help should I pull my son out of his school b-4 it begins?!?

amother

Thu, Aug 12 2010, 3:08 am

Too small of a class can be an issue, if there are a few bullies or nasty kids mean to DS (ch'v), as there're fewer classmates to diffuse the tension. Also you may want to speak with other parents just to make sure small class size is not an indication there's something wrong with the school (you said you were oke with the rebbeim). If it's just pure class size comparison, 7 is better than 20. My DS went to a class with 20 but they had 2 other class assistants.

elaela

Thu, Aug 12 2010, 4:00 am

7 boys is normal where I live BUT of cause it is a small group of students for a big town school.

I prefer teaching small groups (however not less than 4 kids), it is much easier to individualise the lessons. I have the time to preper material for each child, to get them know, and to support them where they need it. there is always enought time to anwer questions, to try various approaches (depending on the kids)...

however as a mother I would want my children to also develop social skills in larger groups. the more chidlren tehre are in one class the higher the probability that they find a close friend (this does not HAVE to be the case though).

a tigt bond to the teacher is importand, the kids identify themselves witht hem at the beginning, however too close is also not good. they should have some space to develop without beeing monitored all the time. some kids can cope it very well, others might have difficulties later to work alone without constant supervision.

to sum it up: small classes are excellent for children that have problems concentrating, for very demanding and interested children as well as for kids who need more support from the teacher and quieter environment / structures etc.

a larger group may help the kid to become more independant and responsible (not necessarily, it always depends ont he kid and the group of cause) and having more classmates may be very enriching (I.e. more ideas, more points of view during discussions...)

shanie5

Thu, Aug 12 2010, 8:44 am

My sons had anywhere from 3 to 14 boys in their classes. They had girls too. The largest class-both boys and girls was 17 or 18. Smallest was 5 kids.

The attention given to them was much more than larger groups. A child doesnt get lost in a small group. They can get individualized attention to help them advance at their pace-not the "general" class pace.

As for socialization, my children have made friends with kids from older and younger grades too.

Atali

Thu, Aug 12 2010, 8:49 am

My first-grade DS is going to be in a class of seven this year and I am really happy with that. The rebbe is supposed to be excellent. However, my DS is the type who really needs individual attention and I would be scared to put him in a class of 30.

Isramom8

Tue, Aug 17 2010, 11:04 am

Theoretically a class that small should be a blessing. Just, one of my dds who is very sociable hated being in a class of 4 girls. They learned in a closet, and she couldn't escape the teachers' scrutiny for a second. Also, she was bored, having more sibs at home than classmates in school!

It was very hard for her to then go to high school as one of 40 in her classs.

But 7 isn't so few. Might they get a few more students as the years go on?

amother

Tue, Aug 17 2010, 9:14 pm

thankyou so much for all your responses. I truly feel better abt having him stay. I guess the problem also lies within my social pressures. In my town e/o goes to a big school and I mean 25-28 kids in a class. Daas Torah advised us that the smaller class is def. better. So here goes.....