23 Kindergarten kids, 1 teacher, no assistant -- cause for concern?

[Anonymous]

We have our first kid going to kindergarten in MCPS this year. There will be 23 kids in the class and no assistants to help the one teacher. Is this typical or is this unusual given the current budget situation? For parents with kids who have finished K in a class this size, did you feel that it went well? Do you have any tips to help us, as parents, make the situation better for our kid, who is shy and reluctant to ask the teacher for anything? I'm worried that in a class that size, she'll get lost in the shuffle. Her pre-K class had 20 kids with 2 teachers and she was fine. TIA for any feedback.

[Anonymous]

You just described my DS's K class last year and my DD's K class this year. My recommendation is to volunteer! The volunteers become the TAs in the class. I WOH FT so I could only volunteer 1x a month, but I would also go on field trips with the class. I have 2 sisters who teach elementary school kids (1 in FL the other in WA) and both have TAs. I guess their school systems budget differently. I wish we had them here.

[Anonymous]

what is your PTA doing? They can start raising funds to pay for this position. The student teacher ratio you are describing is very high and there will be many children who get lost in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what is your PTA doing? They can start raising funds to pay for this position. The student teacher ratio you are describing is very high and there will be many children who get lost in the process.

You can't do that in Montgomery County because they people who don't give a crap about thier schools cry foul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what is your PTA doing? They can start raising funds to pay for this position. The student teacher ratio you are describing is very high and there will be many children who get lost in the process.

In Montgomery County the PTA is not allowed to use money they raise to pay for staff positions. And yes, 23 in a class of K's is normal. Some will inevitably fall through the cracks.

[Anonymous]

In our school 23 would be a blessing..our kindergartens are regularly in the upper 20's. I don't think we have a single class below 25. A good teacher can do it well..but parents need to be alert if their child's needs are not met.

[Anonymous]

The school in my neighborhood, last year, had 3 K classes with 22 kids in each, 1 teacher per class and 1 aide for all 3 classes. We made the decision to not go to public school for K, at least. DS is the type of child who would get lost/left behind in that situation. We are hoping to be able to put him in public school by 1st or 2nd grade though.

[Anonymous]

talk to teacher and ask if she/he would be open to parents volunteering? Some teachers really can handle it, others really appreciate the help. You could organize a sign up. Maybe the teacher would appreciate help with non-classroom stuff--making copies, booking field trips, monitoring playground, cleaning toys/materials, etc. There is a lot of work teachers do outside "face time" with students.

[Anonymous]

Just met our child's kindergarten teacher--she's an experienced teacher whom other parents rave about, and she'll be on her own with a class of 23. I have complete confidence in her. (Heck, my older child had a kindergarten class about that size with a brand new teacher, and it was a great year). Of course, we'll be keeping an eye on things to make sure the year goes well. It helps that we trust this particular school's administration and feel that we could work with them if a problem should arise.

[Anonymous]

23 kids and 1 (experienced) teacher w/no assistant shouldn't really be a problem unless there are 1 (or more) children with needs that require a lot of teacher attention.

[Anonymous]

That's a pretty typical class size. None of the schools around me have assistants in K unless you count personal assistants assigned specifically to special needs students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You just described my DS's K class last year and my DD's K class this year. My recommendation is to volunteer! The volunteers become the TAs in the class. I WOH FT so I could only volunteer 1x a month, but I would also go on field trips with the class. I have 2 sisters who teach elementary school kids (1 in FL the other in WA) and both have TAs. I guess their school systems budget differently. I wish we had them here.

What kinds of things do you do as a volunteer?

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's definitely a typical class size in MoCo. Friends of mine whose kids have been through it have been surprised at how well it went despite those numbers.

[Anonymous]

I was surprised when I looked at my own kindergarten class photo from the early 1970s and counted 31 kids. I'm glad things have improved a little since then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:23 kids and 1 (experienced) teacher w/no assistant shouldn't really be a problem unless there are 1 (or more) children with needs that require a lot of teacher attention.

Aren't there always a least a couple kids in each class who need a lot of teacher attention? Esp in kindergarten? But you're right...the needs of the kids will make or break the class.

However, 23 in a public K class is not a bad number Could be a lot worse.