According to the National Education Association, research shows that the ideal number of students in a class is 13 to 17…

I know what some of you are thinking. Years ago teachers in Tennessee had classes of 45 students each. Many factors have changed.

One, the state of the family is no longer that two parents are present, one of whom in the “olden days” was most likely a full time homemaker available to the child as soon as he reached home at the end of the school day. Two, the “inclusion” laws stating that children with special disabilities attend class with all other children were not in effect at that time. Three, children failed until they reached certain benchmarks of competency. Four, strict discipline was enforced not only at school but at home.

School is not the same place it used to be.

Back to present circumstances, class size matters…

If you have never been involved with a kindergarten class, you should visit one some day. You’ll find a world unto itself. Each child believes truly that she or he is the only one who matters. Some cry; others have bathroom issues; some don’t get along with others; some believe tantrums get what you want.

Dealing with 17 kindergarten children at the time is a mammoth job. Teaching them is on an even higher plane. Trying to cope with 25 or 26 at the time is grounds for hysteria, in my opinion. God bless the teachers who take on this challenge every day!

First-grade teachers are also included in this category because they too have high hurdles daily. …