Year after year, Azle High School’s student population has grown consistently. This year, there are 2,175 students. With this increase in students, class sizes have become crowded. There are 102 class periods with 29-32 students and 179 periods with 28 students. This growth has affected both teachers and students alike.
Intro to Culinary teacher Michele Constant teaches 200 students with an average class size of 29 students.
“It’s way more difficult for me to give kids individual attention,” Constant said. “It’s almost next to impossible when you have as many kids in a classroom as I do. If I do, it’s very brief, and I hate that.”
American Sign Language teacher Nikki Self teaches around 170 students with an average of 24 students a class period. Self also said one of her struggles with the increased class sizes is being able to give students individual attention.
“When you’re looking at 18-20 [students] in a classroom, you’re able to have a little bit more of that one-on-one,” Self said. “[But because of the increased class sizes,] a lot of that one-on-one has had to go away. I still try to as much as I can, but it’s harder when you’re being pulled in five different directions at the same time.”
Self also said she has had to adjust the pacing of her class.
“Increased class sizes has changed how much time I can spend on a specific topic,” Self said. “Because I’m trying to get everyone to understand it at once, it has to be quicker. And I do feel that there are times that I’m leaving some students behind and other students are picking it up quicker and getting bored.”
Senior Kelan Becerra, who has a clinical class of 24 to 25 students, said he would prefer to have smaller classes.
“You don’t have those distractions,” Becerra said. “In bigger classes, you have your friends and they’re more willing to go around. Versus in smaller classes you don’t have those friends and so you’re [more focused].”
Self said student behavior can also change when there are more students in a class.
“The bigger the classes get, the more behavior issues pop up, because when you have a class of 15, it’s easier to rein them in,” Self said.
Teachers said that these increased class sizes can also affect their mental health.
“It is more stressful,” Self said. “I sometimes feel like I’m not doing the job that I want to do because I want to make sure that all of my students are getting the same [education].”
Overall, teachers do have to adjust to this increase in students, and they have to adapt to make sure their students are getting the education they need.
“As a teacher, I want my students to feel successful and do a really good job and that they’re understanding and they’re getting something out of it.” Self said. “I do feel that there are times that I’m not doing as good a job as I’d like to do, just because of the diversity that I have.”
