62 students per class?

Sounds to me like the union(s) needs to get out of the way and let people come up with some "out of the box" thinking about how best to educate our children. (It's not like there hasn't been millions spent on education research/education experiments/...) Maybe, charter schools, home-schooling, larger class-room sizes for some kids, etc. may work. When I taught at a university, I had 160 "kids" in one class. They ranged from 16 to 80 or so. For some (middle/high schoolers), a larger class room size may not (probably not ideal, but...) negatively affect learning. But maybe we need to look at what the kids can/cannot do and approach their education needs that way, rather than what the teachers unions have worked out in the past, mostly for the good of the union(s); and secondly, for teachers; and lastly, for our kids... Oh, by the way, where is the federal Department of Education? Oh, I forgot, passing down more goals/mandates...

In my country, it is not something to be shocked about. Due to less teachers in some area and even limited classroom buildings because of less budget, students are cramped in one classroom like 50-60 students. There are even areas where there is one teacher for two classroom of students. Just imagine how can students learn.

it's shameful that schools are even on the list for big cuts. education is vital to these kids future. there was 41 kids in my class when i went to junior high,and even at that number all it took was 2 kids going off on opposite sides of the class and that was a waste of 30 minutes. i don't know what detroit teachers get paid,but around here they start at 65K.. which is why they're broke and having such huge classes.

There has to be a better way. Lots of schools are considering options like this though. One local district has closed 3 schools in the past 2 years and is now debating combining another 2. They want to make one of their schools go from Kindergarten all the way up to 8th grade. Some parents are all for it, while others are against. Personally I would not want my kindergartener going to school with 8th graders. I like the way my district has it, K-3 in one school, 4-5 in another which is connected to the middle school (4th through high school ride the same bus.. that is the only down side here) and then the seperate high school.

Every day's a pep rally!

I think we will start seeing more of this. Governments will not be able to afford their excessive spending, cuts must be made everywhere. We simply don't have the economy needed to support the standard of living we are used to.

wow...I don't think the kids would learn anything if class sizes doubled. I hope they find a different solution. Obviously they have to get the budget under control, though - they can't just make money appear out of nowhere.

Sounds like 62 arguments FOR home schooling. ;~D

I think that this is scary. I have been a teacher at the college level and frankly those people made a lot less support then people that are still in the public school system. A lot of young people look up to teachers because they don't have functional adult role models. Hoe is one teacher supposed to role model for sixty two students. It is impossible, or at least it seems to me.

If they do this, they should make it mandatory that members of the families "volunteer" to work in the classrooms as assistants. They do that here in the lower grades to make sure that there is individual attention for each child when they need it. The parent(or other family member) does not necessarily volunteer in their own child's class. This would help in many ways...the family would be involved in the child's education, and the school would receive much needed assistance. It is either that or the City will go bankrupt and then there will be no school or city no nuthin...The Feds have already ruled that they will not bail cities or states out...which I think is a good thing. The rest of us who are barely making it cannot start bailing everyone else out.

Wow! That sure would be a lot of kids in one classroom. I really don't see how the kids will be able to learn well that way. The teacher needs to be able to give the individual students attention too.

No kidding, those are some big class sizes. I think that in many cases thirty is really pushing in. It really depends on the subject, but thirty to me seems like the absolute maximum. Sixty two...they would be packed in there and I know I would be annoyed, because there is no room to breath. Plus sixty two, children or teenagers in the same room. I feel pity on the poor teachers as well. Managing a class of twenty to twenty five is bad enough. This is many times that.