Dear Editor,
As a retired Ontario teacher with 25 years experience, I was stunned to discover that the Red Deer Lake School had a Grade 2 class with 47 students. I thought that the giant class/team teaching model fell into disrepute in the late ’70s.
Two teachers and two EAs?
Well, you know that the EAs are there to deal with special needs students, like the autistic child. That is pretty much a full time job for one EA.
What is the other one doing? How many students are covered by that one. My guess is that the two teachers are left to deal with at least 40 children.
Noise is within “recommended levels?” Have you ever been in a room with 47 seven-year-olds? I guess that’s why the teachers wear microphones to be heard.
They can be flexibly grouped into small groups. How many small groups and how small are the groups? Who is supervising these small groups and where do they do group work?
The parents of this class were ambushed in the fall. No notice or warning was given. It’s the old, “Let’s ask for forgiveness instead of permission” syndrome.
My grandson would have spent one day in that class and then would have been withdrawn. As the parents found out, there is no point trying to reason with arrogant bureaucrats. They are the “pros”. We are only the parents.
Jim Nelson
Black Diamond
