Student evaluations of teachers are a controversial matter. How can students, who have not been teachers, critique their teacher's abilities? On the other hand, who are better to evaluate teachers than the students they teach? In my opinion, students should be able to evaluate their teachers for several reasons. First of all, student evaluations of teachers give students a stake in their education. For example, when I was teaching history to 13 year-old students, I told the students that I expected them to take control of their education, and this included having them evaluate my performance at periodic intervals. By allowing my students to help fashion their own educational experience, they became more invested in their work and in keeping the classroom as a place for education rather than discipline. In this way the students and I created a joint educational environment. The students enjoyed this experience, because it allowed them some oversight of their education. Another reason that students should evaluate their teachers is that constructive feedback to teachers can help them improve their teaching skills. When I began teaching English to these same 13 year olds, I asked the students to give me some tips about what I could improve about my teaching. To my surprise I discovered that my students felt that I spoke too quickly, and as a result, that they had difficulty grasping some speaking quickly. However, after receiving this advice from my students, I was able to slow down my speech, and teach more effectively. At the time for the next evaluation, my students told me that this problem had been cured. Thus, due to student evaluations, I became a better teacher. Student evaluations also have the healthy effect of providing teacher oversight. Teachers have relatively unfettered control over their classrooms and their curriculum, and there is little external control over their actions. However, student evaluations can clue the school administration into the strengths and weaknesses of teachers. I have had several teachers who rest on their laurels, re-hashing old lectures rather than updating their knowledge and disseminating it effectively. In our evaluations, my classmates and I informed the administration about the ineffective instruction of one teacher. After learning of his negative evaluations, this teacher, to his credit, changed his poor teaching and worked to improve. But for these evaluations, this teacher may have continued to slack in his teaching, depriving students of valuable education. In conclusion, student evaluations for teachers allow students to become more invested in their education, help teachers improve their teaching skills, and provide much needed oversight over teachers. Education is a symbiotic process involving both teachers and students. Student evaluations only increase the efficiency and value of this relationship.