Hutchinson also said the students themselves take up a lot of space. The kids need the additional space. The desks are rectangular and have a rack on the side for books. Frimer said often there is no place for the wiring, so room has to be made for the wires that connect the computers to the school's network. Today's classrooms also have more people in them than classrooms of the past.
Many classes have full-time aides, and others have mothers and fathers who volunteer to help.
Podskoch said in her 18 years of teaching, she has seen lots of changes, but in the long run, it's still all about learning. Podskoch and Austin begin the day together in their classroom. Later, they take turns working with the main group of students, while the other takes a turn outside of the main classroom working with smaller groups of children who need additional help. During the school day, a resource room teacher comes into the room to work with groups of children, and a teaching assistant, assigned to work with a special-needs child, is also in the room for half of the day. A policy of inclusion in regular classes has also added wheelchairs, computerized voice boards and oxygen tanks to some classrooms.