I am asking for your help. My son's school district is once again looking at cutting back and only having 2 teachers for 3rd grade next year. This would leave an avg of 33 kids per class. I'm going to fight this as I believe 3rd grade is such a crucial year for children. It's MEAPS, it's switching to letter grades, its more responsibilty...Can you please tell me what district your 3rd grader is in and how many students are in their class and if they have a teaching assistant. I need some ammo to go to battle with! Thanks for your support!
L.
Hi L., I totally agree with you. That is way too many children for 1 teacher. They are receiving absolutely no one on one time at all. My third grader goes to Taft Elementary in Wyandotte and I believe her class has about 20 students.
Good Luck,
T. N.
I teach at several different schools, unfortunatly the state limit is 35 students, so you are within the max # of students, but I will say the schools i teach at that have 33 students in a class it is very difficult for the teachers to reach every student....you spend the entire hour running from one to the next.....and if they stay at 33 through the 8th grade, the behavior gets almost out of control...as a teacher it is tough!! I am at private schools for the most part....you may want to check to see if there are charter schools linked with your district.
My 3rd and 4rth graders have about 18 in their classes, it was one of the main reasons I put them back into the Mount clemens Schools, after a brief year or in my daughter's case 1/2 a year at a National Heratige Acadamy who had no problem with average class sizes of 33. I have met people from differant areas who bring their children to our Elemmentary school and the teachers are fanominal.
Good luck on what you decide. I know my cousin's kids have all been in Utica schools and she has never had too much of an issue, but then again they are all differant.
We are lucky, we come frome a small school (Grand Ledge, MI). My son is in 4th grade and has 19 kids in his class. This has been this way for years. The most my daughter had was 24, and I thought that was much!
Keep the fight--that is WAY too many kids.
GL:)
Dear L.,
I did this fight last year. Our district wanted to put 27 kids in a class and I thought that was way to many. We (the parents) set up a petition stating that we wanted another third grade class and how crucial it would be to our kids. Then we did research on 1 how much money the school really has and other cuts they could make. And 2 how third grade can affect these kids through high school and college. 33 kids is way too many. There is not one teacher that can affectively meat all those needs of the kids. We went before a school board meeting( a few of them). And we won!!!!!! Also our school got a grant for having a class size under 19 kids in so many class's. You could ask about that too. Good Luck! Get others to be involved with you to fight this fight. Take Care, M.
I don't have a 3rd grader this year, but I do have a 4th grader and I think he had about 22-24 kids in his class last year and in addition to parent helpers being their everyday they also had a teaching assistant. We go to Haslett Public Schools.
L.,
My son is in the Saline school district, which is school of choice. We started the year off with 31 students and the princple felt this was to many. She brought in another teacher to drop his class size back down to 25. We have an teachers aid as well.
Good luck with your fight, it will be worth it!!!
My sons class has about 23 kids, no teachers aide.
His school has 3 third grade classes though, all with about the same number of kids.
The rest of the school has only 2 classes per grade (1,2,4 & 5), a full day kindergarten, an am/pm kindergarten and a 2-4yo preschool.
We are in the Dearborn Heights District 7 schools.
hey L.,
i am in the royal oak district and i believe the averages for K-5 is between 25-30. however, my son attends a private school where the ratios are 1/8 so i don't have first hand knowledge. i believe there was some sort of initiative in the state house to address the increasing class sizes in public schools. boys can be tricky, especially at that age. my unsolicited advice is to be as active and communicative as possible no matter where you decide to place him. best of luck! :-)
S.
hey L.
i daughter is in 3 grade and has 24 kid anything over 26 is way to many good luck if they cut a class look in to school of choice better the school marking the less kids per class we are in haslett
My daugther is in the 3rd grade in Clarkston School District. She has 27 students in her class, and this is after they cut an entire class this year. Prior to this there were smaller class sizes.
Good Luck!
M. M.
