My sons school is starting a combined 4th/5th grade classroom and he moves in Monday!

My son is in 5th grade, loves his new school/class. Now they are moving him out next week to a combined 4th/5th grade classroom due to overcrowding. I have mixed feelings about this, do any of you parents out there have any experienced with combined classroom experience and can shed some light on the pros and cons?
Much appreciation!

Parent Answers to "My sons school is starting a combined 4th/5th grade classroom and he moves in Monday!"

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My son is in a classroom that last year had only 1st and 2nd grade combined. This year it is 1st,2nd and third AND they have a special ed group that has a separate teacher.
I had a conference with his teachers and am very concerned because they told me that he has lost his zeal for learning which I have noticed too. The room is small and there isn't one spot that isn't covered.
I am considering taking him to a charter school but he doesn't handle change well. I'm a single mom and my son's teachers asked me how much time he spends with his Dad which after I thought about it was inappropriate. AND my son scored very high on the evaluation tests and they said that he was very bright and he was given the title of "Math and Reading GOD" and recently his "title" was taken away because he was helping another student and they thought he was talking. I am very frustrated. So it really depends on the teachers kids and size of the classroom.

I have had two children in a one room school house for 9 years. The pros are that the older and younger kids have to learn to work together. Older kids will end up being helpful to the younger ones. Cons??? Not one age group gets the benefit of all the attention. Not exactly a bad thing. If the class room is still a normal size I say embrace the change.

I am not sure where you live, but Texas has certain rules that allow your child to go to a different school. If the school fails to meet the minimum standards in three different main subjects, they have to allow you to attend a different school. That has nothing to do with over crowding. Personally, I would voice my concerns to the school cousler, principal and then the school board. If you make a big enough fuss, maybe they won't put your son in that class. I know private school can be very expensive, but if you feel the need to find an alternative school, you could look into a Charter school. There is a Charter school close to us. It is state accredited and free to attend. It is funded by the state, just like public school.

Thanks Carvell04,
I am also concerned about the issue with trying to teach 2 grades in the same time, this seemingly would take a lot away from each of the different grade level of students trying to learn at their own level, basically they are only getting half an education.

Question, do you know if the parent has a choice or has to go along with it? I would prefer my son go to another school that has no crowding issue...

My son attended a private school. The school combined 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade. This would seem crazy, but there were only 9 kids in the whole classroom. So, the teacher was able to spend a lot of one on one time with each student. My concern would be, if there is 19 kids in a classroom, the teacher basically has to teach two different lessons in the same time frame as another teacher teaches one lesson. She will have to teach one lesson to 4th grade, then let the children do the work, while she teaches a lesson to 5th grade. What happens when some of the 4th graders have questions. She won't always be able to stop the 5th grade lesson to help out the 4th graders, because there will not be enough time. If it is a large class, I would feel sorry for the teacher and the students. I would NOT want my child to be in a large combined class.

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My sons school is starting a combined 4th/5th grade classroom and he moves in Monday!

Parent Answers to "My sons school is starting a combined 4th/5th grade classroom and he moves in Monday!"

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