Would Your Student Benefit From Small Class Sizes?

Many classrooms today are cramped, overcrowded, and staffed by teachers who have too much on their plates and not enough hours in their days. In these classrooms, a small disruption can be enough to set the class off track for an entire day, and simple tasks like passing back assignments can be time-consuming and overwhelming.

Small class sizes, on the other hand, are the ideal situation for many students. While there are certainly students who thrive in large classrooms, there are many students who will achieve incredible benefit from being placed in a classroom with a much smaller population. Some signs your student might benefit from a small class size:

Your student falls well above or well below "average." Students on both ends of the spectrum benefit more from specialized instruction than their peers who fall somewhere in the middle. In a classroom with a small population, students who are lagging behind their peers will receive the one on one attention they need to catch up. They'll be much less likely to fall through the cracks, and their teachers will be able to spend the time they need answering their questions and working with them on problem areas. Students who are advanced, on the other hand, will benefit from additional challenges in their daily schedule--something that is hard to provide in a busy, crowded classroom.

Your student has attention issues that make it difficult to concentrate when there are a number of distractions taking place. Students who get distracted easily might find it very difficult to function in a classroom with a large population. The more students there are crammed into a classroom, the greater the likelihood that there will be distractions. Small classrooms are, in general, much quieter, much more peaceful, and much easier to work in.

Your child enjoys going in-depth with new or interesting material. A teacher who has too many students in their classroom isn't able to focus on an individual student's interests, but a teacher who is able to work within a small classroom can tailor instruction to the interests of the students.

You want your child to have a relationship with their teacher. In a large, busy classroom, students often blur together without really standing out to their teacher. On the other hand, if you want your student to have a personal relationship with a teacher who understands them as an individual, a small class size is the way to go.

There are a number of benefits to a small class size. No matter which one stands out to you, it's well worth considering whether or not your student would begin to thrive in a school that offers this style of learning. It's one thing that should certainly be considered when choosing a school for your child.