A student stares at his exam paper in frustration, thinking with certainty that this topic hadn’t been covered in class. His teacher leisurely sits at her desk, every so often glancing up to make sure nobody was cheating. The student gritted his teeth, thinking that if she did indeed catch Jacob over there using a cheat sheet, she would look the other way. Students often feel let down by teachers who don’t explain topics effectively or show clear favouritism towards their peers. Teachers being graded like students is an idea that has floated around for a while, presumably because it would provide some sort of accountability. While it sounds applicable, there are several problems with it. Teachers shouldn’t be graded as it would place undue pressure, produce skewed results due to students’ actions, and would create an environment unsuited for learning.

In a classroom where teachers are graded, students could see their problems compounded because of the pressure placed on teachers to get a satisfactory grade. A teacher who seeks to reach that milestone will want their class’s academic achievements to reflect well on them, which could lead to them pushing their students too hard. If the grading is based on the students’ favourability of the teacher, they might go too easy on their pupils, resulting in the students not learning the curriculum well. The issue of favouritism can also be potentially exacerbated when a teacher deems students who contribute more to bettering their grade more worthy of the teacher’s time and help.

Teachers could also receive a bad grade because of problematic students. A certain educator might put in all their effort to provide the best learning experience, but that effort is wasted on students who have no desire to learn. This bunch is present in every grade and every class, whether the cause is a lack of motivation, personal issues, or delinquency. This behavior should be reflected solely in the students’ report card. It is an injustice to the teacher to bring down their grade for failing to bring such pupils into line.

As for the rest of the class, implementing this grading of teachers would likely create an uncomfortable atmosphere in the classroom. The relationship between teacher and student would become superficial and become one based solely on mutual obligation. That is true to some extent in the current system, but in this hypothetical classroom the goal would become a matter of survival for both teacher and student. Any pretense of being in school for the sake of learning would disappear, as teachers and students alike seek grades rather than delivering or receiving a proper education. Needless to say, this is not an ideal learning environment. Let’s not pretend that the current education system is all rainbows and sunshine; it needs massive overhaul. With that being said, the mental health of students and the inadequate circumstances educators currently struggle with are only going to get worse in this classroom where everyone is on edge.

Clearly, the implementation of a grading system for teachers is not only unnecessary but detrimental. The pressure that would be added onto teachers, and through them, the students as well, is not a change anyone would welcome. The grading system itself would also be unlikely to produce accurate results, what with there being multiple factors involved with how well students do in school and their relationships with their teachers. Grading educators would only create a toxic learning environment. Instead, teachers and directors of schools need to reevaluate teaching strategies to address the heart of the issues that students face. Educators should be trying their best to make their students succeed, and that isn’t achieved by grading but by training and communication. Grading teachers seems a good idea at first, but there are other, better methods we can pursue to make the classroom a better place to learn.