Class List Rant, Again

Yesterday, I had a class with 31 or 32 students.  Why am I not sure how many I actually had?  Because the teacher didn't leave me a class list.  I found a seating chart - it was outdated.  She said in her note to me that two of her students were in the special education classroom and would be in and out with their aides all day.  She didn't give me their names, so I didn't know if they were included on the seating chart or not.  One girl was mentioned in her note as a person to ask to do a specific task, but her name wasn't anywhere on the seating chart or in the emergency folder.  The kids said there were 32 students in the class, but even if I counted the extra girl and the two "in and out" students, I only got 31. 

When the students went off to music, I went to the office to get a class list.  The secretary hid her impatience with the request pretty well.  The district has class list forms that subs are often required to sign and date, avowing that the attendance so marked is correct.  But these class lists are also very often NOT given to subs, especially in elementary schools.  They rely on teachers to give the subs class lists - and they often don't.

Then came math time.  The students switched around for math.  This time, the class swelled to 34 students - I think.  There was no class list for this class either.  Good thing we didn't have a fire drill or other emergency.  And, 34 students was more than there was room for - not enough desks, so some kids had to double up. 

There were 4 or 5 fifth grades in this school.  Let's say 4.  If each class had 31 students, that is 124 students, more than enough for 5 normal, large classes.  Part of the problem is though, that this school, like 4 others that I go to, even though it is fairly new, was not built large enough for the growing population around it.  The school already has mobile classrooms and there is limited space for more.  Each time they build a new school, they seem to under-build.

I like this school.  I enjoyed the kids.  I just wish there weren't so many of them at a time and I had an accurate class list, so I have a hope of learning who they are.  Subbing doesn't have a lot of rewards, but getting to know kids is an important part of it.  It is hard to get to know them when there are SO many and you don't have a list with their names - preferably one you can keep and not send to the office, so you can write notes about them during the day. 

Sigh.