Put yourself in someone else’s shoes: getting pulled out in the middle of class one day, just to be told you’ve been switched into an entirely new class at the start of a new semester.
This is what happened to sophomore Connor Carey, along with many others in Algebra 2 this year. Though it seemed random and impulsive, the push for schedule changes actually came from the math department at the beginning of the year.
“Our non-honors classes were at least 30 kids per class,” said Algebra 2 teacher Tina Nham, “and it wasn’t really conducive to their learning.”
Nham is the math teacher who took on an extra class period in order to accommodate the influx of new students from overcrowded math classes. Though overcrowding has been an issue this year in many departments, the math department is the first to have such a dramatic, sudden solution.
The quick change affected many students, but most that were switched into new classes were selected because their move caused the least amount of change in established schedules. Even then, students who decided they preferred their old math classes or previous schedules had a chance to reverse the decision with ease.
So far, the move has had an overall positive effect on the math department. Grades are trending upward for most students, and both students and teachers are pleased with the course work.
“I’ve seen some improvements with kids in their math,” said Nham, “they’re able to focus a let better; since we can get things done quicker they can start homework and ask questions.”
The course itself has not changed, but the ability to work in a smaller learning environment has made it easier to understand the material and collaborate with others. Though the new Algebra 2 class has helped students, it has created issues in other courses for at least one of the students.
“My chemistry class they put me in was further ahead than the one I was in,” said Carey, “so I was a little out of the loop, but the Algebra class they put me in is good because it has fewer people.”
His personal experience can’t speak for the experiences of other students in new Algebra 2 classes, but even he believes the improvement in math learning for him trumps a small loss in another class.
“My grade actually went up in math,” said Carey, “[and] it’s good staying in a math class that’s a lot easier to learn when in chemistry I can always catch up in the next unit.”