by Elizabeth Olivier

Created on: March 07, 2009

The small high school provides a unique experience for its students. For some, it is the ideal atmosphere. For others, it is a situation they cannot wait to escape. What remains true, however, is that the conditions which produced both mindsets were the same. What is positive for one is negative for the other.

Social Life

One of the most positive aspects of the small high school is the ability to know and be known by everybody. It can create a unity and camaraderie both within individual graduating classes and throughout the whole student body that students who attend large high schools fail to comprehend. While smaller social circles still exist, it is hard to claim anyone is an anonymous nobody. People actually exist, regardless of who they befriend.

At the same time, one of the most negative aspects of the small high school is the ability to know and be known by everybody. There is nowhere to hide when a teenager's life is ruined. Reputation both precedes and follows every student in the school. Gossip spreads further and faster than at large schools, making mistakes even harder to live down. When a student is slighted by peers, it is never random. Everything is personal.

Teachers

Another positive aspect of the small high school is the number of teachers assigned to a given course. There are usually only one or two teachers for all Algebra I classes or all French classes or all Home Economics classes. This situation creates a more consistent educational experience for students. There are few teachers, so there is not the issue of one teacher's class being significantly harder or easier than that of other teachers. Every class under the same course name has the same projects, often the same tests and very similar homework. Sometimes test days and project deadlines are even coordinated between teachers if there does happen to be more than one teacher. Satisfactorily completing a course has the same meaning for every student.

On the down side, students who have difficulty in a teacher's class have very few options. If there is only one teacher for a required course, the only option is to keep trying with the same teacher. A personality conflict creates a lose-lose situation for the student. Retaking a course does not necessarily mean wiping the slate clean and starting over. Judgments made by a teacher the previous year will probably carry over to the next time the student takes the class, putting the student at a disadvantage before they walk into the classroom.

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