Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Semantic class size query

Hope this is the right place to ask this. Does anyone kbow the difference between 'classroom language' and 'classroom size' whrn discussing number of kids in a class? We are told the number for Kindy was going from 23 to 26 (sigh), but the notice differentiated between the two.

I'm really bummed that my DS is starting school this year in what has always been a wonderful school district but is now short 5 million dollars due to my corrupt state's bankrupcy.

Can you give us full sentences from the notice?

Personally, I'm excited that, through a demographic quirk, I'm teaching about 24 fewer students than last year.

Thanks for your reply...I'm so mad as I can't find the email (our school system is paper-free). But there were columns with the original number of students per grade last school year vs the proposed changes. The columns were labled "classroom language". The article further pointed out that this was not an official change to "classroom size". I'm utterly confused.

Sounds like Doublespeak to me.

Exactly. It is beyond frustrating to watch programs being cut left and right. I was already anxious about DS5 starting K this year with his current math and reading level - and no gifted programs available. Grrrrrr.

I have no idea what that particular term means. But I can say that in our school, kids are in and out of the classroom all the time-- pullouts for LD services, GT services, all kinds of things-- which means that at any given time the number of kids in the classroom may be less than the total number of children served by that classroom teacher. Is that the sort of thing they are trying to refer to, maybe?

I think it would be fine to ask the author of that language what they meant.

DeeDee

DeeDee...

That was my thought, that the numbers are pliable this way. It was the super intendent who wrote the notice. I have been fascinated the candor of these "notes to parents" as this one was addressing rumors concerning teacher negotiations. He's a no-nonsense guy and, interestingly enough, an NCAA basketball ref. Better to see the super in those kind of stripes compared to our now-imprisoned govenors.