Students question purpose of teacher evaluations

You've endured three months of listening to a teacher who can barely speak English or a teacher who lectures about irrelevant information until the day before the test only to then tell you what you need to memorize. 

So you think you're going to let them have it with a scathing teacher evaluation? Will it be a chance to make or break your teachers' careers or are they as useless as a solar-powered flashlight?

Some Cal State Long Beach students expressed confusion on the matter.

"I don't even know why they do them," said junior health science major Cecilia Trujillo. "There's been past semesters where I've had bad teachers and the whole class agreed that they were bad but nothing happens.

"The teachers where the evaluations won't affect them don't care. Most of the new teachers are good but a lot of the older ones aren't."

Senior marine biology major Veronica Madril also dismissed the effectiveness of the evaluations.

"I don't think they do any good," Madril said. "Most students don't understand the reason behind them because they don't see any changes made.

"A lot of teachers have tenure so they aren't affected.  No matter what you put down nothing will happen because their jobs are secure."

Other students agreed.

"For older teachers it doesn't matter what we say," said Paul Gonzales, a senior business major. "I notice that for new teachers it helps them, but I'm not really sure if the evaluations work or not."

Junior graphic design major Jamie Gonzales said: "Most students don't really put that much effort into them anyway."