WTFH – The pros and cons of smaller classrooms!

The pros and cons of smaller classrooms
The pros and cons of smaller classrooms

 Let’s discuss the pros and cons of smaller classrooms.

I’ve dedicated a blog category to Mr. Desmond Okezie. Mr. Okezie met on Facebook. He reached out to me to learn what I was doing. When I shared this project with him, he immediately became interested and shared with me is passion on the subject matter. He immediately shared his ability to write and use technology to communicate. Impressed with his statistical knowledge of the African education system, I said WTF, give him a try. I dedicated a Category and a series of Blog Post to him for him to share first-hand information we need here in America to help us understand better the oppressed conditions in which African children are taught. In this collaboration, we Americans can share our first-hand information about various education topics to help them understand the oppresses conditions in which American children are taught.

When debating over why children in urban schools score low on assessments, one issue that is constantly raised is that of the classroom size.

The major topic here is the pros and cons of smaller classrooms. As Mr. Okezie will confirm for us, African children attend school in one room schools and with classroom sizes that reach 75 – 100 students per classroom. Some African classrooms do not even have roofs, adequate furniture, supplies, food, transportation, or enough teachers to teach. While these conditions may sound horrible for children to be exposed to for them to learn, these African children are happy to go to school. They are orderly. They are prepared to learn. They have hope in a better life. They know that receiving a quality EDUCATION is what is going to help them reach their goals. That is Nigeria and poor countries in Africa!

Some 5604.28 (miles)/9019.21 (kms) away, right here in Washington, D.C., we have been made to believe that classroom size of 15 – 25 students per class is what most teachers consider to be the best classroom size necessary to make learning possible. What is your take on classroom sizes in America’s public schools? Have we diversified our classrooms so much that the teacher to student ratio must be 5 to make all children proficient in reading and math?

NOTE: I am amazed at although 75 children attend a one room school in Africa; some classrooms with multiple grades and all being taught by the same teacher; yet they maintain a positive attitude towards learning in school, each other, and their teacher. When they come to America to receive college education, you’d think they were taught in a rich learning environment of quality schools, nutritional meals, and well educated teachers. And if you didn’t know any better, you might even envy them for the great education they received. 

What the F Happened to American education?