"I think she is amazing! She pushes you hard but it makes you better and better," one anonymous student wrote this month on ratemyteachers.com.

Another Utah teacher didn't get such sparkling reviews.

"Can you say busy work?" an anonymous student wrote of a different teacher. "I felt I was in middle school again with such easiness and she never welcomed discussions."

Utahns have long turned to the Internet for movie, book and restaurant reviews. Now, Utah teenagers are going online to review something else: their teachers. Both reviews were recently posted on ratemyteachers.com, a national Web site that allows students to anonymously rate their teachers - by name.

Utah students have anonymously rated 18,950 Utah educators in 424 schools on the Web site, which draws both praise and criticism from students, parents and teachers.

Some students say they use the site to help choose their classes and warn other students, while others don't like the idea of it. Some teachers say they check the site as a way to gain feedback, while others stay away, fearful of vengeful students' rants.

Nancy Lunak, an internship coordinator at Alta High School in Sandy, said she has checked the site out of curiosity. Alta students have posted a total of 948 comments on the site, the second most in the state after West High students who have posted 1,293 comments, said Aaron Altscher, managing director of the site.

"You always want to know what people have to say," Lunak said. "You want to have a positive impact."

Burt Conrad, a math teacher at Lone Peak High School in Highland, said he's never visited the site and doesn't plan to.

"I have other ways of getting feedback," Conrad said. "I think if they really want me to do better or have a concern they'll see me rather than put something on a blog for everyone else to see."

Anyone can view comments on the site for free, but students must become members to make comments. Comments are also screened before they're posted and are supposed to address only teaching ability and not contain allegations, comments on appearance or profanity, among other things.

"There are plenty of places online where you can slander somebody, and ratemyteachers[.com] is not one of those places," Altscher said.

Altscher said the site was designed as a place for students and teachers to connect and communicate. In addition to making comments, students rate teachers on a scale of one to five in three categories: easiness, helpfulness and clarity. The clarity and helpfulness ratings are then averaged together for an "overall quality" rating.

He said about 60 percent of all comments on the site are actually positive.

"At first blush you may think high school kids would just get on there and bash their teachers, but that's really not the case," Altscher said.

Though some students say they visit the site to warn other students about bad teachers, many say they only visit to read comments others have posted.

"If people are signed up for classes and don't know what the teachers are like, they can go on and see what other people wrote about them," said Julian Fowkes, a junior at West. "You should be able to pick teachers you mesh with."

West sophomore Kayla Ewer said she used the site to help her choose an elective class, and West junior Hayley Eriksson said she often agrees with what she reads about her teachers on the site.

But not all students think commenting on teachers online is a good idea.

West junior Dung Le said the site could lead to hurt feelings and problems for teachers. His sister, West freshman Selina Le, said the ratings aren't reliable.

"A lot of students hate their teachers because they're failing the class, but it's not the teachers' fault," Selina Le said.

Alta junior Kohlman Kelsey said students should make up their own minds based on firsthand experience.

"Each student should have their own opinion about teachers and not read what other students think," Kelsey said.

Others wonder how effective the site really is in promoting change and communication.

"Does anyone important see it?" West junior Laynee Warenski wondered. "If they don't, I guess it doesn't really matter. It's just kids ranting."

Steve Weller, a teacher at Ephraim Middle School in Ephraim, said the site probably doesn't contain anything anyone in his town doesn't already know.

"I don't really know what good it does, especially in the small community where I'm living, word of mouth travels faster than the Internet," Weller said.

West High financial literacy teacher Brenda Rhodes said she's never checked the site before but hopes students realize teaching isn't as simple as it sometimes appears.

"Teaching is probably one of the hardest jobs," Rhodes said. "They need to put themselves in that position before they judge it."

Carrier, who's earned mostly positive ratings, said she's never looked at the site before, but it doesn't sound so bad to her.

"As long as it's moderated, I think it's fine to have a forum," Carrier said. "I'm curious. I'll check it out."

On ratemyteachers.com:

* He is really cool. He gives a lot of work, but I am more prepared for college.

- about a Highland High School teacher

* "Very difficult class and teacher, in [her] class, once you fall behind, you can never catch up."

- on a Jordan High School teacher

* "Too many lectures, not enough interaction."

- on a Hunter High School teacher

* "He is the one who inspired me to become an English teacher. The class is hard but worth it. You get out of it what you are willing to put in."

- on a Timpanogos High School teacher

* "He connects with the students but still teaches. He is an incredible teacher. He knows what he's teaching but makes it fun and interesting."

- on a Woods Cross High School teacher

* "Awesome! SO FUNNY! Cared about students, was nice, and the class was a blast!"

- on a Bonneville High School teacher

* "She's pretty nice, though she assigns a lot of work, and I always forget to finish it."

- on a Wasatch Junior High School teacher