Class Size Matters
Petra* was a Straight A student with the highest test scores in school. When in class, she answered every question correctly, was polite and participatory, and was what can be described as a dream student. She was only in class, however, about three times a week. In an overcrowded classroom, this event might go unnoticed, or perhaps even be welcomed, a relief of moving towards a more manageable load of students. Still, Petra’s absences were a concern.
Helen* had a propensity to look at the right hand corner of my room for long stretches of time, and every now and then her eyes would bulge. Since she sat close to the front, this unnerved me, and led me to wonder what she might be thinking about to cause such reactions.
Robert* refused to make eye contact with me, spoke no words, and quickly entered my room and sped directly to his seat every day, all semester long. He spoke in a flat, monotone voice (when he spoke at all), and his writings seemed to always find a way to be centered around the video game Halo.
In an overcrowded classroom, students like these may not appear on an overburdened, harried educator’s radar. Yet like all students, they deserve an accomplished teacher to identify, understand, and meet their unique learning needs. In some cases, the teacher is the final fail safe mechanism that will catch them before they are lost to the nether world of crime, abuse, or mental illness.
I kept Petra in at nutrition one day and asked why she missed so much school. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “sometimes I feel sick and can’t get up in the morning.” Perhaps it is the sixth sense most
Helen* had a propensity to look at the right hand corner of my room for long stretches of time, and every now and then her eyes would bulge. Since she sat close to the front, this unnerved me, and led me to wonder what she might be thinking about to cause such reactions.
Robert* refused to make eye contact with me, spoke no words, and quickly entered my room and sped directly to his seat every day, all semester long. He spoke in a flat, monotone voice (when he spoke at all), and his writings seemed to always find a way to be centered around the video game Halo.
In an overcrowded classroom, students like these may not appear on an overburdened, harried educator’s radar. Yet like all students, they deserve an accomplished teacher to identify, understand, and meet their unique learning needs. In some cases, the teacher is the final fail safe mechanism that will catch them before they are lost to the nether world of crime, abuse, or mental illness.
I kept Petra in at nutrition one day and asked why she missed so much school. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “sometimes I feel sick and can’t get up in the morning.” Perhaps it is the sixth sense most
