To the Leaders of the Future,

I believe that teenagers are very impressionable. Not only do they take after their elders, but they begin to almost conform to them if they spend enough time together. This is why teachers have such an important job; they are shaping the future. The students that pass through their classrooms are going to be running the country one day, meaning teachers should be the best of the best if they are going to be such a great influence on others. So my thoughts are, if teachers can grade students on how they perform in school, student should also be able to grade teachers on how they perform.

According to a sociology study done by uhaweb.hartford.edu, the average IQ in 1950 was between 91 and 92, and in 2010 the average was between 88 and 89. There has been a steady decline in average IQ since the 1950’s when the study first began. It is also no secret that the United States is falling behind in math and science scores in global comparison. Although IQ and math scores are not the same, the statistics are not entirely unrelated. It is likely that teachers are no longer getting the job done right.

I remember in my seventh grade science class that my teacher always read from the textbook and then had the students define the different terms while he sat on his computer. No homework. In the same class, the girl who sat next to me wrote gibberish down as a test response. She was among the top of our entire middle school class, a very brilliant girl. Although her test response made no sense, she still received a perfect score. Teachers like this make me want to move to other countries so my children can receive a decent education.

My problem with this is not the unfair grading system necessarily, but more the question of what is it that students learn here? I can read my textbook myself at home, I can define terms as homework! Students need teachers that break down concepts and help us to better understand what exactly is going on.

In my eleventh grade biology class, my teacher made an effort to know everyone’s name within the first two weeks, first and last. He had PowerPoints that corresponded to key points in our book, and we had time in class to go over the homework that was due tomorrow. He made excellent use of posters and projects, and there were always in-class demonstrations, things that involved students. I hated science, but I loved that class. Not only that, but I was learning. I understood what was being taught to me, which is the whole point of school is it not?

The sincerity of my teacher was incredible, I actually saw this same teacher about two months ago, exactly three years after my class ended, and he remembered me. We talked about my siblings and plans for the future, and then went on with our days. Teachers like him make me want to stay in the same school system so that my children can receive a decent education.

Some people could argue that teachers have a tough enough job as it is, and they get the short end of the stick when it comes to pay. If teachers took their jobs more seriously, however, and knew that they can’t mess around in class, test scores and general intelligence could sky rocket. Then, when students actually start learning and possibly even caring more about learning than getting the grade, teachers might be compensated, another great addition to the grading idea.

Another counter argument could be that students would give bad reviews for teachers. But in a way, that’s the point. Sure there are always a few students that will dislike every teacher. But if a teacher is doing their job well, the majority of their students will not give a bad review. So when a teacher is continually getting bad “grades” and most of his or her students are failing their class when other classes are doing much better, why would any school want to keep them? It isn’t beneficial to anyone; in fact it’s a problem. That’s why something needs to be done.

Creating a grading system for teachers will positively influence the future of a student’s life, but also the reputation of the given school, bringing in economic stability and more competition for students to succeed. Students, being as pliable and impressionable as they are, need positive influences in their young lives, not bad examples that literally teach them that taking the easy path is the right way to go.