Leading by example...

A couple weeks I decided to do something most educators would never dream of doing. I gave all 140 of my German students the opportunity to assess me. I explained to my students that the assessment was 100% anonymous, and the most important thing was to give me the truth.

Here is the link to the "Herr Tarte" assessment. There were 9 required questions, and 3 optional questions to provide me with additional feedback. I would like to thank @shannoninottawa for providing the idea and model.

Here are the 9 questions and my "scores." It was on a scale of 1 to 3: (1 was the best, while 3 was the worst) therefore, the lower the average score the better.

1) - (1.34) - Herr Tarte cares about me and takes an interest in my hobbies
2) - (1.16) - Herr Tarte is respectful and treats all of his students with respect
3) - (1.19) - Herr Tarte is always fair, open and honest
4) - (1.11) - Herr Tarte wants me to succeed in learning as much as possible
5) - (1.30) - Herr Tarte is clear in his expectations and directions
6) - (1.20) - Herr Tarte makes learning in German class fun and interesting
7) - (1.23) - Herr Tarte successful integrates technology into German class
8) - (1.42) - Herr Tarte gives me a voice and a say in how we do things in German class
9) - (1.36) - Herr Tarte is someone I trust and feel comfortable talking to

Here is the link to the final results if you would like to read the responses to the last 3 questions.

I know most educators have an idea of how they are performing, but I believe it is important to check the "pulse" of your students from time to time. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous and afraid of what the students would say...but a part of me just thought, maybe their feedback and assessment of my instructional methods would help to make me a better educator in the long run.

By taking a risk and allowing my students to have a voice in assessing me, I think I am helping to break down the barriers between the student and the teacher. I don't want my students to think my job is to have all the answers and simply pour information into their heads. I want my students to see me as a continuous learner who is always trying to improve. I want my students to see me as someone who is willing to take a risk in hopes of improving and doing better next time. In education, we are always talking about leading by example...what steps are you taking to lead your students by example...?

Additionally, what are your thoughts on giving students the opportunity to assess their teachers...?