The Impact of Working with Large Groups

Sometimes those who work with one or two people at a time may forget the impact of working with twenty-plus people at the same time most of the day. When you work with large groups, the flexibility and fluidity patterns are different than when you work with one or two people at a time. They systems, time to do all the related tasks, and energy required are different too. That's why it's difficult to impose structure or detail that applies to working with one or two individuals at a time to structure and details that are needed when working with twenty-plus students at a time. The numbers of children we work with each day impacts our energy, time, and decisions. This number differential presents a divide in schools, a divide that needs to be considered as we reconsider roles, structure, and schedules to maximize the work we do to serve children well.