Rants: Instructor Evaluation

In my school, all our instructors get to be evaluated at least once a year or if you are in college, once every semester. I have been evaluating a lot of teachers since elementary school.
When I was in elementary however, evaluation questions like: "What do you like least about the teacher?" usually go unanswered. This can be attributed to the fact that as kids, we fear our teachers. It's the reprimand and subjective treatment when it comes to grades that we fear. It's as if they are all powerful beings that judge us if we pass or fail in their subject.
As I got older, I realized that this is not the case. Teachers are not all powerful beings and are not perfect all the time. Not everything that comes from their mouths are necessarily the truth or are the correct facts. Luckily, I just met a handful of teachers/instructors who are better off not teaching their subject.
When evaluation time rolls around, which is usually at the end of the semester or at the end of the year, some students view it as a way to get back at their instructors. I have also met quite a number of students who vent out their frustrations during evaluation. Even if some of the instructors deserve this form of revenge, I still frown upon this dreadful act.
Still, I am not a person who would sweeten up an instructor evaluation just because I don't like to use it as a form of revenge. No. But I do make it a point to be as unfailingly honest as I can when I rate these instructors. What I do write, however, is the truth. For example: if the instructor comes to class late all the time, then that will be reflected in the evaluation, and so forth. This list is just too long to elaborate. The evaluation will then be reviewed by the evaluations committee and the printed results will be given to the instructor. At this point, the instructor would know how well he/she fared and what the students like best and least about him/her.

*****

I just heard a juicy bit of gossip early this morning. It seems that one of my classmates was accused of being the one to write really "nasty" things about a certain instructor. My classmate told me that the instructor specifically said that name was responsible for 98% of the criticisms because name seemed to be blunt and the only person in our class who would dare to write such things. Like, hello! I admit, I did write a few things that were TRUE about her. Of course, it hurt, but that was the truth. Should I rate someone unfairly so as not to hurt that person's feelings? Definitely not! The instructor being late most of the time? Coming to class unprepared? Taking over your work and not teaching you the correct way of doing it. Not giving you additional information regarding the subject. Those were the things that I wrote.
Admittedly, I did write a few things regarding what I like least about the subject and not the instructor. The subject I am talking about does need major work and overhauling because I feel that the subject still needed more revisions to accommodate the increasing number of students.
The crux of the matter is, the instructor was bawling at name because of what was written. The instructor also said that name was the only person who could write such a thing because of the way it was written, the English, and what not. Should I be insulted? Does the instructor deem my writing not up to par as name's? For that matter, it is not only I but a couple of other classmates that are pretty good with English. Ahhh! The rants still come. I am pretty sure if the instructor read this entry all hands will be pointing to me a hundred percent!
We do get evaluated by our instructors. We do have efficiency ratings. They also grade us honestly? Hell no! I'll punch myself when I find an instructor who is 100% unbiased? Even the good ones do have their favorites and usually, I'm not one of them. I'm just, too outspoken. Which suits me just fine as I really loathe those who are really buddies with the instructors. When we do get our grades, you don't see us bawling all over campus or staying in one corner nursing our hurt feelings. Name was rated unfairly by this instructor, too. This must be why the instructor was bawling in front of name. Guilt. That's what's eating that instructor.

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