Camellot
Beach Comber
Van Butler parents....I know we all love our school. It's a great school with a caring staff and an inviting atmosphere. The school has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years which have both pros and cons. But, one area of concern I want to focus on in this post is the size of the gym classes.
I was recently made aware that our children are attending gym class with, in some cases, over 120 children. There are 3 gym teachers that supervise the class. Simple math: that's 40 children per one adult. That's fine if we are talking about a study hall, but GYM?!? Have you ever witnessed a gym filled with 120 6-year olds running at the same time in all different directions? Insane!
So, is it safe for our K-4th grade children to be in a gymnasium filled with 100+ kids and only 3 teachers? If you answered "yes", then I challenge you to observe one of the kindergarten classes. My friend did, and what she witnessed was truly eye opening! In one instance, a student was climbing the bleachers in typical fashion, lost his balance, and fell stomach first onto the floor. The 3 teachers never saw it because they were attending to the other 120 students.
Granted, these things happen even in small class sizes. But, truth be told, instances like the one just mentioned, where children were getting hurt over and over again without any of the teachers noticing, happened all too often throughout the class. The children would console each other, which was sweet, yet really pitiful!
Now, think about teaching a class with 100+ kids in it. Can you imagine trying to teach 120 kids how to throw a ball, jump rope, do jumping jacks, or simply play a game? Impossible! The poor teachers have been totally dumped on and are completely overwhelmed by the numbers. They can't really teach; they cope.
So, what happens in a gym class this size? Our kids run. They run and they run and they run some more. Gym is more about crowd control than it is learning new skills and building upon them. The gym teachers are doing the best that they can. But, how are our kids supposed to learn the fundamental skills necessary to build upon and carry forward when all they do is run?
Gym is so much more than just getting exercise. Sure, running is better than nothing. So is eating a donut for breakfast instead of skipping breakfast all together. But, our children are experiencing an "accident waiting to happen" environment in addition to being robbed of learning the fundamental skills that are good for both the body and the mind. Those skills carry over into their book learning as well as strengthening and building their muscles.
Butler students have gym 4 times a week. The frequency is a good thing, but at what cost? Our students' safety? Butler has grown so big so fast that they haven't been able to keep up with the appropriate student-teacher ratio in gym class to provide a safe and effective learning environment. I have a feeling the school is pressured to provide gym on a frequent basis, but again, at what cost?
The solution? Well, there has to be one. We as concerned parents need to rally around the teachers and administrators to help find the solution. We need to do this before one of our students end up tragically hurt. My friend was told to contact the school board members to express her concern. I think that's a good place for all of us to start. Maybe the members aren't even aware of the issue. I believe it is our duty to protect our children, keep them safe, and provide them with the most effective learning environment, not to mention support our teachers. So, here's the link listing the board's contact information: www.walton.k12.fl.us/board/. Please consider contacting the board and let them know that something must be done immediately to the improve the teacher-student ratio.
Together, we WILL make a positive impact to improve the safety and quality of the gym classes!
If you question the severity of this issue, I again challenge you to attend one of the gym classes, specifically one of the younger classes. All 100+ children are all together, inside the gym, where it is loud and chaotic...RUNNING in all directions!
I was recently made aware that our children are attending gym class with, in some cases, over 120 children. There are 3 gym teachers that supervise the class. Simple math: that's 40 children per one adult. That's fine if we are talking about a study hall, but GYM?!? Have you ever witnessed a gym filled with 120 6-year olds running at the same time in all different directions? Insane!
So, is it safe for our K-4th grade children to be in a gymnasium filled with 100+ kids and only 3 teachers? If you answered "yes", then I challenge you to observe one of the kindergarten classes. My friend did, and what she witnessed was truly eye opening! In one instance, a student was climbing the bleachers in typical fashion, lost his balance, and fell stomach first onto the floor. The 3 teachers never saw it because they were attending to the other 120 students.
Granted, these things happen even in small class sizes. But, truth be told, instances like the one just mentioned, where children were getting hurt over and over again without any of the teachers noticing, happened all too often throughout the class. The children would console each other, which was sweet, yet really pitiful!
Now, think about teaching a class with 100+ kids in it. Can you imagine trying to teach 120 kids how to throw a ball, jump rope, do jumping jacks, or simply play a game? Impossible! The poor teachers have been totally dumped on and are completely overwhelmed by the numbers. They can't really teach; they cope.
So, what happens in a gym class this size? Our kids run. They run and they run and they run some more. Gym is more about crowd control than it is learning new skills and building upon them. The gym teachers are doing the best that they can. But, how are our kids supposed to learn the fundamental skills necessary to build upon and carry forward when all they do is run?
Gym is so much more than just getting exercise. Sure, running is better than nothing. So is eating a donut for breakfast instead of skipping breakfast all together. But, our children are experiencing an "accident waiting to happen" environment in addition to being robbed of learning the fundamental skills that are good for both the body and the mind. Those skills carry over into their book learning as well as strengthening and building their muscles.
Butler students have gym 4 times a week. The frequency is a good thing, but at what cost? Our students' safety? Butler has grown so big so fast that they haven't been able to keep up with the appropriate student-teacher ratio in gym class to provide a safe and effective learning environment. I have a feeling the school is pressured to provide gym on a frequent basis, but again, at what cost?
The solution? Well, there has to be one. We as concerned parents need to rally around the teachers and administrators to help find the solution. We need to do this before one of our students end up tragically hurt. My friend was told to contact the school board members to express her concern. I think that's a good place for all of us to start. Maybe the members aren't even aware of the issue. I believe it is our duty to protect our children, keep them safe, and provide them with the most effective learning environment, not to mention support our teachers. So, here's the link listing the board's contact information: www.walton.k12.fl.us/board/. Please consider contacting the board and let them know that something must be done immediately to the improve the teacher-student ratio.
Together, we WILL make a positive impact to improve the safety and quality of the gym classes!
If you question the severity of this issue, I again challenge you to attend one of the gym classes, specifically one of the younger classes. All 100+ children are all together, inside the gym, where it is loud and chaotic...RUNNING in all directions!
