Yesterday, I assisted in a class with a Master teacher. It was a 5th and 6th mix with 31 students. One was out, so there are potentially 32 total.
In addition to the large number, having a grade-split class is no joke. First, the teacher helped half of them log into the 5th grade math portal and half of them log into sixth. Then she went around and made sure the students’ headsets, which she has maintained for three years, were all working order. After lunch, she handed out sixth-grade readers to half of them and fifth-grade readers to the others. One of the reading topics was about volcanoes and one was about Teddy Roosevelt. At least the first lesson of both books started on the same page number, so she had that working in her favor.
To overcome the challenges, every teaching trick and technique was being employed. To relieve the classroom of being so physically full, all of the coats and backpacks were hung out in the hallway between the classrooms. To break up the monotony of working on screens, she had the students do a walk-and-talk with a partner going in a circuit through the room. That way, the students could discuss what they were learning, and each one got a chance to express themselves, even if it was only to another student. The children also used preset gestures when they raised their hands so the teacher could instantly see of the students didn’t understand, had a question or needed to use the bathroom. Still, for the reticent or easily distracted child, I could see it being a challenge to keep up.
As awesome as this teacher was, she could not make up for all of the curve balls being thrown at her. She told me that many students came in this year a grade or two behind in their placement tests. If a student falls behind in the classroom, the teacher relies on sending the unfinished tasks home as homework. Many of these kids come from homes of two working parents and many who speak English as a second language. As a result, the students’ losses are snowballing over time.
Schools in the US are mostly funded by property taxes and you can easily see the who has and who hasn’t. Locally, we have some additional state and federal funds to pay for lunches and school supplies, but it is not enough. Improving public education is something real we can do to improve the future of our country. If we want a well-functioning populace then I hope that these observations help to inform your voting decisions this November.
