Now after a week of class, I can say things are definitely DIFFERENT! Sometimes different is good, sometimes not. As expected and feared, I do have more students than last semester. Actually I have 104 more but I do have an extra class now, that accounts for about 40 of those extra students.
My average class size is 38, compared to 27 last semester. Last semester, Before Budget Cuts (BBC), my largest class was 37. Now 37 is my smallest class.
Yesterday, I looked at my seating chart to see why my period 5 class was so rowdy. Okay, it was after lunch and a lot of energy there. But that didn't quite explain it. Oh, of the 40 ninth graders, 26 of them were ADOLESCENT BOYS! The 14 girls are silent - having to suffer along with me the 6-7 boys vying for the unofficial title of class clown.
I now have 220+ papers on my desk to grade. If I spent one minute per paper it would take about 4 hours to grade them. I should take 2-3 minutes per paper but am I going to take 9-10+ hours to grade the first assignment? Is Sarah Palin going to vote Democrat?
The first two hours are well behaved, good, mixed classes. They are a pleasure to teach. Periods 5 and 6? Like Sisyphus, it will be an uphill struggle all year long. A colleague of mine has 51 in his last period of the day. Fifty one 9th graders. Maybe the Superintendent or Governor should teach that class for a week and then maybe some extra $ will be found to keep class sizes where they need to be.
It's obviously harder for me to deal with all these kids, but what about for the student who needs extra help? In a class of 20-25 it's harder to hide. In a class of 37-40, many of those that need help don't get it, they hide. They don't ask for help. They appear to be working but what they start many don't finish. It is a lose-lose situation; for the students, for the teachers.
Stay tuned.
