When I graduated from high school I remember having anywhere from 32-36 other classmates per class. Recently, however, I was visiting my high school and I was appalled at the changes that have taken place since I graduated. The classrooms were more crowded and students did not seem to receive enough attention. I am submitting a proposal to alleviate this problem.
Overcrowded classrooms have increased the possibilities for at-risk students, as well as others, to lose interest in school and do poorly on tests. This proposal identifies four specific problems regarding overcrowding. These are students not getting individual attention, low reading scores, frustration and stress felt by the teachers, and the inability of students to concentrate or stay on task while in class.
The first problem identified was that teachers are unable to give individual attention to the students. Teacher's aides are not always available and sometimes students have to share textbooks. It can take the entire class time for students to find seats, make sure everyone has a textbook to look at and then explain the next assignment. This leaves no time for individual attention to explain assignments or answer questions.
The second problem is low reading test scores. With teachers unable to help individual students, those who need extra help in gaining or maintaining their reading skills get left behind. They are unable to keep up the reading or in class discussions because of this. Sometimes funding is dependent upon test scores as well. If scores are low, so is funding. This can lead to the third problem.
The third problem is frustration and stress that the teaching staff experiences in trying to teach students in crowded classrooms with no time to devote to students who need extra help or to offer enrichment tasks to high achievers. Often this frustration gets passed onto the students who in turn feel the stress, resulting in
...