I went to private school all my life until college, so I am somewhat (though I believe legitimately) biased when it comes to smaller class sizes. Most of my classes in elementary and high school were around 20-25 students per class, which truthfully is not that much smaller than Bloomberg’s proposed class sizes in the city public schools (30 or so students per class). I’ve always valued a teacher who knows my name and shows like they care about me and my doing well in their class. Such personal interaction motivates me to do well and impress that teacher.
That’s one reason why I don’t think larger class sizes are the way to go. A smaller class size allows for that personal interaction between teacher and student, which will hopefully motivate the student to learn better, as it has for me. Smaller class sizes also allow students within the class to get to know each other better, as well as making it easier to share ideas and collaborate.
A good teacher is only as good as the students in a class allow him or her to be. If there are too many students and some of those students misbehave, they detract from the ability of the teacher to teach effectively and distract other students who want to learn from learning. Smaller classes can result in teachers having better control of their classes and will hopefully discourage misbehavior.
The bottom line is that education is the foundation for the lives of thousands of New Yorkers and the ticket to their future careers and lives. To skimp on such an important and necessary tool is horrible. I think the Bloomberg administration needs to look elsewhere if they must make budget cuts.
