I was just going to say that 30 kids, at least for 6th and 7th where there isn't class reduction in CA, is a totally manageable small class. 35 is the norm. 38 isn't unheard of. And in PE, 60-80 kids is usual.
Sometimes when I'm sitting in class... You know, I'm not thinking about class, 'cause that would never happen. I think about kissing you. And it's like everything stops. It's like, it's like freeze frame. Willow kissage.
Oz ,'First Date'
Natter 57 Varieties
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Kat - Mar 08, 2008 5:37:36 pm PST #3786 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
meara - Mar 08, 2008 5:40:51 pm PST #3787 of 10001
...yeah, and that's too many!! I had a lot of classes in even high school that were so much better with 20, or 25. (And the best were the random advanced level classes with like, 12 people in them, but i realize that's not frequent or likely...) And that was high school!
Laura - Mar 08, 2008 5:41:05 pm PST #3788 of 10001
Our wings are not tired.
The poem is quite cute, Kat. It was wonderful to read earlier that Grace is spending time off the vent. Go Grace!
Soothing thoughts for all the swollen and bruised folks.
I'm watching Graham Norton. I really should turn off the tube and go to bed. Risking odd dreams for sure. I've only seen him a couple times before. Just too lazy to channel surf after Torchwood.
Kat - Mar 08, 2008 5:43:28 pm PST #3789 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo
The reality is, though, that a shitty teacher with only 16 kids (and I know of one who is teaching that many kids now) is actually much worse for those kids than a very skilled teacher with 30.
Pix - Mar 08, 2008 5:45:54 pm PST #3790 of 10001
The status is NOT quo.
I am so glad that I spent eight years in public school before switching to private. I get paid less, but in a school where we teach four classes as a full-time load, people fret at their "big" classes...of 18 students. Very glad I have some perspective.
There's a reason parents pay such a ridonkulous amount of money to send their kids to private schools, but it make me crazy that they have to do so. The thing is, as a high school English teacher, I have never been able to be the reading and writing teacher that I am now. Having a total student load of 60-80 allows me to give writing feedback and individual attention I could never have done when I was still teaching in public school. We teachers (and I am no exception) get scornful about how easy private school teachers have it and how we can handle huge student loads when we have to...but if everyone English teacher could have this situation, imagine what a difference it would make to literacy in America.
Sorry, ranting.
Cashmere - Mar 08, 2008 5:47:08 pm PST #3791 of 10001
Now tagless for your comfort.
Kat, have you guys started a 529 account for the kids? We've had some luck with steering family towards deposits with one of those. We get periodic mailings from the account manager with small deposit slips that we can give people, if they ask.
Most of the time, when people ask what my kids "need" or "want" for birthdays or Christmas, I will say, "we have an established college fund if you'd like to contribute," and give them the choice. I hope I haven't sounded horribly tacky in doing so but they really have plenty of clothes and toys. My MiL is especially good about doing stuff like this, rather than loading them up with more birthday loot.
At traditional chinese birthdays, people give little red envelops of cash, but there is, alas, nothing like that in our culture.
We just got a really cool cut-out red & gold envelope in the kids' Nick, Jr. magazine last month for Chinese New Year celebration for the new show Ni hao, Kai-Lan. It's very pretty and the red envelopes are for the New Year stuffing money tradition.
Pix - Mar 08, 2008 5:47:24 pm PST #3792 of 10001
The status is NOT quo.
Coffee:
The reality is, though, that a shitty teacher with only 16 kids (and I know of one who is teaching that many kids now) is actually much worse for those kids than a very skilled teacher with 30.Very true, but I would argue that a very skilled teacher would be even more successful with 16. I am, at least. (And not trying to sound vain, but I do consider myself a skilled teacher, as Kat is.)
Pix - Mar 08, 2008 5:51:18 pm PST #3793 of 10001
The status is NOT quo.
I'm really done ranting now and am going to go back to comment-writing any second.
Noah and Grace have stuff galore
In our house we can barely fit some more
They'll be grateful when they turn 18
If you'd like to donate some college "green"Kat, I love that poem idea.
beth b - Mar 08, 2008 6:02:29 pm PST #3794 of 10001
oh joy! Oh Rapture ! I have a brain!
The poem idea is good.
Both my DH and his brother might be teaching if they could make 'more' money. BIL has a family of 4 to support. DH and I couldn't live in CA if he didn't make what he makes. At least not and own a house. And back in CT a starting teacher's salary wasn't much more that he made as a grad student. I think if tomorrow our debts were gone - including the house debt-Matt would think very hard about heading back to teaching. Sadly, for the future, that isn't likely to happen
meara - Mar 08, 2008 6:14:41 pm PST #3795 of 10001
Yah, most teachers I know are working their asses off anyway. So paying them $125K isnt' going to put more hours in the day...