Overcrowded Schools

Topic Sentence:
Opinion Overcrowding is one of the biggest problems facing today's schools. To start, crowded hallways lead to tardiness and wasted class time. Students struggle to get from class to class when they have to dodge their way through crowded hallways. And when students are late, teachers lose out on time for teaching. Body Sentences Cafeterias are too crowded, too. Lunch lines are so long that some students have to make the choice between eating or being late for class. Going to class hungry or anxious won't put any student in the right mind to learn. Finally, crowded classrooms make it difficult for teachers to manage teaching and discipline. Meanwhile, students lose out on individual attention when teachers have to deal with so many other students. Ending Sentence Until schools solve the overcrowding problem, students and teachers will continue to suffer.

Lost in the Crowd

Many people think the key to improving the schools is to set stricter standards and to give assessment tests. These critics may have a point. Maybe teachers and students do need to be held to higher standards. But standards and tests won’t make any difference until the overcrowding problem in our schools is solved. Opinion Statement Overcrowded hallways, cafeterias, and classrooms make it very hard to teach and to learn.

First of all, overcrowded halls set students up for trouble. In most schools, students have five minutes between classes, but walking in crowded halls is like driving bumper cars. Fall behind a group of slow movers, and there is no way to get around them. Trying to push through can lead to nasty words and bruises. Students are hardly ready to do their best when they make it to the classroom after bouncing through the halls.

The hallways aren’t the only places that create a nonlearning environment. The school cafeteria can be just as distracting. Long lines in overcrowded cafeterias give some kids two choices: (1) eat and serve detention for being late or (2) just go hungry. For those who do make it through the line, there may be no place to sit. The lack of seating may lead to bullying and threats. Going hungry or being threatened won’t put any student in the right frame of mind for learning.

Students suffer the most in overcrowded classrooms. In classes with reasonable numbers of students, the work is focused and understandable. In classes with too many students, the work is harder to follow because teachers must spend more time managing their classrooms and dealing with discipline problems. While teachers try to control rowdy students, other students are more likely to become distracted, and their learning suffers.

Some people say fixing the overcrowding problem in our district would be too costly. They rightly point out that additions and renovations may require a special tax referendum. While these objections are true, alternative sources of money, such as fund-raisers or donations for naming rights to school spaces, can lessen the burden on taxpayers. Even without these funding alternatives, the payoff of more space is worth the initial cost to the public. Less crowding will mean better educated students, which will help the local economy in the long run.

Improving the quality of education in America’s schools is important. But before we do anything else, let’s solve the overcrowding problem. When our schools are dealing with reasonable numbers of students, good teaching and learning can happen, and standards and assessment tests will mean something.