I totally understand your frustration here and am very curious to see more posts on this subject. Our two first grades now have 29 kids in one and 27 in the other with no teacher aide. How these teachers are expected to teach this many kids to read and write is beyond me...we also have many abnormally active children as well. Our school accepts "school of choice" kids all the time...even at the numbers listed they were still advertising in the paper for openings...30 is considered the perfect number by the school board per class. We now have two kids...cousins in one class that one of them does not speak english...so the other one that does is always acting as an interpreteaur...it is a mess for the poor teacher and for the kids who are trying to learn...at this age the distraction even small ones can make a kid totally loose focus...it is absurd. So far the only response parents get is were are finally out of finacial dispair by accepting more students...frustrating!!
I wouldn't worry about being whining parents. You are concerned parents and taxpayers who have every right to go to the administration and the Board. Don't be intimidated by them. Start w/ the principal, then go to the superintendent and then to the board.Be prepared - know how many kids will be in each class. Give examples of behavorial issues (without naming names, of course.) Have specific instances where the well-behaved kids have been negatively affected by the behavior problems. If they won't or can't do anything about class size, see if you can get an aide in the classroom to help out. It seems like this is one instance where the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
While I realize this isn't necessarily a PTO issue, I think that the wealth of experience and wisdom in this group will be able to help me navigate the following:
I am not sure what question I need to ask the group here, but let me fill you and in and you can give me your reactions.
My son is in first grade. There are 4 classes of first grade students at our school. We have been informed by the principal that next year, there will be only 3 second grade classes for these students....yes, this year 4 classes, moving into 3 classes. There are a number of children with behavioral problems which compounds the fact that the higher numbers in the classroom will increasingly impact the students who do not currently have behavior problems. When I say behavioral problems, I mean things like short attention spans (more so than the average 6-7 year old!) and impulsivity--(again out of the ordinary).
My son is one of the "good kids" and is often used as positive role model for the students who have a harder time pulling themselves together in the classroom and at specials of art, music, gym and library.
We were at the PTO meeting last night where the principal informed the parents of the projected numbers going into next year and the numbers of student expected do not support the addition or retention of the 4th second grade class. Many parents are upset by this decision given the behavioral composition of the students in this grade.
Although there will be a few children held back in first grade, I am not sure that it will address the high teacher-student ratios that will be inevitable next year.
Any thoughts on how to proceed to communicate the parental displeasure to the administration and board of ed without sounding like we are a bunch of whining, spoiled parents?
