Overcrowded Classrooms

Have you ever been in a crowded room? Whether or not it's at a party, in a waiting area, or another public forum, it's definitely hard to relax with lots of personalities surrounding you. And yet, students are expected to study, perform,and learn all while crowded in close quarters. Let's not even mention that most of them don't even have the coping skills or maturity to be able to handle numerous amounts of people at one time, it's just assumed that it's the way it is supposed to be. I've had the privilege of being in both overcrowded rooms as well as in rooms where children are lucky enough to have a bit of elbow room and I'm here to tell you that it does make a huge difference. People are going to site studies, albeit many flawed ones, that say that overcrowding does not seem to determine the academic success of most students. But have we ever stopped to think about the stress level of being in a crowded environment? Stop and think about it for a minute, that is if you can. If you are alone right now or in an area with not too many people around, it's easy to think and reflect. However, if someone right now is breathing down your neck, someone else sneezing, another coughing or talking, you may not be able to reflect as easily. Yet we expect our kids to rise above the chaos.