Venting - class sizes still huge!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

It's a new school year and I have between 32 and 34 in my classes with around 9 or 10 students with IEPs plus 504s. The numbers are rising. School starts on Monday. Four students in one class each need a scribe. They can't write very well. I have no para-education or special ed teacher in this inclusion classroom. We are expected to run labs.

Is this the education we want for our children? The teacher gets blamed because we aren't performing.

Ideas?

[NYC_SKP]

1. Wow!

What grade/subject?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. 9/10th

9th

[NYC_SKP]

8. One thing I might try...

And you've probably considered it...

...would be to employ group work, pairs or small groups that mix strong students with those struggling.

But this doesn't work with all subjects and curricula or in all classrooms, but it's what I've done in the past.

Also, it's kind of a natural approach if you have labs, and works well for projects.

Students don't always like it at first, but I think the most admirable classroom climates I've seen demonstrate a lot of cooperative learning.

Good luck!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. Thanks

I guess that's what I will do but one wonders whether the 'class mentors' should be paid a salary!

[NYC_SKP]

11. Studies suggest that the mentors will retain the content more effectively.

When students are required to teach something to others it really sticks!

And they get (or should get) the satisfaction of doing good by their classmates.

[FLyellowdog]

12. Excellent ideas.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. Yes, but students and teachers shouldn't have these conditions

the standard of education is going to go down not up

[FLyellowdog]

15. True, but it is what it is.

Thankfully I retired from special education over 10 years ago before things got this bad. I couldn't do it now...wouldn't do it now...shouldn't have to do it now under these circumstances. And I admire anyone who devotes their energies to teaching our youth.

It's apparent that a lot of people making funding decisions have lost sight of the importance of education. So sad but until we can put more progressive thinking people in these positions, I don't see things improving.

I hope you can endure the year. Take care and be good to yourself. You are a vital part of these students' lives but you can't help anyone if you are suffering as well.

My heart is with you (like that helps with anything). You do good work and somehow this knowledge must sustain you.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. It must be a priority to get these class sizes down

[FLyellowdog]

17. Particularly these classes.

[Jennicut]

2. No paras?

That is a crazy number of kids without extra help. I subbed a lot last school year as a teacher and sometimes as a para. The most I ever had in one class was 25. That was a 3rd grade elementary school class in a small city. I had kids who needed extra help and would just wander around the class aimlessly at times when no para was available for a certain time period. What grade are you teaching?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. 9th

a couple of the special ed students are 10th

[Jennicut]

6. I give you tons of credit.

I subbed for some middle schools and those are tough ages. I stick to mostly elementary where the kids still like you (somewhat). I am not sure I could handle high school kids though they might actually be more mature then 12 to 14 year olds. You mentioned labs, are you a science teacher? The only thing I can recommend is that by 9th grade kids can help each other more then at younger ages. Can some students help some of the others in class? A lot of para work is explaining things slower, going over questions again, writing down notes in class. I still can't believe they gave you no help.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. I guess

I try to get my mentors in the class to help the needy ones but it is worrying.

[femmocrat]

5. It looks like you are in for a tough year.

My only suggestion is to keep on the special education director to get you some help. Those students are going to take up all of your time and energy and the "regular" ed (sorry, lack of a better word) kids will be pretty much left to their own devices. I'm not sure what kind of labs you are referring to.

Could you use a peer "buddy" system in the class, so that the more advanced students can help the non-writers? You didn't mention subject or grade level.

Best of luck to you, Rosa. You will work it out because you are a highly-qualified professional! Keep telling yourself that, OK?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. special ed

the curriculum involves many labs. They are mostly 9th grade biol students.

[femmocrat]

20. More advice: Hide the sharp objects!

Good luck to you!

[Suji to Seoul]

13. Up The Down Staircase: "Let It Be A Challenge For You."

Sympathize. Was a teacher in the States. Understand completely.

Everyone's hands are tied, even the administration. Because those who run for use traditionally use four things to pander to the rubes that vote:

1: The Flag
2: The Bible
3: The Cops
4: Children

[snacker]

18. This is shameful...

we should all be concerned about this. Unfortunately, it seems to be happening all over.

"Kindergarteners through third-graders will now share space with 40 classmates, up from a limit of 25 students. For fourth- and fifth-graders, class size was raised from 30 to 46 kids, and middle and high school teachers may face up to 61 students this fall, jammed into existing classrooms built for 35. "

http://labornotes.org/2012/08/detroit-schools-hit-class-size-explosion

[oldsarge54]

19. Worked for me a while

Having been there myself, a middle school art teacher with 38-42 students in the class and similar Iep and 504 mix (actually, slightly higher, so many think art is an EASY class)(elective of last resort actually) I visualized valium being added to the air conditioning, especially near the end of the school year. I just wasn't sure if it was for the faculty or the student. Didn't really help anything, but the visualization got me through whatever little crisis was in progress (I had three bi-polar students in one class, can you say domino theory?)