Student Evaluations

Below are independent evaluations from students in three sections of a course I taught on “Education and American Culture.”  I had full autonomy in teaching this course.   I created the syllabus, determined the course content, course format, exams and other instruments of evaluation.  This course was a required history of education course for students majoring in education.  I have organized their comments along emerging themes that reflect my passion, inspiration, leadership, knowledge, creativity and fairness (syllabus and student work available upon request).

Passion

“Margaret was my favorite instructor this semester.  Her class was my favorite course.  She made dry material interesting and applicable to our fields.  She changed the syllabus to make the course more valuable to us.  She absolutely went out of her way to help us succeed and make opportunities available to us.  She is an incredible asset to the School of Education.”

“I wish every course was like this one.”

“I enjoyed the instructor’s enthusiasm and knowledge on the subjects we studied.  I also really liked her style and attentiveness to the needs of the students.  She was always reachable and willing to assist.”

“She was very enthusiastic about teaching us the history of education.”

“Margaret was very energetic about teaching us how to be teachers as well as students.”

“She is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about course matter.  She encouraged all to express their opinions openly.  She was consistently available for help if needed.”

“Margaret was enthusiastic and passionate about what she taught and that means a lot.”

“I liked her passion for the education of her students and her passion for the material presented.”

“Ms. Clements is very enthusiastic about teaching this class.”

Inspiration

“I thought the teacher did very well.  This has been one of the most interesting courses in the education department I’ve taken.” 

“The instructor was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and well-organized.  I really liked how she related material to current-day controversies in education.  Our classroom discussions were great, and she always was able to challenge students to defend their views.  I would definitely recommend this instructor to friends and would take another course she taught!”

“I think she is inspiring and encouraging.”

Leadership

“This project was truly enlightening, thanks for the experience.”

“I am very happy with the way the assignment turned out and feel I gained from this cooperative experience.”

“The discussions we had in class were great.  I think that that is a good way to learn issues and problems.”

“She was able to realize when things weren’t going well and she worked with the class to improve those things.  She used many different methods throughout the course.”

Creativity

“I liked it when you had the labor union representative, the Indiana Teacher’s Association director and the representative from the department of education come talk to our class in a panel discussion.  I learned a lot.”

“I think our instructor was very sweet and polite, as well as knowledgeable of the information.  I enjoyed when we had the teacher come to talk to us about her 6th grade class.  That was fun!”

“Going to the Art Museum for a tour customized for us was great!”

Knowledge

“I liked learning the history of education and who the key figures were in the U.S.  I enjoyed the instructor very much.  She knew the material very well and she cared.”

“I think the instructor is very knowledgeable about the subject and enthusiastic about teaching.  Also, very fair and understanding.”

“I liked two things most about Professor Clements:  one that she was genuinely committed to the field of teaching in general and to students in particular.  And two, that she brought a wealth of personal experience to the class—especially her experiences in research and her teaching overseas.  Margaret is truly a credit to her profession!”

“She is very knowledgeable about everything.  I don’t think there was one question asked she didn’t know the answer to.  She is so enthusiastic about this class and so knowledgeable about it, it makes the class so enjoyable.

Fairness

“I liked her fairness towards her students and I also liked the fact that she was approachable and always willing to help you and answer any questions.”

“The professor in this class is extremely fair and understands every student’s level of comprehension.  She gives as much help and tips of ways to improve your skills.  She is genuine and truly interested in your concerns.”

“Thank you for all your help this semester—especially helping me start my research for the grant proposal.  You were wonderful.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed your class this semester—you did an excellent job.”

“I like the discussion format of this class…This course helps me to see many forms of new ideas.  It also helps me to see America’s perspective on teachers and their actions.”

“I think the assignments are very fair.”

“I think you are a very understanding teacher who wants to help each and every student understand the information and be confident.  You are very patient and dedicated to teaching.”