Saturday, August 04, 2007

Another Year Ahead

It is now the end of the first week of school. I had a class of 20 students until two moved away. Now I have a class of 18 - PERFECT! Unfortunately that will not last very long. We will proabably have to re-organize the school since some other grades' numbers are too high. I may need to become a split grade 2/3 one the dust settles.

It all comes down to the government mandate that primary classes not be any larger than 20 students. There is debate in the research about this issue - are smaller class sizes really better? Some say yes since the less teacher stress means for happier students and more time for class programming. Some say no since it all comes down to good teaching, regardless of size.

I can see both sides of the issue. I know that when I have had the rare smaller class size I have felt calmer and less overwhelmed by the marking. In today's educational climate more and more has been asked of the classroom teacher. We are secretaries, moms, nurses, social workers and so on, not just teachers (although the best teachers throughout time have always taken on these additional roles). More and more is also being added (dumped) into the curriculum, as if time at school will solve all of society's problems. Children need to know about sexual abuse so let's add it to the curriculum. Then there's anit-racism education, daily physical activity (DPA), computers, and so on and so on. It is all worthwhile programming but there is only so much time in the day. Effective teachers do not just program. They assess, program, reassess, reprogram and so on. All of this means quality time in order to do it well and honour the creativity, different learning styles and multiple intelligences of children. It all comes down to TIME and we never have enough of it.

On the other side of the argument in the calssroom over the years in which there were more children there was fabulous learning happening and a vibrant energy. I have ocassionally heard from some of those children who remember the classroom experience with fondness. I would like to think that I had somehting to do with it.

The long and short of it - I am carrying on with teaching a straight grade until I hear differently. There is never a dull moment in education. There is always something new or different happening.

8 comments:

Evie said...

All of my teaching was in post-secondary education. I found 10-15 students in a class to be a good size. Sometimes fewer than ten did not provide enough variety and depth for discussions, although that's probably less of an issue in graduate-level courses. More than 15 allows some people to hide behind, or be overwhelmed by, the more active participants. More than 25 is tough for teachers to manage meaningful interaction with all, substantive evaluation, etc. Classrooms of 10-15 allowed us to form very nice "communities of learners." Those were wonderful experiences.

Joshua was in split grade classes from grades 1-5. It worked very well for him. He, and Dave and I, got to know his teachers very well and vice versa. I think it's especially beneficial in the first few years of school when just a few months difference in age is quite significant developmentally. A split grade system allows the younger ones adequate time to develop and "catch up" with their older peers.

Barbara said...

while i agree that a good teacher is going to be a good teacher regardless of the class size, i would still prefer my child to be in a smaller class. It just makes more sense that they would get more attention and personalized help that way.

Dave said...

The teacher is the primary factor in the equation. That said, there does come a breaking point. Clearly 40 in an elementary class is too high. I think the number can also vary depending on the nature of the community/families from which the students come. Jane Finch in Toronto would demand smaller classes than the Iowa City or Oakton area.

One thing that Evie left out on the split class in Iowa, Josh had the same teacher and those in his grade for two years in a row.

Jenn said...

that's like asking, is it better to care for 4 patients or 8 patients? 4 of course!!!! better care and more attention

Joanne said...

When I was working in the classrooms, I found that there were those who saw teaching simply as a job, and then there were those that were passionate and were amazing teachers no matter how many kids they had.It was always interesting to me that those who simply saw it as a job struggled with the responsibilities, no matter how many or how few kids they had. Those who have a passion for teaching, and who truly loved being there, were the ones who were less overwhelmed, no matter how many or how few kids they had (although I did always prefer it when my kids were in smaller classes). For you Cathy, I can say with complete objectivity that you are a teacher in the latter group. You are one of the best there is, and I believe that you have had a huge impact on many a young life.

Catharine said...

David raises an interesting point - it's called looping. One of my favourite years was when I took my grade one class on with me into grade 2. I already knew the children and had established a partnership with parents. I still receive the ocassional letter or card from three of those students. Most of teaching is about relationship building. Once you have the students trust the teaching is so much easier and effective.

Stephen said...

Cathy, I hope you have a great year in the classroom. With all four of our children now attending school this season, I can only hope that their teachers will be as caring, imaginative and professional as you are!

Evie said...

So, like, it's October. Has your year started yet?