Review Guidelines

Purpose and Goals

RateMyTeachers.org exists to help students, families, and educators share honest, respectful feedback about classroom experiences. The website's primary goal is to improve learning outcomes by giving people a place to describe what helped them learn, what didn't, and what they wish they had known earlier. We believe that thoughtful feedback helps everyone: students can make more informed course choices, parents can better support their children, and teachers can gain insight into how their teaching is experienced in real classrooms.

A second goal is transparency. Education is a public good, and the quality of teaching matters deeply to communities. While no single comment can capture a teacher's full professional ability, a collection of respectful, relevant, and specific experiences can provide useful signals. This is not about ranking people as "good" or "bad." It is about making the learning experience more understandable and helping all parties grow.

Finally, the site aims to strengthen trust. Trust is built when people feel heard and when feedback is offered in a fair, safe, and responsible manner. These guidelines exist to protect that trust. We want RateMyTeachers.org to be a place where people can speak honestly without being harmful, and where educators can feel confident that the feedback they receive is not reckless or abusive.

Our Ethical Foundation

RateMyTeachers.org is committed to ethical use and ethical outcomes. We believe that feedback is valuable only when it is fair, relevant, and safe. Ethical feedback requires empathy, accountability, and care. It recognizes the dignity of every person involved -- students, teachers, staff, and families.

We are guided by these principles:

• Respect for people. Teachers are professionals and human beings. Students and families are also human beings. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, even when experiences have been difficult. This means avoiding insults, stereotypes, or language that devalues someone's identity or worth.
• Honesty with responsibility. We encourage truthful reporting of your experience, not exaggeration or distortion. Your words matter. Even if you are frustrated, you are responsible for the accuracy and tone of what you post.
• Privacy and safety. Teachers and students have a right to privacy. Sensitive personal information does not belong on public review sites. We do not allow content that exposes private details, encourages harassment, or puts anyone at risk.
• Fairness and balance. One experience is not the entire story. You may share your perspective, but it should be clear that you are describing your experience rather than making definitive claims about a person's character or entire career.
• Educational improvement. Our ultimate purpose is to improve education, not to punish, shame, or humiliate. Feedback should be aimed at learning, growth, and better choices, not vengeance.

These principles are the reason we exist and the reason we enforce rules. When they are violated, the value of the platform collapses. When they are honored, the platform becomes a helpful resource for everyone.

Who These Guidelines Apply To

These guidelines apply to all users of RateMyTeachers.org, including:

• Students
• Parents and guardians
• Teachers and school staff
• Administrators and school leaders
• Community members
• Anyone who reads, posts, or edits content on the site

Whether you post one review or read a hundred, these guidelines are the shared agreement that keeps the platform safe and useful.

What You Can Post

You can share your personal, first-hand experience with a teacher or class. That means:

• How the class was structured
• What helped or hurt your learning
• How communication felt
• The pace of the class
• How assignments, grading, and feedback worked
• How expectations were communicated
• What you would have liked to be different

You can also include constructive suggestions, such as:

• "I learned better when we had more examples before homework."
• "The class moved quickly; study groups helped me keep up."
• "Office hours were very helpful for me."

The more specific and educational your feedback, the more valuable it is to others.

What You Cannot Post

To protect safety and fairness, there are strict limits on what can be posted. Do not post any of the following:

• Personal attacks or insults. Derogatory language, name-calling, mocking, or humiliating comments are not allowed.
• Hate or discrimination. Content that attacks or stereotypes someone based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any protected characteristic is not allowed.
• Private or identifying information. This includes personal addresses, phone numbers, personal email addresses, family details, health information, or non-public social media handles.
• Threats or harassment. Any content that intimidates, threatens, or encourages harassment is prohibited.
• False claims of criminal or unethical behavior. If you did not witness something directly and cannot substantiate it, do not post it. Even if you did witness something, this site is not the place to make accusations of crimes or serious misconduct.
• Grade disputes or personal disputes. If your post is primarily about a grade you dislike or a personal conflict unrelated to learning, it does not belong here.
• Spam or promotional content. Do not post advertisements, unrelated links, or promotional messages.

If your content fits these categories, it will be removed, and your account may be restricted.

Writing Helpful and Fair Reviews

A helpful review is one that another student could learn from. A fair review is one that could be read by the teacher and still feel honest, even if the teacher disagrees. Here are the qualities of a good review:

• Specificity. General statements like "great teacher" or "terrible class" do not help. Specific details do.
• Balance. Most classes have both positive and negative aspects. You do not need to force balance, but when possible, note both strengths and challenges.
• Focus on the class experience. Keep your review about teaching methods, course structure, and learning outcomes.
• Perspective. Use "I" statements and explain that it is your personal experience.
• Constructive tone. Even critical feedback can be delivered in a way that helps others.

Example of unhelpful feedback: "This teacher is awful. Don't take their class."

Example of helpful feedback: "I found the lecture pace very fast and struggled without extra study time. If you take this class, plan to use office hours and start assignments early."

Respecting Teachers and School Staff

Teachers work in complex environments with large responsibilities. They balance curriculum requirements, student needs, and institutional constraints. A review should not assume that every challenge is caused by a teacher's personal choices.

Respect also means recognizing that teaching quality cannot be captured in a single comment. It is okay to share your experience, but avoid declaring that a teacher is "lazy," "incompetent," or "corrupt." Those are attacks, not feedback.

When in doubt, ask yourself:

• Would I say this directly to the teacher in a respectful conversation?
• Does this comment focus on learning and classroom experience?
• Am I expressing frustration or offering information?

If you cannot answer yes to those questions, revise the review.

Respecting Students and Peers

Your review should never expose or shame other students. Do not mention names of classmates. Do not share stories that identify other students or describe their personal situations. Avoid calling out groups or making assumptions about peers. The focus must be the learning environment, not specific individuals.

Protecting Privacy

Privacy is central to safety. Do not post:

• Teacher home addresses or contact details
• Private communications not meant to be public
• Student grades, medical information, or personal issues
• Photos, screenshots, or recordings without consent

If you feel a detail is important for context, ask yourself whether it can be shared without identifying or exposing anyone. If it cannot, leave it out.

Fairness and Bias

We all carry bias. Unchecked, bias can make a review unfair. Before posting, consider:

• Are you judging the teacher based on teaching methods, or on personal style?
• Are you reacting to one moment or a pattern?
• Could your expectations be influenced by rumors or stereotypes?

We ask users to reflect on these questions because fairness matters. The purpose of feedback is to inform, not to reinforce prejudice or rumors.

Timing and Perspective

We encourage users to post reviews after they have had enough time to reflect. Immediate reactions can be intense, but time often reveals a more accurate perspective. If you are very upset, consider waiting a day or two before posting. Writing after reflection often leads to more helpful and respected feedback.

Multiple Reviews and Updates

If your experience changes over time, you may update your review rather than posting multiple separate reviews. This helps keep feedback clear and avoids over-weighting one user's voice.

Do not post multiple reviews of the same teacher in an attempt to amplify your opinion. Manipulating ratings or flooding the site undermines fairness.

How We Moderate Content

RateMyTeachers.org uses a combination of automated tools and human review to enforce guidelines. We remove content that violates these rules, and we may restrict or suspend accounts that repeatedly violate them.

Moderation is not about silencing critique. It is about protecting safety, privacy, and fairness. We welcome critical feedback when it is respectful and focused on learning.

If your review is removed, it may be for one or more of these reasons:

• It includes personal attacks
• It discloses private information
• It contains hate speech or discriminatory language
• It makes accusations beyond the scope of educational experience
• It is spam or unrelated to teaching

You may appeal or revise your review to comply with guidelines.

What Teachers Can Expect

Teachers who are reviewed on RateMyTeachers.org can expect:

• Reviews that focus on teaching and learning
• Removal of content that violates policy
• A platform that encourages balanced, respectful feedback

Teachers should not expect that all reviews will be positive. Honest feedback includes criticism. The site is not a disciplinary tool, but it is a space for students to share their experiences. Teachers are encouraged to read reviews with a mindset of curiosity, not perfection.

What Students Can Expect

Students can expect:

• A resource that helps them understand class experiences from peers
• A platform that values honest, specific feedback
• Protections against harassment and doxxing

Students should not expect perfect accuracy or universal agreement. Reviews reflect individual experiences, and you should consider the overall pattern rather than a single post.

Handling Serious Concerns

RateMyTeachers.org is not the place for reporting urgent or serious concerns about safety, abuse, or illegal behavior. If you believe a serious issue has occurred, report it through the appropriate school or legal channels. We may remove posts that attempt to use the site for such reports because it is not safe or fair to handle them here.

If you need support, contact your school administration or relevant authorities. The website cannot investigate or resolve serious misconduct.

Community Responsibility

The quality of this site depends on everyone. When you post, you are contributing to a shared resource. Consider how your words will affect:

• The teacher you are describing
• The student who reads your review
• The trustworthiness of the platform

If you see a review that violates guidelines, you can report it. Community reporting helps us keep the platform safe and fair.

A Note on Free Expression

We value free expression and open discussion, and we also recognize that speech is not unlimited in private community spaces. This site exists to support learning. Reviews that are abusive, discriminatory, or unsafe do not advance that goal and will be removed. Our rules are not designed to protect teachers from critique; they are designed to keep feedback constructive and safe.

Summary of Key Rules

Here is a simple reminder of the core rules:

• Be respectful and specific.
• Focus on the learning experience.
• Do not post private information.
• Do not harass, threaten, or insult.
• Avoid discrimination or biased statements.
• Do not make serious accusations or claims.
• Post one review per teacher, and update if needed.

Final Commitment

RateMyTeachers.org is a shared space built on trust. By using this site, you agree to contribute responsibly. We ask you to post with empathy, truthfulness, and fairness. If we all uphold these values, this platform can serve its mission: improving education by giving voice to the classroom experience in a safe and ethical way.

Thank you for contributing with care.