Oakwood Teacher Remains Positive Despite Large Class Size

When Oakwood second-grade teacher Sue Scott needs to return a parent's phone call, she's got to make it quick.

Her only planning period is from 2:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., which gives her just enough time to make one call and stop by the restroom before her 32 students return to class, demanding her attention once again.

Scott, who has taught in Lemont-Bromberek District 113A since 1977, has more students and a tighter schedule than she has ever had before. The typical class size for her used to be 21 to 25 students, she said. However, budget cuts throughout the district have caused class sizes to rise significantly for the 2010-2011 school year.

The classroom is so crowded that when Scott tried to arrange the desks into collaborative groups, they wouldn't fit. She settled for two long rows down the middle of the room.

"It's pretty demanding to meet their needs," Scott said. "We have children of all abilities. The more students you have, the less you are able to meet their individual needs."

With no teaching assistant, reduced support staff and a significant cut in the amount of time her students spend in special classes like art and music, Scott is feeling the time-crunch. The amount of time for art and music lessons has been cut almost in half, and physical education is down to 20 minutes a day from 30 minutes last year.

Additionally, Scott's students now have only 15 minutes each week to choose one book from the library. Last year, students were allowed to choose three books in their 30 minute library period, but the time was cut, in part, because there are not enough support staff to check out and shelve the books now.

"My students now have to bring their library books back the day before because we don't have enough staff for them to return the books during library class," she said.

Teachers have also had to cope with the lack of funds for classroom materials. Though Scott often bought supplies out of her own pocket, the school typically gave teachers a small budget to meet those needs. This year, however, those funds were cut.

Thanks to a donation by the school's Parent Teacher Organization, Schott did end up with $70 to buy supplies for the year. That was enough to buy a few month's worth of stickers and a number chart for the classroom. So, Scott did what most other educators have been forced to do--she personally footed the bill for everything from books to staples and paper clips.

"If I don't have materials, I can't teach," she said.

The belt-tightening has also put a halt to advances in the curriculum. Last year, Scott and a few other teachers field-tested a new reading program they felt was better for students, but they were unable to purchase the materials for the other second-grade classes this year. As a result, some kids are getting the new lessons and some are still using the older program.

"It makes collaboration among teachers difficult when we are using different materials," Scott said.

Though her workload has increased this year, Scott doesn't seem to be worried about how it affects her. She stays at school long after the students have gone home, grading papers, collaborating with colleagues and preparing for the next day's lessons. Her concern remains squarely on her students.

"The teachers at Oakwood want to do their best for the kids, but I think many of us are worried that we might not be able to meet the kids' needs," she said.

Scott has spoken with adults who had class sizes even larger than the one she has now, and she realizes that many people don't understand how much has changed in a generation.

"When they were in school there wasn't an aggressive curriculum, so many children with varied needs, all of the learning and behavioral disabilities and such high expectations by parents," she explained.

Oakwood's principal, Cathy Slee, said everyone at the school is facing the same adjustments as Scott, and they are handling them equally well.

"Getting used to having more students and fewer hands has been a challenge," she said. "We're maintaining a positive attitude and taking it one day at a time, just like we do every year."

One pleasant surprise among the challenges has been the smoothness of the arrival and dismissal routine. This year, Oakwood and River Valley schools chose to have simultaneous arrival and dismissal to reduce the number of staff needed to handle the student's comings and goings.

"We were concerned about having so many students at once, but so far it has gone smoothly," Slee said.

Despite the adjustments that have been required this year, Scott loves her job as much as she ever has.

"I just love being with the children," she said. "They hug me when the get here; they hug me when they leave. Is it easier? No, but the enjoyment I get from my job is something I can't put into words."