This post shows that our society is placing an unfair buden on children and their teachers. When was the last time you heard of a kindergarten with 43 students? Could this be the United States in 2012?
A teacher comments:
I had a class of 43 kindergarten students last week. What do you really think I can do with that many little ones? I often go into a class expecting a certain number only to have 8 to 12 more students. How can I be prepared to teach those extra students? Those students will either be repeating what I have already taught their own class or will be getting the lesson before the rest of their class. I have had to postpone my pretests that I will be using with my Student Learning Targets.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Expert advice- Get another teacher a.s.a.p.
Former Early and Elementary Educato
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What are you doing giving kindergarden children tests!? That is so not appropriate for their age. Oh, wait. I forgot for a moment that we live in the No Child Left Untested era. Next we are going to see 5 year olds coming to school pre-labeled as failures if they don’t pass the reading/writing portion of WaSL or STAAR or FCAT. Why are we as teachers just rolling over and cowering to these ridiculous laws? Ya, I know. I have a mortgage and three kids, too.
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Our class sizes in our district have also increased in the past 4 years. We have gone from 17 to 18 in our K-3 classes to 35. Meanwhile our top 5 admin. asked for and recieved raises that will increase over the next four years possibly costing an extra $30,000 to $40,000 a year each. (When they already made high 6 figures.) They have told the board that class sizes don’t matter and our board has bought it. The community was outraged for about a month but they seem to just accept that this is the new normal. It is really a depressing time to be a teacher.
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You gotta educate them. This is not the ‘new normal’. When their kid can’t read or write-see if they buy that as the ‘new normal’. I’m betting they won’t. But let them know that’s a possibility. That way you’ve covered yourself.
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Under their “emergency Manager” Detroit Schools earlier this year called for class sizes up to 60 for high school. Now class sizes can reach 61 before DPS begins leveling the class size to the 35 pupil limit(!) K-3 classes can reach 41 before they begin to limit the size and grades 4-5 can reach 46 before the DPS begins reducing classes.
To add insult to injury teachers’ pay was cut 10%
See if you hear any of this from the Republican Convention -or the Democratic Convention for that matter. This is a shame. Gov. Snyder is at the same time giving billions of dollars in tax breaks to businesses.
We are literally sacrificing our children’s lives on the altars of this ‘free market’ and deficit reduction religions.
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That is way too many kids in a class!! If I was a parent of one of those students I would be concerned and definitely take it up with the proper authorities!!
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Parents have to step up and fight. They cannot be upset for a month then roll over. Teachers and students need to provide them with the ammunition, but I really think the parents must be on the battlefront and demand better.
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43 kindergarteners in a classroom??!! How would you even be able to fit that many kids in a classroom? This is criminal beyond human belief. The logistics of getting these children to the lavatory and back, to the cafeteria and back or having recess just gives me a headache trying to visualize the whole operation.
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Recess? What’s that? That has been taken away in many places. There is this belief that more instructional time is needed. Just how much quality instructional time can be given with class sizes increasing and children that can’t focus because they have not had a chance to exercise and play for just a little while?
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Conservative ideology does not support education, however it does support the ‘good ole’ days’ when children were denied an education, forced to work in factories which were unsafe, and they never had an oppurtuinity to advance.
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In Las Vegas, many kindergartens are massive like this. Nevada always ranks at or near the bottom of U.S. states in education. Hmm, wonder if there’s any connection. Anything to keep from reasonably taxing big businesses like mines, etc.
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The problem here is also space constraints. Is it even legal to have that many people in a room?
Let the parents know. This is also a real safety issue. I feel for everyone involved. This is just crazy, Call your admin for a bathroom break. That might help change things.If it doesn’t call the local paper’s tip line and don’t leave your name.
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