate your plumber' or 'rate your student' websites. They wouldn't be fair either. It's not fair to publically shame people. It's also not fair to take away their chance at a second beginning if they move schools. If you're not happy with your teacher, report them to the appropriate people, not to a public website.

 

[Sparcod]

Yes I've seen this website before. It's good to see it again! It's so funny.

 

[cupcake08]

i hate this policy of censorship the department of education seems to have going..internet at my school is pretty much useless now, so many sites are blocked for no apparent reason.

lol that they can't shut the site down altogether...although i'm sure they'll keep trying

 

[PC]

Gasp! It's based in the US!

Seriously, what's that got to do with anything? And what's the fact that it's commercial got to do with anything? Neither of those factors affect the content of the site, which is contributed by users.

It's based in the US ... so its "owners" have no idea of any Australian education system.

It's commercial ... so its "owners" couldn't give a crap what happens so long as their bottom line looks good. If it's not a profitable exercise, then you won't see the site up for long.

In short ... it's hardly a credible site.

Don't get me wrong. If you want to spend your money there, feel free!

 

[Armenikum]

Ban the site? What have we become, banning thinggs which describe teachers poorly. To be fair, most of the ones I have seen are true anyway.

Freedom of speech ffs