WE SAY, YOU SAY
Are classroom sizes too big these days? Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers were striking last week as they look for a pay offer that meets inflation at 7.2% and makes concessions around staffing issues – in particular, student to teacher ratios. A ratio of 1 teacher for 23 students applies for year 11 students. However, support staff can be counted as teachers so the reality is that class sizes can be much higher. What do you think are the ideal sizes for classrooms?
YOU SAY
When I first started teaching in 1969, class sizes were 40+ and now they average 20 to 30. Back in the 70s children were better behaved and focused better but today this has changed, which is why teachers want smaller classes. At least today there is aid support which we never had in the early years.
– Kathy from Kauri Coast
Teachers are supposed to set an example. Striking is setting the wrong example.
– Andrew from ra¯kei
Global ideal standards is one teacher for every 10-14 students for primary and increase the ratio by 15-20% as the grades go up.
– Kiran from Mount Eden
I think it depends on the teacher and the pupils! A ‘‘good’’ teacher should be capable of dealing with 30-35 pupils if the majority are well behaved. I personally have a primary school photo [1950s] with 39 pupils and a high school photo [early 60s] with 32 pupils. My grandkids have tablets/ laptops which surely makes life a bit easier for teachers today? With these devices the teacher can sit at his/her desk and see the pupils work on his/her computer, which should make spotting the ones who are struggling easier and quicker. Modern technology surely makes life a bit easier for the likes of teachers and doctors? – John from Howick
When I was at Avonside Girls’ High in the 1970s we had classes of 40 to 50 pupils. That was ridiculous. At year’s end the teachers didn’t even know all our names. You could easily go through year after year failing and no-one noticed ... I know that’s what happened to me. But we must also remember that teachers’ pay comes out of our taxes so it’s a difficult balancing act. We all would like a good wage and good working conditions, but that all has to be paid for.
– Sharon from Kaiapoi
There is no doubt that parents who have taught their children that teachers can be answered back and can be challenged or even abused have made the classroom a nightmare in some cases. We had up to 44 in my classes. I did not count them but I came 44th in more than one subject, English being the major one, but top in maths, science, and art. I have since found out I have suffered from ADHD but never heard of it back then. So things I could ‘‘work out’’ were OK, while things I had to read about and study, slipped and were never picked up by teachers.
– Gordon from Halswell
I still think special needs kids including disruptive children, should be separate to mainstream. They then get the attention and help they need, and would no longer disrupt the learning of other students, or take up time mainstream teachers, who are not really properly equipped to handle their varied needs, can spend on the rest of their students. Both sets of students would benefit and so would the poor teachers trying to do it all at once with little incentive to excel. This of course would mean better remuneration would be needed to attract the right talent into teaching, and more teachers with differing skill sets would need to be employed. You can’t achieve excellence if you pay a subsistence salary and expect miracles. Teachers need more money and less stress to continue to be better. It’s an undervalued profession just like the health industry is.
– Alison (Elle) from Heihei
I wholeheartedly support teachers in their strike. I did my schooling in India back in the 80s. I still remember many of my teachers. Our class size was about 40-50. We had all types of kids in the same class. There were no special classes available. ■
Corporal punishment was allowed too. It would have been nicer without it though. But the teaching was as good ¯ any O other school, at least in my opinion. I think smaller class sizes are better (just based on my intuition) and better pay and support of teachers is vital. As a society we need to put teachers on the highest level of respect of any professions. Deriding the teachers is not going to make a kid’s future better.
– Ajit from Halswell