Students are given letter grades on their intellectual skills in the classroom. Whether it be participation, testing, homework, or completing assignments, these grades are the feedback given to students. On the other hand, students are rarely given the option to give teachers feedback on their classes and improve their curriculums. 

When asked how the students felt about giving more feedback on teachers’ abilities, junior Zachary Martin said, “I think being able to give feedback on a teacher’s abilities would be beneficial to all classes, for it will give the teacher an idea of what they are doing wrong and right. Not only would it be beneficial to the teacher, but also the students because it will enhance their learning ability to that certain class.” He also explained that he feels doing this assessment every other week would be great so that teachers could fix what they need as much as possible. 

Some teachers have found Google Forms a helpful tool to learn how their students feel about the class. In AP Language and Composition, Mrs. Gadaleta has been using a Google Form every quarter to see how her students feel about certain aspects of her class. The form asks questions such as how her teaching pace is, whether or not her students would like to take notes on paper or virtually, or even how they retained the past unit’s information. This form is helpful to Mrs. Gadaleta in learning about her student’s thoughts and learning process; it is also done anonymously so students feel they can be honest.

Mrs. Gadaleta starts this process by surveying students after the first unit, so they have the chance to see her style as a teacher, and she has seen their style as a student. Mrs. Gadaleta stated, “This early surveying helped me to make more adjustments early on.” The pandemic’s start jump-started this process because she did not know how to teach in this new world of virtual learning. She explained that the surveying should not be used as a weapon to catch teachers doing poorly at their job; it should be used to reflect and move through a course collaboratively with her students. These surveys ultimately help her teach her students as she moves through the course and also the next group of kids she will be teaching. “This process can really humble you and remind you that it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been teaching, there’s always room for improvement.” 

As classes move from topic to topic, it would be beneficial for both teachers and students to receive feedback on how their students are feeling on the course. This would help teachers understand their students’ learning habits and how they can better their course as a whole. Students would perform better in their classes because of the changes teachers would make in order to benefit their students’ learning.