dealing with large K classes in Mont. Co.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MoCo Schools put its extra faculty back where they should be -- in the classroom -- instead of cushy, minimally beneficial positions such as staff dev., our classes wouldn't be ballooning in size as much as they are in these financially challenging times.

It has to do with the number of classrooms not teachers..

To some degree, true. But there are ways to optimize use of space. I would rather have the art teacher on a cart and gain that space to reduce homeroom size than have a separate art room for our 30 min. of art/week yet have a classroom of 25-30 kids in K. And in these tight times, I would hope the fluff positions would be cut before increasing class size. The $$ saved from fluff positions could be spent on portables. Again, not the best space but still better than larger classes.

[Anonymous]

The art teacher walking around with a cart of materials? Are you joking?

[Anonymous]

We moved from Arlington to MoCo hoping to get more space and same quality education. After one year I can say that Arlington schools (elementary and middle) are better. Quality in MoCo is good, but extras do not exist. School in Moco is a place to learn math, writing and reading. They do this well, but nothing more. We will go private next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MoCo Schools put its extra faculty back where they should be -- in the classroom -- instead of cushy, minimally beneficial positions such as staff dev., our classes wouldn't be ballooning in size as much as they are in these financially challenging times.

It has to do with the number of classrooms not teachers..

To some degree, true. But there are ways to optimize use of space. I would rather have the art teacher on a cart and gain that space to reduce homeroom size than have a separate art room for our 30 min. of art/week yet have a classroom of 25-30 kids in K. And in these tight times, I would hope the fluff positions would be cut before increasing class size. The $$ saved from fluff positions could be spent on portables. Again, not the best space but still better than larger classes.

What are you defining as fluff? Are you saying art is fluff? So is music and PE also fluff? I wouldn't want to see the specials cut out, that's for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The art teacher walking around with a cart of materials? Are you joking?

Absolutely not joking. Happens all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MoCo Schools put its extra faculty back where they should be -- in the classroom -- instead of cushy, minimally beneficial positions such as staff dev., our classes wouldn't be ballooning in size as much as they are in these financially challenging times.

It has to do with the number of classrooms not teachers..

To some degree, true. But there are ways to optimize use of space. I would rather have the art teacher on a cart and gain that space to reduce homeroom size than have a separate art room for our 30 min. of art/week yet have a classroom of 25-30 kids in K. And in these tight times, I would hope the fluff positions would be cut before increasing class size. The $$ saved from fluff positions could be spent on portables. Again, not the best space but still better than larger classes.

What are you defining as fluff? Are you saying art is fluff? So is music and PE also fluff? I wouldn't want to see the specials cut out, that's for sure.

Fluff = staff development, a boatload of curriculum writers, etc. Not Art, Music, PE. I definitely wouldn't want to see those go. I'm talking about the general ed classroom teachers who have found other, non-classroom positions. Class size would be reduced substantially if those teachers were steered back into classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the CC for allowing K classes (and others) to climb in numbers.

25 will be the norm.

i looked back at my class picutres once when this topic came up and oh my they were the same size.................

And just how many kids in your class -- back in the day -- came from households where English was not the primary language that spoken? How many of your classmates were on the autism spectrum or had ADHD? (I will add that "the latter group always has aides or other extra helpers so it doesn't matter" is a [suburban] legend)

25-28 kids today is not the same as 25-28 in the 70's and 80's.

Signed,
a former MCPS parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the CC for allowing K classes (and others) to climb in numbers.

25 will be the norm.

i looked back at my class picutres once when this topic came up and oh my they were the same size.................

And just how many kids in your class -- back in the day -- came from households where English was not the primary language that spoken? How many of your classmates were on the autism spectrum or had ADHD? (I will add that "the latter group always has aides or other extra helpers so it doesn't matter" is a [suburban] legend)

25-28 kids today is not the same as 25-28 in the 70's and 80's.

Signed,
a former MCPS parent

I think the bigger difference between 28 kindergarteners now and 28 kindergarteners in the 70s is that the 28 kindergarteners now are expected to pay attention all day, not half day,, and learn what would have been first grade curriculum thirty years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the CC for allowing K classes (and others) to climb in numbers.

25 will be the norm.

i looked back at my class picutres once when this topic came up and oh my they were the same size.................

And just how many kids in your class -- back in the day -- came from households where English was not the primary language that spoken? How many of your classmates were on the autism spectrum or had ADHD? (I will add that "the latter group always has aides or other extra helpers so it doesn't matter" is a [suburban] legend)

25-28 kids today is not the same as 25-28 in the 70's and 80's.

Signed,
a former MCPS parent

Well let's see there was Mario, Octavio, Ahmed, ALi, Gustav, those were just the boys, not sure how many were Sped's as we called them but there were a bunch of them in our sschool

[Anonymous]

Exactly PP and their teachers are held "accountable" if they don't meet certain unrealistic standards. It's amazing any of us know how to read and write b/c back in our day, we played in K. I think I learned the letters of the alphabet and learned how to write my name too but that's about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The art teacher walking around with a cart of materials? Are you joking?

art colleague at one point - full time at 3 different schools

music pal - at 2 different schools (over 160 kids, plus SPED and ESOL)

It's absolutely disgusting, if you ask me.

And to the previous poster who'd prefer to see "art on a cart," you obviously have no respect for ALL teachers. pathetic and ignorant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the CC for allowing K classes (and others) to climb in numbers.

25 will be the norm.

i looked back at my class picutres once when this topic came up and oh my they were the same size.................

And just how many kids in your class -- back in the day -- came from households where English was not the primary language that spoken? How many of your classmates were on the autism spectrum or had ADHD? (I will add that "the latter group always has aides or other extra helpers so it doesn't matter" is a [suburban] legend)

25-28 kids today is not the same as 25-28 in the 70's and 80's.

Signed,
a former MCPS parent

Well let's see there was Mario, Octavio, Ahmed, ALi, Gustav, those were just the boys, not sure how many were Sped's as we called them but there were a bunch of them in our sschool

Thanks for your low IQ response pp.