Good experience

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Good experience
By Melissa

Two years ago, I volunteered and assisted in a 4/5 combination class. The eacher did have experience with how to work in that type of class and things seemed to go wonderful. As an outsider, I learned about how those students
interacted with and helped each other. The next year all the 4th graders from that class were put in the same 5th grade class. I was given the opportunity to teach in that class. The younger students in the combination class seemed to benefit both from the academics and the social climate of being with the older students.
I have done some research on combination classes.

Studies have shown that those classes are beneficial for both ages and abilities of students when they are formed correctly. The student who may need a little extra help can get it from another student, who has a good grasp of the material. Students are exposed to new things and given a refresher of some of the things they may have forgotten.
I wish your son good luck as he embarks on this new experience. An idea maybe for you is to spend some time in your child's classroom so you can see what is going on. If you do or don't like what you see, then you can be your own judge of what to do.