I so want to vent. Then I think I'll just come off as a whiny bitchy school teacher... but really 28 first graders? 28, 6 year olds and I'm the only adult in the room? Add the fact they only had a half day KG and were led around by the hand all the time??!!! The only thing they do well is walk in line. I turn my back on them and some get into the play dough, others go sharpen their pencils when I'm teaching. I can not physically keep them safe. One of them today I sent back to get his lunch money( we are like 50 feet from the cafeteria ) and he is found wondering the KG hall a building away. Humm, take care of the 26 or walk the one to get his lunch money. What am I suppose to do?
Then let's talk about buses!!! Most of the buses are not listed on our desk top. I spent a lot of time going through addresses matching buses. I turn my back on one girl after pointing out her bus to her (like right in front of her) and she gets on the wrong bus!! The other one I blew it on but like I said there is one of me and I'm not superwoman and I can't stay until 7 at night making sure everything is fool proof. When we walk in a line I swear it is a half block long. I don't have the time to hold each and every hand while they do their work or job.
Too boot the rumor is the district will not hire another teacher because of the splits in 2nd grade and 3rd. So we have 30 in one room, 28 in mine, and the one/two split has 26. Really? After a year of half day KG you expect me to bring most of them to benchmark with 28 in my classroom????!!!!
They then changed math to morning and reading to afternoon. That means I will loose 30 minutes of reading time on Wednesday and at least 10 -15 minutes of reading time getting them off the playground, watered and pottied, before I can start reading. I will need to to go into science / social studies time to make up for that. It is like they are throwing reading under the bus for math. Which is more important?
Yet we are being required to meet all Common Core Standards this year in First grade. They are making my job impossible to do! I don't know how to do it all and do it well!
CRAP. I just want to be able to teach a decent amount of students so we can all be successful. Does no one get it besides teachers?
I am not a teacher, but I truly get what you are talking about and I wish I could help you and other teachers out - I truly do! In a year, my oldest grandson will be starting school and with the current teacher/student ratio in public schools here and everywhere else, I am trying to figure out a way to send him to a private school. What a sad day when we, as parents and grandparents, cannot see how our children or grandchildren will thrive in a 30/1 student teacher ratio. There is absolutely not way I expect you to be able to harness in that many children with different learning abilities, levels of understanding, various homestyles, parental involvement or non-involvement, etc.
ReplyDeleteI will pray for you - I don't know how much help that will be - but perhaps my specific prayer will be for the children to have the ability and desire to focus, follow instructions and listen intently. How about that? :0)
Thanks Pat. Must be working. It's getting easier!
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