After more than 30 years of teaching in Christian education, I have had the privilege of teaching students
in a variety of classroom settings. Over the years, I have learned that class size is about much more than a
number. It can make a real difference in how well I am able to teach, how confident my students become,
and how deeply I am able to know and care for each child.

Teaching in a Christian school is a privilege that I do not take lightly. Every child who walks into my
classroom has been entrusted to me for a season, and I take seriously the opportunity I have to teach not
only their minds, but to encourage their hearts and point them toward Christ.

One of the greatest benefits of a smaller classroom is the ability to truly see each child. In a smaller class,
I can recognize almost immediately when a student needs additional support. I have more opportunities to
Adjust my instruction, explain something in a different way, or provide additional practice when a child is
struggling. But it works the other way, too. I can recognize the “highflyer,” the student who has mastered
the concept and is ready to be challenged. Rather than having that student simply move on to the next
assignment, I can dig a little deeper, ask more challenging questions, or give that child opportunities to
stretch and grow. I am able to pay attention to the individual students in front of me and tailor my instruction
to where each child is academically.

Smaller classes also create an environment where students can grow in confidence. I have seen more.
Introverted students begin to come out of their shells when they feel comfortable in a smaller group. There
is less fear of being “wrong” when students know their classmates and teacher well. They become more
willing to raise their hands, share an idea, ask a question, or take an academic risk. Sometimes a child
simply needs to know that it is safe to try, and a smaller classroom can help provide that sense of safety.
There are also opportunities for learning that extend beyond a traditional lesson. Smaller classes make it
possible to incorporate more hands-on projects and activities that allow students to learn by doing. These
may look like fun projects to the students (and they are!) but they are also meaningful learning experiences.
With a smaller group, I can manage those activities more effectively and give students the attention they
need while they are learning.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of a smaller classroom, however, is the opportunity to build relationships. I
want to know my students not just as learners, but as children who have been uniquely created by God. I
Get to know their personalities, their interests, their sense of humor, and the things that encourage them.
Sometimes that relationship looks like a hug when a child is struggling. Sometimes it is a quiet smirk shared
across the room when a student understands a joke that may have gone completely over the heads of
everyone else. And sometimes it is taking a moment with a child who is having a difficult day to offer
encouragement and pray with them. Those moments may not appear on a report card, but they are some
of the moments I treasure most as a teacher.

Teaching in a Christian school gives me the opportunity to do more than teach reading, writing, and
history. I have the opportunity to point students toward Christ in the way I teach, encourage, correct,
listen, and care for them. When the class size is smaller, I have more opportunities to really know a child
and to recognize when he or she needs not only academic support, but encouragement, compassion, or
prayer.

The benefits of smaller classes extend to families as well. When I have fewer students, I can build more
personal relationships with their parents. I may not know a parent in the same way that I know their child,
but communication becomes more personal. Parents know that I see their child as an individual, and they
have greater opportunities to communicate with me about their child’s needs, growth, and successes.
After all these years, I believe class size matters because children matter. Most importantly, it gives me
more opportunities to fulfill what I believe is one of the greatest privileges of being a Christian school
teacher: investing in the life of a child and pointing that child toward Christ.