Really!!

A recent Time magazine article

When It Comes To Class Size, Smaller Isn't Always Betterhttp://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2056571,00.html?artId=2056571?contType=article?chn=us

proclaimed that smaller class sizes aren't always better. I'm paraphrasing but the author of the article stated that a class small in size won't perform better with a lousy teacher. No kidding!! This isn't a revelation by any stretch. A poor teacher is likely to be of little help if he/she has ten students in class.

Sadly, too many readers, given some of the current anti-teacher sentiment, are likely to jump in and advocate for larger class sizes, taking the misguided information in the article to say 'it doesn't matter how many are in the class.'

It's always been known that a great teacher performs well in lots of situations. However, when a terrific teacher has a reasonable number of students in class the research has shown that students perform best under those conditions.

No doubt, obtaining and nurturing teachers to become top-notch is the top priority of administration and it ought to be a major concern of parents. But don't allow the generalized argument that smaller class sizes don't always matter. If people stick to such a short sighted point of view, it's just a matter of time before a vast pool of people demand larger class sizes throughout the country. That is indeed ill advised.

Many thanks,
Dick