My favorite National Football League team is the Green Bay Packers. There are 53 players on a National Football Team. 46 suit up to play a game. 11 Packers at time are on the playing field. The Green Bay Packers have 18 coaches.
There are 30 students in my classroom. Everyone of them "suits up" each day. All 30 are "on the field" at all times. I am usually the only "coach" in the classroom. One or two teaching (coaching) assistants are in the room at various times during the day.
The NFL coach to player ratio is 1:3. A public school classroom "coach" to student "player" ratio is often 1:24 or greater. If well payed adult professional athletes require such intense coaching to be at the top their game, how can we expect public school students to succeed with inadequate staffing levels?
I do not hear people complain about coach to player ratios in professional sports. Heaven help us if anyone were to suggest similar teacher/instructional aide to student ratios in public education. Yet, if we are serious about reforming, no, transforming public education so that the needs of every child are met, then those are the required ratios. This will cost large amounts of money, so it won't happen.
We pay for what we value. We do not value public education. We would pay its true costs if we did.
There are 30 students in my classroom. Everyone of them "suits up" each day. All 30 are "on the field" at all times. I am usually the only "coach" in the classroom. One or two teaching (coaching) assistants are in the room at various times during the day.
The NFL coach to player ratio is 1:3. A public school classroom "coach" to student "player" ratio is often 1:24 or greater. If well payed adult professional athletes require such intense coaching to be at the top their game, how can we expect public school students to succeed with inadequate staffing levels?
I do not hear people complain about coach to player ratios in professional sports. Heaven help us if anyone were to suggest similar teacher/instructional aide to student ratios in public education. Yet, if we are serious about reforming, no, transforming public education so that the needs of every child are met, then those are the required ratios. This will cost large amounts of money, so it won't happen.
We pay for what we value. We do not value public education. We would pay its true costs if we did.
1 comment:
Well said!
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