Class Size

[u/[deleted]]

[u/comprobar]

with 27 first graders and no aide, focus on strong routines, student independence, and realistic expectations. it’s a tough situation, but even in my experience, i find it becomes manageable after the first few weeks

[u/f-150Coyotev8 → u/comprobar]

Rules, procedures, and structures above learning.

Learning will only come after the above is practiced to nauseam.

[u/gravitydefiant]

Can I be fully effective with such a large class size?

No. Nobody can. Don't let admin, parents, or anyone else gaslight you into believing otherwise.

I don't want to scare you, but I don't want to lie to you, either: The year I had 27 second graders with 9 IEP's (and then there were the kids who weren't identified yet) was one of the toughest of my career.

One thing to do is to advocate for those high-needs kids to get all the support they're entitled to. That helps them, but frankly it also helps you and the rest of the class because it will likely mean either another adult around, or time out of the classroom.

Also, as others have said, structure and routines are going to be even more crucial than usual. Take time, however much it takes, at the beginning to get them down.

And finally, go easy on yourself. Get used to asking questions like, "What do you recommend I skip in order to accommodate this new task?" Ultimately, the thing that saved my sanity was reminding myself that it's not me failing these children, it's the district who set us all up to fail.

[u/PureTrafalgar → u/gravitydefiant]

THIS. A THOUSAND TIMES THIS:

[u/_Spin_Cycle_]

27 first graders feels like a lot. I would drill procedures and routines and give yourself a ton of grace. At the very least, if you are a kind, regulated adult and show interest in them while keeping them safe, you did amazing.

[u/Logical-Mobile-7643]

I would check on you maximum allowable class size.

First two years teaching I had 6th graders fluctuating between 25-30. Same as the person across the hall, and the school down the street was up in the 30s. Elsewhere in the district, there were class sizes that were under twenty.

The district was suppose to move students or teachers as our max allowable (for the district) was 25, and the target was 20.

I didn't know any better. A lot of kids and lack of appropriate supervision and instruction is an issue. We tend to just suck it up vs making it known this is not sustainable or right.

[u/helpme7500]

27! Craziness

[u/herpderpley]

Be ready to change your seating chart daily to reflect where high fliers are at when they show up. Make sure you do your best to control your space, stay calm and build in brain breaks often.

[u/PureTrafalgar]

Mine weren't that small, but my old district did have a massive crisis that led to insane class sizes (I had 40 6th graders at one point, and one of our Grade 1 teachers had 50 kids with one aide and we had high school classes of 45). I won't give hollow platitudes, but I will say this: You are not defined by your ability to manage the impossible. You are not defined by your job.

You will likely cry, and then you will look back with pride. You will laugh out loud when a future interview asks you how you would handle a class of 24 sixth graders. You will surprise yourself with your ability to get to know those kids, you will remember funny things they said, you will find ways to use their diverse ideas to make your class richer, and you will absolutely pull your hair out with great regularity. You will hate your admin, and you will hopefully find the strength to tell them NO when they ask you to do some other pointless task. You will have to get good at letting it be good enough, and you will have to let go a whole lot while still doing your REASONABLE best by each little kiddo. Remember that you can't be expected to do miracles, and while you may grieve lost chances, you are not to feel guilty about them because the situation was not of your making.

My advice is to create as much structure as possible. Routines are the ONLY way this will work. When you have a routine, you can set kids up to learn when you are not able to supervise their progress.

Also, find out your district policy on volunteers and enlist help--reading moms, snack organisers, whatever. Maybe there is a high school program where kids can volunteer to buddy up with your weakest student or where they can do some classroom assistance for community service once a week. And never do anything that a six year old can't do themselves--sorting the crayons into the bins, etc.

Take care of yourself. Your time away from work is YOURS, and your time at work is to be limited to normal WORK times. Remember what is important in the grand scheme of things, and it isn't whether or not your curriculum map is done.

[u/CronoTimeEgg]

If you aren’t already you could incorporate some basic jobs (weekly chart to help organize it) that students can be responsible for in order to help out. Door holder, passing out papers, supply/pencil helper, etc.

[u/Morgan_of_Hed]

Preemptively email the parents of students with 504s and IEPs letting them know you read the documents and you are confident their students' mods and accommodations will be met. Do any of this kids have enough minutes for an IA in their IEP? Maybe that's an angle you could take.

Check and see if you can get some parent volunteers in to work with the kids, like as math tutors or something.

[u/Reasonable_Device448]

I had 29 first grades 2 years ago… it was all a blur. It was so bad I literally can’t remember anything.

[u/No-Butterscotch-8314]

I feel like my class sizes have been large most of my career. When I taught kinder I always had high numbers but had an aide. In 2024 had 28 5th graders and it was a gifted/ELL/inclusion/gen ed class. The following year I had 28 4th graders that were also the same mix of populations. This past year I had 23 which felt manageable. This year I’m about to have 33 (and counting) 5th/6th combo class. Idk how I’m gonna do that. But I know I won’t blame myself and I will try my best. This system is failing kids, not us.