What kinds of behaviors do students think teachers should be accountable for? We asked our Educators Rising students what they think principals should look for when evaluating teachers and what qualities their best teachers possessed.
Keiren Minter
Engaging lessons
When principals are evaluating a teacher, I believe that they should not focus so much on how the teacher is teaching, but more on how the students are reacting. If students are not engaged in what the teacher is teaching, then no matter how effective the teachers’ teaching styles may seem, they aren’t effective for that particular group of students.
Every student learns differently. I’ve had teachers change their lesson plans multiple times to make it more engaging for their students. I believe that teachers should spend the first month of school studying the learning styles of their class. By doing this, they can make sure that they are effectively passing on knowledge to their scholars.
Keiren Minter
12th grade
Watson Chapel High School
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Being there for all students
Principals should look for their teachers being there for their students, knowing their names, and being someone students feel they can talk to. They should look to see if teachers are unbiased and fair to all students, and if they’re teaching with an open mind and using equitable teaching skills.
Abbigail Broussard
11th grade
Tioga High School
Tioga, Louisiana
Getting students involved
Some things that principals should look for when deciding how well a teacher is doing their job is if they are walking around helping students, involving everyone and not just a certain group, and actually teaching the class in new ways and not telling them just the information and expecting then to learn and know it. The best teachers I have had were understanding, creative, passionate, and could make learning fun.
Emilee Kennedy
10th grade
Desert Sunrise High School
Maricopa, Arizona
Mary Kathryn Gebhart
Support and understanding
Principals should decide whether a teacher is doing a nice job not by looking at grades but rather by seeing how students react to the teacher.
Teachers should be willing to give their everything. My favorite teachers would drop anything for their students and even support us with things outside the classroom. Students want teachers who we can relate to and who are not intimidating.
The best teachers I’ve had were compassionate, understanding, and inspirational. I spent more time at school than I did at home, and having a safe space with my teachers was important. I couldn’t tell you how many times I saw a student struggling with home life, and that teacher would always ask why or even just let them have their space.
Mary Kathryn Gebhart
Freshman
Capital University
Columbus, Ohio
This article appears in the November 2022 issue of Kappan, Vol. 104, No. 3, p. 68.
