I decided to take the plunge and check myself out on Rate My Teacher. It’s been years since I’ve done this. The last time I did, someone said something mean and completely untrue about me, and I spiraled into a sea of self-doubt, convinced I was a terrible teacher. That icky rating is still there; however, this time I have lovely students who stopped me from sinking into a second wave of teacher-sadness.
“But look at all the good reviews!” one of my students said. It was then that I tore my attention away from the snarky comment and read some of the others. Had my student not stopped my pity-party, I might have missed this review:
Mrs. Harar was awesome. She is one of those rare teachers that is laid back but can draw the line. It's hard coming across people with such a great balance between the two. She was considerate and forgiving . . . a lot like a mother. I love how she was always happy to help. She was absolutely HILARIOUS. . . don't even get me started on her Romeo and Juliet commentary :'D.
Eventually, however, the bad reviews were the only ones which caught my attention. I read them over and over again, beating myself up, telling myself that everything they said must be true. I ignored anything positive said in other reviews, and even stopped writing for a while, convinced I wasn’t good enough.
Talking to my students inspired me to revisit my book reviews, and I’m so glad I did. Sure, there are reviews that make me cringe, but there are also reviews that lift me up and inspire me to keep going. It’s easy to focus on the bad, but much more worthwhile to pay attention to the good.
Remember – reviews are only opinions. Not right or wrong. Just opinions. Use them to bolster your writing and not drag it down. You’ll be glad you did.
And for the record, my Romeo and Juliet commentary is on point. 😉
