I think it depends on the level you teach. From my experience:
HS/MS: Smaller schools can mean more preps and less chances to collaborate in departments. If the school is really small you might be the only teacher in your subject area 6 to 12.
ES: Life does not change a lot. In big schools it can actually be harder to collaborate well. Singapore has 13 classes at some grade levels. Really small schools can mean ideal class sizes.
Generally: Bigger schools tend to have more financial resources. Teachers in small schools tend to wear more hats since there are fewer people to do the work beyond the classroom. Smaller schools are more successful in maintaining a family feel but if the group is not a match for you, it can be lonely socially.
So much depends on what you are seeking. Ask lots of questions and communicate with teachers who are currently there.
large school vs small school
I have worked at schools with fewer than 200 students K-12 and others with more than 1500.
I agree with all the generalizations made by other posters, but I still prefer the smaller school atmosphere. It had a more collegial atmosphere and it felt like I got to know my students better. However, the smaller schools were definitely not as well resourced and I did wear multiple hats and have many more preps.
I agree with all the generalizations made by other posters, but I still prefer the smaller school atmosphere. It had a more collegial atmosphere and it felt like I got to know my students better. However, the smaller schools were definitely not as well resourced and I did wear multiple hats and have many more preps.
school size
You might find this ISR article on school size interesting and helpful.
http://www.internationalschoolsreview.c ... school.htm
http://www.internationalschoolsreview.c ... school.htm
More of the same.
I can only speak about small schools.
You do get to know everyone, K-12, students and staff. That's good if you like to get to know and work w people. If you are more private, you might not like that. Less opportunity to "hide".
More preps, yes. You might not get to teach any class more than once. I teach four different classes a day.
Fewer choices for kids and teachers, in terms of electives and extracurriculars.
Wearing more hats, indeed, though that can open up some opportunities, resume-wise, that you might not get at a big school.
I can only speak about small schools.
You do get to know everyone, K-12, students and staff. That's good if you like to get to know and work w people. If you are more private, you might not like that. Less opportunity to "hide".
More preps, yes. You might not get to teach any class more than once. I teach four different classes a day.
Fewer choices for kids and teachers, in terms of electives and extracurriculars.
Wearing more hats, indeed, though that can open up some opportunities, resume-wise, that you might not get at a big school.
The smallest school I worked in had about 200 students, and the biggest had about 1400 students.
Personally, I would prefer to work in a smaller school. From a PYP perspective, if you have more than 3 or 4 classes across a grade level then collaborative planning can be quite annoying, and if you're striving for consistency in any particular area then the varying perspectives can cause a lot of tension. It only takes 1 person to say "I'm doing that" for people to start getting defensive and argumentative.
I have also found that I feel more distanced from the school community as a whole when working in a larger school. In a small school it's easy to get to know students throughout the school, and they know you too, but in a big school it's hard enough just to know the kids in your grade level, especially if you have 4 or more classes.
I've heard of some of the bigger schools in China having 8 or more classes across a grade level. Collaborative planning in that scenario sounds like a nightmare. A school with 600 or so students and 2 or 3 classes in each grade level would be ideal to me.
Personally, I would prefer to work in a smaller school. From a PYP perspective, if you have more than 3 or 4 classes across a grade level then collaborative planning can be quite annoying, and if you're striving for consistency in any particular area then the varying perspectives can cause a lot of tension. It only takes 1 person to say "I'm doing that" for people to start getting defensive and argumentative.
I have also found that I feel more distanced from the school community as a whole when working in a larger school. In a small school it's easy to get to know students throughout the school, and they know you too, but in a big school it's hard enough just to know the kids in your grade level, especially if you have 4 or more classes.
I've heard of some of the bigger schools in China having 8 or more classes across a grade level. Collaborative planning in that scenario sounds like a nightmare. A school with 600 or so students and 2 or 3 classes in each grade level would be ideal to me.
Reply
I wholly agree with the general conclussions of the previous posters. Larger schools tend to have better and more resources, smaller schools have more preps. Collaboration is more difficult the bigger your department/division gets as well.
I would add a management observation as well. Smaller schools tend to be more frugal with their budgets and larger schools tend to be more bureaucratic. Ina larger school your more likely to have a course outline for your subject that everyone follows, to some degree, where in a smaller school you might not have any guidance at all, and are "free" to do your own class design (which means your also free to do all the work, and hope you have the materials to do what it is you have planed).
Larger schools tend to be more forgiving to mistakes and errors as well. Teachers with well developed courses have less frustrations, then newer teachers who are still figuring out what works.
With larger schools you will have more supervisors, a HOD, a couple coordinators, a AP or two, a principal and a HOS. Thats a lot of people, anyone who may feel your doing something wrong. Ina smaller school its more likely to just be a principal and thats it. Its harder the more people you have to appease.
Coordination and flexibility is much easier in a smaller school. If you have an art class and want to go outside to produce a landscape, or want to take your science students out to collect a water sample thats a lot easier to do in a smaller school, then in a larger school.
Your very likely to have a mentor or homeroom as well. The larger the school, the more distant you are from those students as well. Usually your just doing attendance, and maybe talking during that time, the larger the school is. When you have a smaller school its easier to keep up with how those students are really doing.
I would add a management observation as well. Smaller schools tend to be more frugal with their budgets and larger schools tend to be more bureaucratic. Ina larger school your more likely to have a course outline for your subject that everyone follows, to some degree, where in a smaller school you might not have any guidance at all, and are "free" to do your own class design (which means your also free to do all the work, and hope you have the materials to do what it is you have planed).
Larger schools tend to be more forgiving to mistakes and errors as well. Teachers with well developed courses have less frustrations, then newer teachers who are still figuring out what works.
With larger schools you will have more supervisors, a HOD, a couple coordinators, a AP or two, a principal and a HOS. Thats a lot of people, anyone who may feel your doing something wrong. Ina smaller school its more likely to just be a principal and thats it. Its harder the more people you have to appease.
Coordination and flexibility is much easier in a smaller school. If you have an art class and want to go outside to produce a landscape, or want to take your science students out to collect a water sample thats a lot easier to do in a smaller school, then in a larger school.
Your very likely to have a mentor or homeroom as well. The larger the school, the more distant you are from those students as well. Usually your just doing attendance, and maybe talking during that time, the larger the school is. When you have a smaller school its easier to keep up with how those students are really doing.