Monday I met a pair of Attleboro High School seniors who live on Phillips Street. They said the biggest problem is with the school administration. I asked what they meant and they replied, “The principals need to be more concerned with what is going on inside the classroom and with the teachers. They’ve been focusing too much on the building.”
I asked them if anything seemed different since the layoffs two years ago. They answered, “Teachers were definitely more stressed this year. Most of them are teaching in front of the class now instead of walking around the classroom checking in with individual students. A lot of teachers seem to be struggling with the increase in the size of classes.”
I asked them if this is true with all their classes. They responded, “The Honors courses don’t seem to be affected because those classes are smaller. But teachers are stressed out in our other classes.”
When I was leaving, both students shook my hand, smiled and said, “Thank you for the visit.”
Let’s listen to our students.
Ty Waterman 