Wanted to hear more student and teacher thoughts on class sizes? This article was contributed to by the Mustang staff.
Alex Root, 11
“They’re not much bigger. I haven’t really even noticed it. It doesn’t affect learning or cause problems for my learning.”
Johnny Ford, 12
“There are almost 60 people in my weight training class. A lot of people are always using the machines, and I can’t get burly!”
Savannah King and Grace Blakistone, 12
“They’re really big, but not bigger than last year Blaze [Newman, English teacher] has a huge class. There are 43 or 44 people. It doesn’t really matter as long as the teacher can control everybody. People in our government class sit on couches because there aren’t enough desks.”
Jorge Beltran, 9
“Students are distracting when there are so many. It gets loud easily, and takes away teachers’ time.”
Sarah Gallagher, 10
“I haven’ noticed, but it doesn’t bother me.”
Daniel Alguire, 11
“Hell yeah, in English and in classes that everyone takes, there can be forty or more people. It bothers me and impedes on my learning.”
Brigitte Williamson, 10
“There are a lot of classes that I wanted t take but couldn’t because they were all full.”
Bryan Anderson, math teacher
“It’s just kind of unfortunately the way it is. There’s really nothing you can do about [large classes] but hire more teachers.”
Paul Brice, math teacher
“The hard part with bigger classes is that everything takes longer to do, like attendance, collecting things and passing things back. My students in algebra are very we- mannered, and very easy to have as a large class. They work well together and have a positive attitude and behavior.”
Carly Feldman, 11
“Yes my classes are bigger this year. About five to ten more people in each class.”
Angela Paddy, 11
“Less than ten students have been added to each of my classes, but still.”
Will Chu, 11
“Yeah, twenty more kids are in my classes, but I don’t know,” said Chu. “I was walking in the hallway and there was so many students that I ended up in line for the girls bathroom.”
“I feel claustrophobia. Its weird being around so many people. I feel like if I lift my arms I’m going to hit someone,” said Chu.
Megan Hatfield, 11
“Around ten students have been added to my classes but it feels like a hundred,” said Hatfield. “The smaller the class size the more students build relationships with their teachers, so it gets on my nerves a little.”
Jenai Machhi, 11
“Yep, I would say there’s ten more people [ in my classes],” said Machhi. “I’m not really affected by the class size.”
Brenda Salings, 11
“Yeah, ten more kids are in my classes,” said Salings. “My learning style is unaffected by the class sizes.”
Jamelia Michael, 12
“I guess it’s true. I mean, my classes are bigger than last year. But I don’t know that there is really a bit difference. Learning is pretty much the same as always.”
Sophie Bandstra, 11
“Class sizes this year can be irritating when it’s hard for the teacher to know the students. Especially when there are so many people it’s difficult to keep track of everybody.”
David Ball, 12
“[Class sizes] have not really affected [me]. I have a pretty relaxed schedule with like sculpture and stuff, so it’s not affecting me, but it’s noticeable.”
James Hrzina, social science teacher
“It hasn’t affected me much, my elective classes I am fine with being big. More people, more discussion. I have enough room.”
Annalise Brolaski, 11
“I didn’t notice but everyone says they are.”
Caroline Cesena, silk screening teacher
“A little more scattered. I’m not able to touch everyone as I used to as far as get to know them on a one to one basis,” said Cesena. “I just don’t feel connected.”
Rachel Weinfield, 11
“It’s harder because I don’t get the attention I used to.”
Logan Thurman, 10
“Yes, they are quite a bit bigger, I would say at least ten people bigger,” said Thurman. “Classes are less personal. But group work is easier because you have more people to choose from.”
Sophia Sandoval, 10
“It’s not as apparent as you’d think it would be. You just get less teacher attention.”
Sarah Schwab, 9
“Doesn’t really change much. The good thing is that you get to talk to more people and have more friends in your class, but I can see how it’s harder for the teacher.”
Mark Easbey, special education teacher
“There is less time dedicated to each student personally.”
Roy Parham, 11
“I’m not really affected by the number, because a good teacher is a good teacher no matter the amount of students.”
Susan Coppock, photography teacher
“Yeah, the classes have increased by probably five to seven students,” said Coppock. “I didn’t have enough desks on the first day, and even now, students are sharing.”
Scott Huntley, social science teacher
“Rooms are really crowded, and it is difficult to circulate the room when I can’t even get down the rows. There are too many desks. I would say that circulation is the biggest issue,” said Huntley. “I look at it in a more positive light. I get to know more kids; five or six more who I might now have gotten to know otherwise.”
“It creates more work to do, because there are that many more students to grade. It affects individual attention,” said Huntley.
Kaky Payne, 12
“I’m in a 15 student class. It’s awesome, but then again I have a class that has 50 [students].”
Carolyn Lee, English teacher
“It’s always harder when you’re teaching more kids but at the end of the day we are all facing the economic crisis and we each have to do our part.”
Harper Crickmore, 11
“I don’t think they are noticeably different.”
Tsuboi Sensei, Japanese teacher
“I have a really big class, then some smaller ones. On average, it is about the same as last year. There haven’t yet been any issues because my class sizes are the same. My biggest class is Japanese I. There are a lot of freshman, and it’s their first year so they haven’t fully adjusted yet.”
Rob Ross, English teacher
“It’s more difficult grading papers and getting them back with detailed feedback. It’s harder in class with 30 plus students. We loose the family feeling and it begins to feel like a mob. The social side is not as healthy.”
Skyler Orion Cassle, 11
“Way bigger, by ten people maybe. Auto shop is horrible.”
Katie Yant, 9
“My Spanish class is huge,” said Yant. “They’re so distracting! It’s definitely more difficult.”
Shane Donaldson, 12
“They have completely thrown me off course, I’m not going to make it to the end of this quarter. I might even have a 0.0 GPA.”
Nathaniel Glass, 9
“Yeah they’re bigger than last year. It hasn’t really [affected me], teachers have pretty good control.”
Linda Hauck, science teacher
“Yes. I had some classes this big last year, but now I have more big classes. My class average is up 3-5 students,” said Hauck. “It’s harder to talk with each kid every day and get all the instruction. I have to be really efficient with time.”
Curt Houser, 10
“I don’t think it’s a major problem.”
Logan Mezan, 10
“There are less computers to use,” said Mezan. “There are less desks.”
Or’el Anbar, 11
“Yes, I have noticed that there are at least a dozen more kids in my classes, but it hasn’t really affected me much in the learning standpoint.”
Jake Taylor, 11
“Yeah, there are too many kids in the classes, it just gets annoying sometimes.”
Joe Hamamoto, 10
“It seems kinda the same to me.. I don’t really mind.”
Melina Selinez, 9
“My classes are really big but it hasn’t affected my learning.”
Austin Stubbs, 11
“They’re huge. Way too big. They should be smaller. They should have made budget cuts in other areas because education is very important.”
Kendra Scruggs, 11
“My yoga class has 50 people in it, so we have to practice in the gym. I feel really claustrophobic. All my other classes have like 40 people.”
Brook Mitchell, 10
“My world history class is huge! Math class is so frustrating. I can fall asleep for ten minutes and not have missed anything.”
Abbey Novak, 9
“My classes have increased by about eight or ten kids,” said Novak. “It hasn’t really affected anything much.”
Annie Goodstein, 9
“Big class sizes make it so you don’t get enough individual attention.”
Zake Morgan, 12
“I don’t have a desk in calculus,” said Morgan. “Less gets discussed, it is harder to move on, but there are also more ideas like in AP Euro everyone is at different level in math class, so there is a lot of town time.”
Ryan Santore, 12
“Not really, I sit in the back. It’s harder to see and the teacher has to move around sometimes.”
Kianna Eberle, 11
“My classes are bigger I guess but I don’t know by how much. Class size doesn’t affect my learning as much just certain people in my classes do. It haven’t been a problem so far.”
Justin Waters, 11
“The classes are a lot bigger this year I think, but it just means there are more friends in my classes, so it has affected me in a good way.
Allison Flores, 12
“I think if the class sizes were smaller it would be easier to learn because everyone would get more one on one attention with the teacher.”
Yesenia Mentado, 12
“No, it hasn’t impacted my learning.”
Vanessa Lee, 10
“Kids aren’t getting as much attention in class, plus some kid are scared to raise their hands, because they’re afraid of holding everyone back.”
Suki Berry, 11
“It’s like trying to fit all of the NFL into the kiddy pool. But that’s okay, because it’s intimate- cozy.”
Sam Pasko, 10
“Last year I think I had a biology class that was not exactly overflowing, around 20 something. Classes this year are above 30. Which is otherwise considered small? I was knd of disappointed by how many people they let in this year.”
Derek Miller, 12
“The biggest class have was last year. My easier semester this one. It’s a whole lot of fun.”
Joseph South, social science teacher
“It’s not bigger compared to my last school, there we had at least forty kids in every class. It’s smaller.”
Jocelyn Broemmelsiek, science teacher
“My classes are a lot bigger. I had forty two students in my class in the beginning of the school, but that only lasted a week.”
Danielle Bilodeau, 11
“Class sizes this year? Very huge. Especially my art class. 45 people and the room is tiny.”
Xana Young, 11
“Everyone is way distracted, you can’t get a teacher to come help you, they’re busy answering other questions.”
Nick Ryan, 11
“Yeah, but about ten people.”
Dane Barry, 11
“Class sizes are much more crowded this year, and in my ASL class it’s at least double.”
Jeremy Wright, art teacher
“I’ve got a better selection of lunch bags to rummage through,” said Wright. “I’ve made extra seats out of sticks and rocks.”