Students in large English classes are also finding it hard to get individual attention, and transferring is not an option because some English teachers have reached the contractual student limit.
Literacy Department Chairwoman Carol Boyd is feeling the effects. “My classes are the largest they’ve ever been in my years at Shaker — by two or three kids,” Boyd said.
Junior Alex Maytin, who is in a class of 29 students, also said that his English class was on the larger side compared to past classes, with almost every desk filled.
With classes so large, teachers cannot give all students individual time and attention. Freshman Margi Weiss is in an English class with 29 other students. She said it is hard to get individual help without going to conferences.
Since homework for large classes, especially English, is hard to grade quickly, English teachers are limited by contract to a student total of 110. At least one English teacher began this year with more than 110 students, so another ninth-grade CP English class was created during the first week of school, Boyd said.
Students such as freshman Mariel Lustig are struggling to switch classes because teachers have reached their student limit. Lustig said, “It was really hard [for my counselor] to switch me into an English class because they were all already full.”
