Tantalizing Teachers

When registering for college, it is natural to check with your friends to see which teachers they liked and which they did not.  You want to make an informed decision when selecting your classes.  I always asked questions about the teacher’s style.  What are the tests like?  Is the homework load reasonable?

Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed what the question at the top of many prospective students’ list is:  the teacher’s looks.

I recall hearing a recent conversation between a former co-worker and her daughter.  The co-worker began laughing because of a text message she had received.  Her daughter was currently in a history class and had sent:  “I don’t know who rated this teacher as ‘chili pepper hot.’  He is not even cute or sexy.  I don’t know how I’ll stay awake for this class.”

Since my mom is a grade school teacher, this concept greatly offends me.  What does a teacher’s looks have to do with how they teach?  Student’s should be concerned with whether or not the material is being taught properly.  If the teacher’s expectations of his/her students are fair and the treatment equal for all.  Not if the teacher should be gracing an Abercrombie bag.

Am I the only one that also finds this trend creepy?  Students should not be finding their teachers attractive.  As we have seen in the past, this type of relationship has caused much trouble for several high school teachers.  Furthermore, I have a personal friend whose father was having such a relationship with a student.  And what did it cost him?  His wife, the relationship with his two children and his job.

We, as a society, are failing our children and the future of their education if we are teaching them that looks are all that matter.  Now, let’s take it a step further and say that the teacher of this particular female student is what she deems as “attractive.”  Will she really be being attention to the lectures or daydreaming about marrying the teacher?  If she manages to pass the class, will she really have learned anything?  And what if this course is a building block or prerequisite to another course?  Has any knowledge been gained?

I thought that the intention of websites such as ratemyprofessors.com was to judge the teacher on how he/she teaches.  Is the subject matter made attainable?  Will the teacher offer tutoring for struggling students?  Are the tests true to what is being covered in class?  Why would there even be a category dedicated to a teacher’s looks?

Our youth should stop romanticizing and trying to pattern their lives after movies such as “Twilight” and the like.  They need to focus on their intellectual studies so that they can become productive members of society.  Besides, what if a teacher decided to give grades based on how the student looked?  The shoe feels uncomfortable on the other foot, doesn’t it?