Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Teacher Evaluations

It's that time of year, not finals, not the end of another great year, but the time when I get to evaluate my teachers. I went online (I love the internet, I'm old enough to know what the world was like without it and I can honestly say life is a whole lot better with it than without it) and did it yesterday afternoon while I was waiting for my ride off campus. I couldn't help myself, I made comments on every single eval. And, I made sure in a couple of them that my comments were identifiable to me. Is that wrong? I put stuff like,

"I came back to school after years away to finish my education. I had originally taken Bio 100 as a freshman but wanted a better grade and therefore a better foundation should I decide to pursue nursing. I thoroughly enjoyed this class. The teacher was informative, knowledgable and didn't take himself too seriously."

Okay that wasn't a direct quote, but it was the jist of what I said. I kind of wanted the teacher to know that the old girl in the front row really enjoyed his class. I know he won't see this until after finals are over and grades are in, that is the reason I used that particular forum to voice my approval. I didn't want to go up to him and say, "Hey, I really, really enjoyed your class" right before the finals and final grades. My biggest fear is to look like a brown noser (a term we used to use in the 80s, for those of you who are too young to know).

Didn't you just hate the kid who immediately made contact with his/her professor on the first day of class? I know it is a smart thing to do, but I always hated that guy/girl and I never wanted to be that person. But I have read about being a successful student and I know that sitting on the front row is key, as well as making contact with your professors. So, I didn't run right up the first day, but I have sat on the front row and I eventually made contact with all my professors, or TAs (who are really the ones grading my stuff anyway) in an effort to be "successful."

Of course I will post my grades at the end of this semester, and I can let you all grade me. Was I a "successful" student or not. You decide.

4 comments:

Brittany said...

the internet didn't come into full swing until i was a junior or senior in high-school. so i do remember what it was like without it. though, i don't have any clue what it was like without computers. and for that i am very very grateful. i can't even imagine writing a paper for a class without a computer. that'd be horrible to have to rewrite it several times until it was right. yuck!

i see nothing wrong with letting the teacher know you were the one who wrote the evaluation. it's always nice to get positive feedback but even nicer to know who gave it to you. i think the teachers will appreciate it.

good luck with finals and such!

mom/Janet said...

I do know one thing having been with and without the internet - - I had alot more time when I didn't have the internet. It does come in handy, though, and it sure does keep us in touch with each other. Now, with your final weeks of this semester.......good luck with your final studying. I bet you will thoroughly enjoy the Christmas break. Let's party on the 28th. :)

Holley said...

I'm so proud of you for your accomplishments and I'm sure that your professors are all mightily impressed. You Go Girl!! Who cares about brown nosing, just be yourself and tell it like it is. That's why we all love you.

Collette said...

I had to laugh because I thought you were going to leave bad evaluations and make sure they knew who it was. I might have done that for a couple of teachers. I think it is great that you did it for the teachers you like.
Good luck with finals. Its that time of year where you can almost breath again. What a great feeling!