Small Classes Big Minds


I believe all public schools should have small classes. Having small classes will benefit teachers and students. It will be in the teachers best interest, because they will have less to manage in one class period. Teachers also don’t have to change their curriculum because the children will already learn better due to their small class. The students will benefit from the small class, because the teacher can give the student all their attention and can explain in depth. Also, the teacher can learn the child's learning style and adjust to how the students learn. Some schools have been doing smaller classes since 1995 ( Toppo). Why do most public schools stop now? Having small class sizes will benefit everyone. There was a study done by testing the students every 10 seconds. In the small class system, the students were more focused, concentrated, and behaved ( Toppo).
Teachers will benefit from small classes. First, with less students there is less distractions. For example, teachers can talk to the students individually and help them learn better. Teachers also don’t have to check students homework everyday because they discuss in class instead doing homework. When having small classes, teachers don’t have to change anything in their curriculum that they have already been teaching. Having a small class will already improve how the teachers teach without changing what they teach. As mentioned earlier, students were examined in 10 second intervals. The students were more focused than if they were in a bigger class. Teachers will have a great gain in their teaching experience, because students will be behaved and come to class wanting to learn. Not only teachers will benefit but students will too.
Students will benefit from having smaller classes. First, students will get more attention from teachers. For example, the teachers will be able to learn and adjust to the students learning style. They can do this because of how much more time they will be able to spend together in class. Also, because of the small class size, teachers have less distractions and have more time to work one on one. The students no longer feel the need to compete in getting the teachers attention ( Toppo). Imagine a big class of 20-30 students. Everyone is raising their hands. The teacher can’t get to every single student which leads to some of the students questions not being answered and continuing to not understand the subject. As well as getting attention from teachers, a bond of trust builds between the teacher and the student ( Toppo). This bond forms by the students having to do their homework. The teachers trust that their students have done their homework and don’t make students turn in. Instead, the class discusses the reading or homework that they have done. If the student has not done their homework, they will feel excluded from the conversation and the trust bond has vanished. Second, the students will get positive influence from classmates and teachers. For instance, when the students come into class, they have a discussion and get to express their feelings for the reading done the night before. Classmates respect eachothers opinion, and students get positive attitude from their peers. The teacher supports the students as well even when they are wrong. The students feel included and an important addition to the class. As well as getting positive influence, students learn to enjoy learning and complain about school less. With having the positive attitude in the classroom it creates an amazing learning environment for the students. Don’t you want your student to love and enjoy learning? Third, students social interaction improves. For example, the children learn to interact with each other. They learn this by having to participate in the everyday discussions in class. As well as the students current interaction in class, they will also learn how to cooperate with future co-workers ( Kennedy). This is a great skill to have when walking into a new job where maybe you don’t like your co-workers. Students learn to except eachother and learn to cooperate even if they don’t want to.
In conclusion, students and teachers benefit from small classes. Students will be able to improve their social skills, learning skills, and gain intelligence. Teachers will have a smoother time teaching because students are more behaved and focused. Also the teachers have less distractions because there are less students to distrupt them. Childrens learning will be improved because the teachers can learn how each individual learns and adjust to teach that way. The world always needs smarter brains. So why not start now by having smaller classes?