I’ve never been subjected to a split class, not as a student and not as a teacher. And for that I’m glad.

I think the practice of putting two classes together under one teacher is extremely unfair. It’s unfair to the teacher who has to cram two years worth of material into one year. It’s also unfair for the students who have to share their teacher and wait for him to finish up with one grade level before moving on to the next.

But I don’t want to complain. I’ve been giving a split grade assignment for the new year and I am up for the challenge. I’m just a little worried about how to teach two classes and two completely different curriculums at the same time.

The main problem will be teaching science, social studies, and health. The grade level curriculum for these subject areas is quite diverse. At least with math and English, I can teach one lesson and vary the assignment so that it fits both grade levels. But with science, I will have to teach one lesson and get my students quietly working so that I can teach another lesson to the second half of my class.

I’m excited and nervous about the prospect of teaching a Grade 3/4 split class. But my mind is going a million miles a minute, thinking about what to do with this challenge.

So while I have one month left of summer vacation, I have already started planning for September. One can never be over prepared for teaching. I am hoping that I can find a way to make my long range plans work smoothly for both my students and myself next year. We should never have to feel short-changed by this situation (and we won’t.)