ehavi

Peak season

NORTH Vancouver's Lisa Pennington takes five at the top of Grouse Mountain's Peak Chair during a sunny day of spring skiing.

Indeed, parents of

From page &

that category West Vancouver
ranks 72nd.

In intermediate classes, the
average class size in West
Vancouver is 28.6 while the
. provincial average is 27.8,
putting West Vancouver in a
tie for 72nd place, said the
- WVIA.

Krieger said some sec-
ondary teachers must teach
more than 200 students. That
_ makes keeping up with stu-
dents’ marking, parent con-
tacts and students’ sociai and
emotional needs difficult.

Krieger added that teach-

streaming of special-needs

students that started in the
late’ 1980s. Because special-
needs students necd more
heip and resources, one
would think class sizes would
have decreased since then, he
said. Instead they have
increased, said Krieger.

He said the teachers bring
up the class-size issue at bud-
get time every year, but noth-
ing has been done so far. Still,
with the district facing a $1
million deficit for the next fis-
cal year, he remains opti-
mistic.

“Pm hopeful because this
year our brief was supported
by parents,” he said.

Gleneagles elementary told
the board there is no room for
more students in the class-
rooms. They added all
Gleneagles classes have 30 or
31 students except two.

“In crowded classrooms,
teachers spend more time on
classroom behavior and man-
agement issues than on cur-
riculum delivery thereby con-
tibuting to the compromise
of education. We as parents
are watching this with great
concern,” said the Gleneagles
Parent Advisory Committee.

The WVTA made a num-
ber of other recommenda-
tions to the board in its bud-

ers agree with the main-

Special needs, ESL students |
add to classroom demands

From page 4

Now, most actual instruction is done in pri-
mary grades with children gathered around the
er, she said. That means a five- to 10-
minute job of moving furniture in the class
eight times a day.

“I would say we are wasting haif an hour a
day just moving furniture, aud that’s in a five-
hour day,” she said.

She added she has two special needs stu-
dents who receive help outside the class for 80
minutes a week. The two require an extra set of
instructions and more monitoring while in her
class.

The two ESL children in the class also
require specific help and instruction.

In addition, behavioral problems are more
prevalent today, she said. Teachers feel as if they
are social workers, counselors and substitute
parents.

Computer instruction adds to the workload.

Report cards take up to one-and-a-half
hours te ~~rite. She must write 30 of them three
times a ¢ear, but does not get class time to do

it.

She said she works 60 to 70 hours a week
now.

“There are too many expectations right
now. Too much work. Having said all that, I
wouldn’t do anything else.”

She added that if she has a child with a math
problem and wants to spend time with that
child, what can she do with the 29 others?

“They are not old enough to work indepen-
dently,” she said. “So I don’t feel I can meet the
needs of all the children in my classroom no
matter how hard I try. There are just too many
kids. It’s very frustrating for me.”

With fewer students, helping the children
with problems is casicr, she said.

In addition, she said the increase in class size
is a major reason for the increase in teacher ill-
ness this year.

get brief:

W@ return coordinators to sec-
ondary schools and the ele-
mentary program;

B Increase the budget for
learning resources;

Gi Increase support for stu-
dents with special needs;

or challenges dominate

SB Reduce allocation: of.
B eources to school-based

administration in elementary © -

and secondary schools.

Upgrade your computer to:
K5-90MHz. CPU with 586 motherboard $239}.
K5-133MHz CPU with 586 motherboard $298

HAED DRIVE
1.66B/2.1GB/2.66B

3.1GB/4.0GB

CD-ROM
&x/12x CD-ROM Drive

SOUND CARD
16-Bit ESS 1868

$306/848:

MODEM
$274/$307/$342 33.6K bps Int. Voice/Fax/Data
6

1MB Video Card $48
$135/8149 ATI 3D Xpression + 2MB/4MB = $159/9184

MONITOR
$45 14" SVGA NI
15" SVGA 1280X1024 DIGITAL NI

$325

MATTRESSES AT BC'S BEST PRICES

¢ FREE SET-UP

© FREE DELIVERY

[yj COLONY

HOME FURNISHINGS

YEAR.END_ -
"CLEARANCE :

EVERYDAY

© FREE REMOVAL OF OLD SET

1075 Roosevelt Crescent
North Vancouver
(2 blocks benind Avalon Hotel)

Open Daily Fri. 9-9, Sun. 12-4

985-8738

POSTUREFEDIC ©

© LOW PRICE GUARANTEE

POSTUREPE