To be successful in school every child needs some degree of individual attention, but just how much of that attention can students get in school? A common refrain from concerned parents is: “my child would be doing better if she could just get 30 minutes a day of individual attention from the teacher.”
On the surface, this makes sense. Teachers are there to help each child succeed and learn and would happily give their students the energy and attention they require. The problem is, however, quite simply a matter of time.
Consider for instance a typical classroom situation. There are 25 students in the class and 5 hours – 300 minutes – of time for the teacher to be with their students. Suddenly that idea of giving each student individual attention means that if the teacher does nothing else, she has 12.5 minutes with each child each day. Although educators have a variety of strategies to address this concern, with instruction and activities that allow the teacher to address the many and varied student needs, are they working for your child?
Smaller class sizes is one of the most common reasons parents turn to private and independent schools. Teachers, students and parents are encouraged to build strong relationships and with extracurricular activities and extended school programs, often have more time to spend with each child.
That’s why many private and independent schools will advertise their average classroom size and it is so important for parents to inquire about the same. Every student’s needs are different, some will do better with one-on-one instruction while others will flourish in large groups. For those of us who think or know our child needs a greater level of individual attention, then we should take a look at those schools that offer smaller class sizes.
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