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Teachers 'bullied by online grading' | Teachers 'bullied by online grading' |
(1 day later) | |
By James Silver BBC Radio Five Live reporter 95,000 teachers have been rated by pupils on a UK website | By James Silver BBC Radio Five Live reporter 95,000 teachers have been rated by pupils on a UK website |
"A useless piece of garbage who wouldn't know chemistry if it ran him over..." | "A useless piece of garbage who wouldn't know chemistry if it ran him over..." |
"She spends all our lessons on her mobile texting her boyfriend..." | "She spends all our lessons on her mobile texting her boyfriend..." |
"I didn't like her as a teacher... she had a weird smell of vodka to her." (Anonymous posts on ratemyteachers.co.uk) | "I didn't like her as a teacher... she had a weird smell of vodka to her." (Anonymous posts on ratemyteachers.co.uk) |
Teachers have always had to put up with personal jibes from kids. | Teachers have always had to put up with personal jibes from kids. |
Until very recently, however, malicious gossip and snide remarks have mostly been confined to the corridors or lunch queues. | Until very recently, however, malicious gossip and snide remarks have mostly been confined to the corridors or lunch queues. |
But now with the explosion of websites like ratemyteachers.co.uk and bebo.com, teachers are suddenly finding themselves mocked in cyberspace, resulting in plunging morale and even threats to quit the profession. | But now with the explosion of websites like ratemyteachers.co.uk and bebo.com, teachers are suddenly finding themselves mocked in cyberspace, resulting in plunging morale and even threats to quit the profession. |
Basically they just pulled her apart - it took two days for me to talk her out of resigning Kathy Wallis | Basically they just pulled her apart - it took two days for me to talk her out of resigning Kathy Wallis |
Kathy Wallis, a senior teacher from Cornwall, says she recently had to talk a young colleague out of resigning over comments posted by her pupils on Rate My Teachers, a US-run site which allows kids anonymously to "grade", as well as criticise, their teachers. | Kathy Wallis, a senior teacher from Cornwall, says she recently had to talk a young colleague out of resigning over comments posted by her pupils on Rate My Teachers, a US-run site which allows kids anonymously to "grade", as well as criticise, their teachers. |
"The teacher in question burst into tears and said 'Well if that's what they think of me I might as well give up teaching now'," she recalls. | "The teacher in question burst into tears and said 'Well if that's what they think of me I might as well give up teaching now'," she recalls. |
"[Her students] had said that her preparation was dreadful, she had no classroom control and they made other unfounded malicious comments. | "[Her students] had said that her preparation was dreadful, she had no classroom control and they made other unfounded malicious comments. |
"Basically they just pulled her apart. It took two days for me to talk her out of resigning." | "Basically they just pulled her apart. It took two days for me to talk her out of resigning." |
'Damaging trust' | 'Damaging trust' |
Ms Wallis claims that the site is seriously damaging trust between students and teaching staff. | Ms Wallis claims that the site is seriously damaging trust between students and teaching staff. |
"When you're facing a class five times a day, with 30 children at a time, and you don't know who has actually written these things, you become far more guarded in everything you do. | "When you're facing a class five times a day, with 30 children at a time, and you don't know who has actually written these things, you become far more guarded in everything you do. |
"And the bottom line is you lose all trust in the students you've got sitting in front of you." | "And the bottom line is you lose all trust in the students you've got sitting in front of you." |
Rate My Teachers, which was founded in the US five years ago, is growing in popularity in the UK. | Rate My Teachers, which was founded in the US five years ago, is growing in popularity in the UK. |
The UK version of the site now features 454,000 ratings for 95,000 teachers at over 5,600 schools. | The UK version of the site now features 454,000 ratings for 95,000 teachers at over 5,600 schools. |
Speaking from New York, founder and manager, Michael Hussey, says he is surprised by some of the negative personal comments the Five Live Report discovered on his site. | Speaking from New York, founder and manager, Michael Hussey, says he is surprised by some of the negative personal comments the Five Live Report discovered on his site. |
"I'm not sure where you dug those up from... but most of those comments, as harsh as some of them are, are a single student's opinion." | "I'm not sure where you dug those up from... but most of those comments, as harsh as some of them are, are a single student's opinion." |
Any baseless accusation that is not in the realm of opinion...will be removed Michael Hussey | Any baseless accusation that is not in the realm of opinion...will be removed Michael Hussey |
He adds that there is a simple mechanism in place via which teachers - or indeed any registered user - can remove postings they find offensive. | He adds that there is a simple mechanism in place via which teachers - or indeed any registered user - can remove postings they find offensive. |
However, Ms Wallis recounts that attempts to remove a posting about a colleague, who appeared on the site and then died shortly afterwards, have so far failed. | However, Ms Wallis recounts that attempts to remove a posting about a colleague, who appeared on the site and then died shortly afterwards, have so far failed. |
Moreover, she says it took nearly three weeks to remove a malicious allegation against a colleague, which was posted on Rate My Teachers, even after he was cleared by an investigation by the school's governing body. | Moreover, she says it took nearly three weeks to remove a malicious allegation against a colleague, which was posted on Rate My Teachers, even after he was cleared by an investigation by the school's governing body. |
'Rude teacher' | 'Rude teacher' |
Hussey responds by insisting that "any baseless accusation that is not in the realm of opinion... will be removed" and denies that Rate My Teachers is open to abuse. | Hussey responds by insisting that "any baseless accusation that is not in the realm of opinion... will be removed" and denies that Rate My Teachers is open to abuse. |
"We've been doing this [site] for over five years and, yes, we've received a number of complaints over the years. | "We've been doing this [site] for over five years and, yes, we've received a number of complaints over the years. |
"But without question, we simply remove anything like that." | "But without question, we simply remove anything like that." |
But while teachers may take issue with Rate My Teachers, such sites are apparently popular with their target market - school children. | But while teachers may take issue with Rate My Teachers, such sites are apparently popular with their target market - school children. |
"I know one teacher who I think is really rude," says a 15-year-old boy at Haydon School in Pinner, north west London. | "I know one teacher who I think is really rude," says a 15-year-old boy at Haydon School in Pinner, north west London. |
"But there's no-one who can tell him that so, in a way, if they look at the site, it's good because they can change their attitude." | "But there's no-one who can tell him that so, in a way, if they look at the site, it's good because they can change their attitude." |
One of his classmates adds: "I rated my worst teachers. I said they were rubbish and didn't teach me anything." | One of his classmates adds: "I rated my worst teachers. I said they were rubbish and didn't teach me anything." |
Does she have any sympathy for those facing criticism on the site? | Does she have any sympathy for those facing criticism on the site? |
"No," she replies. | "No," she replies. |
Why not? | Why not? |
"Because I don't like them, they're just teachers." | "Because I don't like them, they're just teachers." |
Five Live Report: Bullied Teachers was broadcast on Sunday, 12 November, on BBC Radio Five and is also available on the Five Live Report website. | |
The charity Teacher Support Network and teachers' union the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) are running a survey into teachers' experiences of cyber-bullying, accessible via the website, above right. |
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