I think the ratemyprofessor.com can potentially be a good Web site, if the students rate their professors with thoughtfulness and honesty ("Professor evaluations get a tech upgrade before students weigh in," Nov. 4).
Some of the ratings are vicious and nasty. Probably because the student didn't receive an A. Well, boohoo, no one ever promised you a rose garden. Grow up and do the work.
I taught fifth grade and substitute taught K-12 and special education. What goes on in a college classroom is just as much the responsibility of the students as it is the professors. Some students never take a break from chatting and eat noisy food while the professors are lecturing, which shows they have no respect for their professor or their fellow students. Plus, it's the student's job to ask questions and make relevant comments in the classroom.
Already, I've rated four of my professors and I intend to rate ten more. My problem is with the UB student or students who moderate this site. When I requested spelling or rating corrections, none were made. It is very easy to make a mistake on the ratings and choose two when you meant to choose four. This happened to me twice on one professor. My comments were flagged, but the corrections weren't made. Also, I had a spelling error that wasn't corrected and several of the other ratings weren't corrected.
A site works best when everyone attempts to do their job in the most accurate and honest way possible.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
