This school year, some teachers have gained an extra class they have to teach, leaving them with no study hall and a tenth period prep. In some cases, the number of students in each class has risen as well, causing their workload to increase.
Taylor Marshall, a social studies teacher, has felt the impact of gaining an extra class this year. Last year he taught two AP US History and three CP World History classes; this year he teaches two AP US History and four CP World History classes.
“I feel the extra class is manageable, but I think my workload will build up as the semester goes on,” Marshall said.
Having a study hall helped Marshall with his responsibilities, mainly coaching cross country and track and field. As a coach, he does not have much time to grade and plan assignments. With an extra class, Marshall expects to run into some difficulties especially during track season. He explained how track is a bigger responsibility than cross country, making it more difficult to manage more students.
Not only has he gained an extra class, but he gained extra students in each class. A class size last year averaged 23 students while this year’s smallest class is 30 students. With more students comes a wider range of skill level leaving Marshall with a bigger responsibility to make sure every student is accommodated.
