Student Life: Testing Teachers

From GWUEncyc

Article

The following was written in 1926:

Professor Moss’ proposal for the testing of teacher efficiency will be greeted with enthusiasm by the student, not only because of an entirely human, if slightly malicious, pleasure to be derived from “giving the prof a taste of his own medicine,” but also because the method used in these tests appears to him to be a step in the right direction.

For the first time the teacher is to be judged by the product of his class room. Hitherto the tendency has been to consider him the light of preponderance of his monographs, his achievements in research and his Phi Beta Kappa Key. Now it is proposed to gauge his ability by the by the progress of his pupils. What more simple or logical method?

The most obvious objection to be raised is that the student does not always wish to learn and therefore willfully retards his own progress. While this objection is no doubt valid in its application to young pupils, it is fair to assume that by the time that a person has reached college age and is paying for education, usually he is astute enough to see to it that he gets his money ‘s worth. Then too, there is a distinct obligation on the part of the professor to make his class sufficiently interesting to hold the student – an obligation which by no means is always fulfilled.

We are all familiar with the professor who makes no secret of the fact that to him teaching is only a necessary but boring adjunct to research in his particular field. And we know, too, the inspiration to be derived from the teacher who takes a genuine interest in the progress of his students.

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Author or Source: Hatchet, November 17, 1926
Document Location: University Archives
Date Added to Encyclopedia: January 29, 2007
Prepared by: Lyle Slovick, Assistant University Archivist

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