In this case, smaller is better

Lauren Vane

During a Thursday morning language arts lesson in a third-grade class

at Perry Elementary, teacher Diana D’Zmura was keeping a close eye on

all her students.

“No one can hide from me, huh? “ D’Zmura said.

Sitting across the table an arm’s length away from each of the

students, D’Zmura could carefully monitor their individual progress

simply because D’Zmura had fewer students to teach.

Down from the usual 30 students in a third-grade classroom,

D’Zmura teaches language arts to a smaller class of less than 20

students.

The reduced class size is partially made possible by a $10,000

grant from Community for Class Size Reduction, an organization that

raises money to allow for smaller class sizes in Huntington Beach

schools.

The funds have allowed Perry Elementary to hire an extra

third-grade teacher so that students have the opportunity to spend a

portion of their day learning in small groups.

“Small group instruction is very much at the child’s level of

need,” said principal Elaine Keeley.

Smaller class sizes have been proven in studies to increase a

student’s learning potential and allow for students to progress at a

personalized pace to fit their needs, Keeley said.

“I know exactly where each kid is, and who needs help,” D’Zmura

said.

The small group instruction is important in teaching language arts

because it is a necessary foundation to build on, Keeley said.

“We want to make sure kids are reading and writing well before

they go on to fourth and fifth grades,” Keeley said

It’s not only the teachers who see the benefit of smaller class

sizes; the students enjoy the individual attention.

“We get to listen better,” said third-grader Dulce Valdez, 9.

“You learn more things,” said Vanessa Tapia, 8.

Keeley said it is important for the students’ self esteem to feel

a connection with their teacher and know that the teacher cares about

their individual learning needs.

“You get to learn ‘cause the teacher can show all the kids what

they are supposed to do,” said third-grader Kelsey Fuentes, 8.