Stupid suggestion

there's this letter to the forum sometime ago suggesting that teachers' performance should be based on appraisals by students.

that is a phenomenally stupid idea.

as a teacher, one must some times do things that are unpopular to the students, including disciplining students. further, not all subjects nor topics can be taught in a super interesting way. there are times when one has to simply force the students to sit down and do the drills. that won't make one very popular. and... having seen my students, i don't think they will be able to rationally, reasonably give an accurate appraisal of who makes a good teacher (to them, a good teacher is one who lets them sleep in class, let them talk in class, let them walk around in class, lets them go look for friends from other classes during lesson time...).

it's the same reason why voting is a right that's reserved for people above 21. so as to ensure that most voters are able to understand that a good government has to adopt unpopular policies for the long-term good of the people.

but that is not to say that students should not have the avenue to feedback to the teachers and the school administration. then the senior management of the school then assess whether the teacher has done the right things (even if they are unpopular...) and how this teacher can do better.