It's hard to pin down an opinion of teachers, since the perception is really in the eyes of the beholder. In my view, there is not so much "good" and "bad" teachers as there are good and bad students. I may think a teacher is good at what they are trying to accomplish, while a classmate might find them unreasonable and unfair.
At the grade school level, teachers are an invaluable source of learning. Despite what is often said, most of the stuff that is taught at grade school level is extremely important to ones ability to survive in the modern world. Now you can argue about what should and should not be parts of the curriculum, but that is not the fault of the teachers.
The college level, however, is a different kettle of fish. You see, while high school teachers can at least be threatened with termination if they are not doing a sufficient job, there are too many college professors today who have "tenure", that is, they are pretty much set for life, and they can keep doing the job they are doing for as long as they wish. Once a professor reaches this status, they no longer have to care about the job they are doing, and, in my experience as a college graduate, many do just that. They simply go through the motions each year, with no kind of attachment to the students that they are teaching. Of course, in some majors, you will have the same professor teaching multiple levels of classes to where you could have the same professor more than once, but in so many cases you have to take one-off classes which have no connection to ones intended area of study.
However, unlike the grade school level, the college professor can be scrutinized over what courses they teach. In the U.S. anyway, there is something called the Liberal Arts system, which is intended to give students a wide array of knowledge by forcing them to take certain classes regardless of their field of study. These classes are much maligned by students, who see them as a waste of time. Naturally, the student-professor relationship in these classes is often not good, as the professor doesn't want students who aren't interested in the subject they are teaching, which is the definition of the student forced to take these classes. If this system went away, with students only taking courses which were in-line with their field of study, both sides would be better for it. The students would get a more enriching experience, and the professors would teach those who want to learn.
At the grade school level, teachers are an invaluable source of learning. Despite what is often said, most of the stuff that is taught at grade school level is extremely important to ones ability to survive in the modern world. Now you can argue about what should and should not be parts of the curriculum, but that is not the fault of the teachers.
The college level, however, is a different kettle of fish. You see, while high school teachers can at least be threatened with termination if they are not doing a sufficient job, there are too many college professors today who have "tenure", that is, they are pretty much set for life, and they can keep doing the job they are doing for as long as they wish. Once a professor reaches this status, they no longer have to care about the job they are doing, and, in my experience as a college graduate, many do just that. They simply go through the motions each year, with no kind of attachment to the students that they are teaching. Of course, in some majors, you will have the same professor teaching multiple levels of classes to where you could have the same professor more than once, but in so many cases you have to take one-off classes which have no connection to ones intended area of study.
However, unlike the grade school level, the college professor can be scrutinized over what courses they teach. In the U.S. anyway, there is something called the Liberal Arts system, which is intended to give students a wide array of knowledge by forcing them to take certain classes regardless of their field of study. These classes are much maligned by students, who see them as a waste of time. Naturally, the student-professor relationship in these classes is often not good, as the professor doesn't want students who aren't interested in the subject they are teaching, which is the definition of the student forced to take these classes. If this system went away, with students only taking courses which were in-line with their field of study, both sides would be better for it. The students would get a more enriching experience, and the professors would teach those who want to learn.
