Have you ever taken a survey? Schools across the nation often present their students with certain surveys to assist faculty in understanding their students better. Here at Faith Lutheran, students are provided a monthly survey created by Social Norms that involves multiple pages of quizzing questions.

In the survey, there are questions such as”‘have you been drunk in the past 3 months?”. Questions like these lead students to wonder if the surveys are actually anonymous, or are teachers and counselors getting a glimpse at the answers.

Before every survey, students are repeatedly informed that the answers are unknown to faculty and some classes were even displayed a video reminding students to be honest on the surveys because they are “completely anonymous”. But, this statement has some students wondering if the surveys are truly what the teachers say they are. While some students don’t mind taking the survey, others say they feel that it can be interrogating.

“I am completely honest on the surveys because I myself want to see accurate surveys around the halls,” said sophomore, Kyrie Lorfing. However, she continued, saying “I know a lot of kids who put random answers or lie on the surveys just to be funny.”

“I lie on all of the surveys because if teachers were to check my honest answers, I would be in a lot of trouble,” an anonymous student said, proving Lorfing’s statement.

Although students are hesitant towards the results, creator of the survey, Dr. Knorr, suggests otherwise.

“The survey is completely anonymous and by using SurveyMonkey it is impossible to trace an answer back to any individual, [and that] all of our messages focus on the positive behaviors of the majority.”

Keeping the students trust is a key factor for every school. Although the survey is truly anonymous, many students who participate in the school’s surveys often apply false answers in fear of getting in trouble or being scrutinized by fellow students and faculty.

However, many faculty and parents yearn for honesty from their students to report accurate results. These surveys help assist faculty in understanding their students better and helps them apprehend how their teaching styles impact students, in order to better benefit the interaction between teacher and student.