Phillip Jackson talks about elementary students spending lots of time each day waiting on attention from their teacher. Jackson said that he found this in varying class sizes, but I think that smaller class sizes would minimize the trouble.

What do you think is the ideal class size?

I do think that smaller class sizes would help teachers as well as students. I found something the National Education Association reported. They said that they support a class size of 15 and maybe smaller if there are students with exceptional needs. I think that is a good size but hard for our society to do. We would have to higher more teachers, have larger schools, and a bigger budget.

I feel that having smaller class sizes would reduce stress on teachers because they have such a hard time getting around to every child. Also, children would spend long periods of time waiting to get the teacher's attention. Smaller classes of about fifteen to twenty allow more one on one attention, which increases the child's need of getting help from the teacher.

I think having a smaller class size would help teachers, students, and EOG's. I really don't think in most school districts that it would be possible though. Most schools are already overflowing with students and not enough room. Also, counties don't have enough money to pay the teachers they have. If it was possible I think 15 or so students would be the ideal to have. Each student would have more individual time with the teacher.

I feel that the smaller the class size the better. I think that the perfect class size would be about 15. With a smaller class size i feel that as a teacher you could really help your students better by giving them more one on one time and understanding thier learning skills and using them in the class room setting. Also with a class size like this i feel that the student would be more comfortable and would be more likely to ask questions and interact with thier peers more. i feel that we cheat students by stuffing them in these class rooms with thirty or more kids because its so hard for the teacher to interact with all the kids and work with each one when they have a weakness

I also agree that smaller classes are better for the student and the teacher. Being that I am going to be a family and consumer sciences teacher, my students are going to be doing a lot of labs in my classroom. Having smaller classes would better accomodate the students' use of the equipment in the class and I as the teacher would be able to work with the students more one on one.

Any person you ask is going to of course say smaller classes are better, and I agree with that to some extent. I have substituted in schools some and I couldn't tell any differences in the classes with twenty-five and the ones with seventeen. When kids get used to getting the extra attention, they just want more, so the kids that disrupt in class is probably going to act out more in a smaller class rather than in a larger class. I think teachers would rather get a raise with the money the state is spending to reduce class size. I am not saying smaller classes are worse, but I am saying that I don't believe it is as big as issue as people make it out to be.

I would like to think smaller class sizes would make a greater impact on the student/teacher relationship. I agree teachers would have more of a chance to work with each student individually rather than having to assign busy work to keep others from acting up. Unfortunately though with the teacher shortage as it is now it doesn't seem to be a possiblity. I do believe though that teacher aides help out alot with the problem.

While smaller classes may help, I think smaller SCHOOLS might help too. I went to the same school for 9 years. The students in my grade all grew up together and we all knew each other. There were 44 people in my grade when we finished 8th grade. By the time we were in 2nd grade, we knew how to work together as a class. We knew which students we could ask for help in math so we didnt have to ask the teacher a question. We knew who was tall enough to help get supplies off the top shelf so we didn't need the teacher's help, necessarily. Though the classes may not have been the same 25 people every year, you knew everyone in either class, and there was many a way to cut back on the required individual time needed with the teacher.

Class size is an issue of school size, as well as funding from the school disrtict. I came from a small elementry school (K-5) of about 400 students. The classroom teachers could request an assistant for the day that she was planning to teach a lesson of greater difficulty to aid in the reduction of wait time of her/his students (increasing the faculty to student ratio). The assistants were teahers aids who worked in the needed classrooms on an as needed bases. The fact is funding of the school is a direct result of how the class is setup size or assistants available. Unfortunately this is an issue that we all will face and usually have very little control over.

I feel that it would be easier for students to learn in a smaller class size. I personal do not feel comfortable talking in front of a large group. When I was in school, I would get embarassed if I said the wrong answer. Everyone in the class would start giggling and laughing at me. I think that the students would feel more comfortable in a small class setting. They could form closer bonds with their fellow classmates along with the teacher.

Class size has always been an issue teachers face every year...will I be lucky enough to have 17 or have to deal with 30? I think we have stereotyped large classrooms as a nightmarish experience. With a positive attitude and some classroom management, you can teach effectively whether it be in a large or small classroom. Of course I would love to teach 15 students everyday, but with the heightening demand for teachers, I don't think that'll ever be the case!!!

Just as in our classes, smaller classes helps give each student the attention they deserve. If you have a huge class, you might not be able to reach the students that are having trouble or just need so attention from anyone. I know i was always very shy, so it made it hard for the teacher to know what my abilities were. it would also help for the teachers to be able to know every child's learning style with smaller class sizes.

I feel that a smaller class of say 15 – 20 is good, or perfect for the class room. It’s not too much and would allow the teacher to spend more time with the students as individuals. This allows the teacher to get to know his/her students. I feel that’s the key to teaching “know your studentsâ€

I went to a school from grades 7-12 in which classes size rarely exceded 15, and were more frequently about 12. It was pretty cool for classroom discussion and it made it impossible to slip under the radar of the teachers, they knew if you hadnt done your work or were falling behind immediately. However when i came to college up here at app i was so excited about large class size because it was so easy to be just another face in the crowd. I could do exactly what was expected of me without ever having to be guilted into being a standout student. The pressure is greatly reduced in a large class, so that may make it better for some people. But, i would definately not have been as successfull at app without the benefit of the small class preparation.

I believe the smaller the class size the better. The school I'm at right now has reduced class sizes and it is great. There are 13 students in my second grade class. There are no assistants in any grade but kindergarten. They put their money in paying the teachers so they can have smaller classes. It is wonderful, each child gets the help and attention they need and deserve. I have never seen a child get in trouble or misbehave since I've been there. There teacher seems much more relaxed and she really loves her job. I just hope I can teach in a school with class sizes like this school.

Kendall Holland

I have started my interneship for Block I, and the class I am in only has 14 students. I think that this is a great size, and I can see that the teacher has more time to really interact one on one with the students. I think that students, especcially young ones, benefit from smaller class size.

To me this is cut and dry. The smaller the class the more time a teacher has to spend with the individual student. this can not be a bad thing. The facts are that we as educators are strtched thin in our class rooms, and this is mostly because of the size of the class.

I agree with the consensus - - smaller class sizes are much better -- they assist the teacher in so many ways.... 15-20 is definitely a good size - - once you pass 20 its almost impossible to really connect with individual students on a regular basis. I think another thing that helps when determining what is best for the students is the dynamic of the students. I have been working with a class of students that is entirely made up of struggling students. They are the students that didn't pass the 8th grade proficiency test - - there are about 9 students in the class and that is all they could handle! If there were even 12 students it would make the class 10 million times harder to teach because these students need lots of one on one attention for a variety of reasons.