kindergartener will have 30 kids in his class!

[Anonymous]

Any child who receives speech and language services will have an IEP, even if it is just 1x/week. That paperwork will be done by the SLP at the school, not the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Would you make alternative arrangements if you knew your kid would be in such a large class, or would you try it first?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, Singapore, a model of raising good citizens. In a K class of 30, when 5 spit their gum on the floor you can just chain them to the radiator and then you'll be down to 25. Piece of cake.

Ha! The gum chewers would be arrested for conspiracy to import chewing gum into Singapore which is illegal and littering for spitting out the gum. The class sized would go down from 40 to 35.

[Anonymous]

Op here, still on the fence about what to do! would anyone just think that 30 kids is too much and find another alternative?

[Anonymous]

What are your other options? Is this your only issue? Does everyone at this school start in K or do kids trickle in for 1st grade - 3rd grade? Will this be an issue for awhile? How much money do you have for private?

[Anonymous]

The large class is my only issue. I just dont know how my son will do in a class that size. I feel he may fall behind. Maybe I am wrong and it will be fine. Just a bit leary. I did not ever think I would be sending him to K with such a massive sized class. The class sizes will be large throughout his years there. If a student moves to another school, another student would fill the gap. I have an almost two year old and there is no way I could swing private for both children. I think I have no choice but to go there, but I am not feeling very happy about it.

[Anonymous]

Well you could always move. Not sure where you are in NOVA, but most FCPS classes are not that large. These sizes are usually the very popular schools in expensive areas. So you could probably afford a less expensive area. You could also do private for a year and then start in 1st. Things are a little more organized then and children can do more on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The large class is my only issue. I just dont know how my son will do in a class that size. I feel he may fall behind. Maybe I am wrong and it will be fine. Just a bit leary. I did not ever think I would be sending him to K with such a massive sized class. The class sizes will be large throughout his years there. If a student moves to another school, another student would fill the gap. I have an almost two year old and there is no way I could swing private for both children. I think I have no choice but to go there, but I am not feeling very happy about it.

OP, I was one of the earlier posters who said it is going to be o.k. And I want to reiterate that. Would it be ideal to have 15 kids in a class with one teacher? ABSOLUTELY. The noise and distractions of 30 kids definitely does affect each child in the class. However, I am 100% confident that your child will find a friend, things that interest him/her, and learn a few things too (if nothing else, s/he will learn how to go through the lunch line independently and that is a good skill to have). Beyond that, I can't promise anything. Will it be "the best year ever?" Probably not. Will it scar your child into hating school... probably (almost certainly) not.

So, all you need to do now is put a smile on your face and talk about school in positive terms so your child doesn't get the idea that he/she is supposed to dislike school. There will likely come a time (about a month into the school year, maybe a week into it) when your child wakes up and says "I don't want to go to school!" or "I hate school." Rest assured that this is normal too -- kids often like kindergarten the first week and then they realize that this kindergarten thing is not just a fun playdate, rather, it's the long term plan! And suddenly, they decide they we're really interested in doing kinderg. ALL the time! This too shall pass if you are stedfast in your presentation that kindergarten IS the plan and that's what big kids do.

Anyway, it's the first of numerous times you are going to realize that public school has its limitations. It's sufficient, not ideal. You make the best of what public school offers, do extra at home, and then you don't worry about your child b/c you know s/he has the skills to succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, Singapore, a model of raising good citizens. In a K class of 30, when 5 spit their gum on the floor you can just chain them to the radiator and then you'll be down to 25. Piece of cake.

Ha! The gum chewers would be arrested for conspiracy to import chewing gum into Singapore which is illegal and littering for spitting out the gum. The class sized would go down from 40 to 35.

No chance of that happening.....as there are no radiators in classrooms in Singapore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here, still on the fence about what to do! would anyone just think that 30 kids is too much and find another alternative?

It would totally depend on the child. I have one child who is very independent, who works hard and always wants to do his best, and is assertive enough that if another kid was bothering him, he'd speak up. He would likely thrive in a big or small class. I have another child who would rather play than work and needs reminders to complete his work. He wouldn't learn a thing in a class that big. I'd also be hesitant to put a shy child in a class that large for social reasons. I was a shy child and I did much better and was much happier at a small school with 15 kids or less per class than a big school with 25+ kids plus per class. I was so unhappy at the big school, that my parents switched me mid-year.

All that being said, I think it would be tough to find alternatives at this point in the game. The schools that still have spaces may not be the schools that would be your top choices otherwise. You'd probably have more options if you just stuck it out for K and applied to schools for 1st grade.

[Anonymous]

This is one of the chief reasons why I sent my child to private school.

[Anonymous]

30 kids in a K class is insane. I would never do it...I would move if I couldn't swing private.

[Anonymous]

Op here, got class list yesterday. So far has 27 students. I am expecting that to change by.the time school starts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:30 kids in a K class is insane. I would never do it...I would move if I couldn't swing private.

Exactly where are you moving where they can guarantee the class size your child will have for the next 8 years? Or are you willing to sell your house, pay the commission, buy a new house and pay for a move JUST for a guarantee that kindergarten will be less than 30 kids? Because, kindergarten is the only grade they can tell you what the class size will be ... and it's probably a little late in the year for OP to sell/move for this year. So, not exactly helpful advice.

Breathe, and smile OP. You'll make friends with a lot of the other parents and your child will assume that all is fine. More importantly, you will find out that kindergarten is (a) easy and (b) not going to have a big effect on your child's future. It's just a way station and there will be bigger things in his/her future. Perspective.

[Anonymous]

While I don't disagree with what you are saying, you are implying that kids with IEPs somehow decrease the level of education a child without an IEP may get. Comments like this just fuel this paranoia about ever having a child with an IEP in your classroom. It is utter nonsense.

One kid with an IEP probably won't detract from the education of the rest of the class. However, at some point numerous kids with IEPs can't help but affect the instruction. I have no idea what that critical mass is - it's depend on the kids themselves, and the teacher(s), but to suggest that tipping point doesn't exist is ridiculous.