I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. When you increase class sizes, you are reducing the number of teachers who can do the job right. There are a lot of teachers out there who can effectively teach a class of 20 urban youth. There are a hell of a lot fewer who can do that with a class of 35.

Case in point- I was talking to my colleague who I consider to be one of the best teachers I know. I was chastising him for being so impossible to get a hold of during school hours. He doesn’t check his email, he unplugs the phone in his classroom, and his cell phone is off. I asked him how he could live like that, and he shrugged and said, “I’m in there teaching.”

This is true. He is up there in front of his class, on his feet, one hundred percent of the day. This is what people don’t get when they claim teachers have three months off so we can’t be working that hard. What other jobs out there ask you to basically entertain a crowd on your feet for eight hours? Even Glenn Beck has only a three-hour radio show and an hour on tv. We have to come up with twice as much material on a daily basis to an audience that can aptly be described as hostile. My colleague rarely sits. He is an agent away from being a stand-up comedian. He drinks coffee by the saucer, and doesn’t even remember there is an outside world until 3:30 in the afternoon.

“Anyways,” he adds, “If something really bad happens that I need to know about, the fire alarms will go off.”

Now I’m not saying every teacher out there should be crazy like my buddy. He runs hot, and even he admits what he is doing is unsustainable. Like many great teachers, he is thinking of moving on to administration, or a doctorate (he already has a Master’s from Cal). So in the spirit of those of us who plan on being here for awhile, and in lieu of doing cartwheels in front of every class every hour of every day, I would like to focus on one aspect of this strategy that can work without running so hot that you don’t cool down until almost four in the afternoon.

I call it Working the Rows, and it really is captured quite well by the graphic I have pictured above. One way to capture the spirit of how my colleague teaches without burning yourself out is this: For every three minutes you spend in front of the class, spend a minute IN the class. Yes, in the class. Work your way through the rows of desks on a daily basis, holding students accountable, making yourself available for those with questions, assisting struggling learners, and getting them to show you care about them as an individual.

One example of this would be pacing the rows as you lecture. You don’t have to sit in front of the class as you recite facts and statistics. If you’re one of those people who is big on Powerpoint, this will work perfectly. You’re probably using a remote control anyway, so why not get in the rows to make sure students are copying everything down correctly?

I have a policy that I never assign homework we haven’t started in class. Usually how this works is the regular prescription- I begin the assignment, they try it individually, then work with those around them to get as far as they can before the bell rings and the rest is homework. Now, once I’m done with the teacher-led part, I start working the rows. I go to each student individually, asking them if they understand the assignment. I ask them if they have any questions, and if I see they need help- I’ll grab their paper, check out their work, make suggestions, and maybe even throw around a few answers.

One of the best results of this approach is not only the individual attention each student gets, but after a few rows, I can see what they are getting and what they aren’t. So usually when I’m about a third of the way through the classroom, I’ll bring everyone back to me up front to address the issues they’re having with the assignment. It’s a great way for me as the instructor to see how the lesson is going.

Another strategy I use is standing behind them as they take a quiz. It is impossible to cheat when the teacher is behind you. Try it out, for real.

Another great way to work the rows is by getting on their level. I’ve been meaning to do this for years now, but I know of teachers who have those little rollie-stools they go up and down the rows in. This puts you at eye level with the student, and in perfect position to help them with their work (I really need to go to Office Max tomorrow).

Another great thing about working the rows is that the students you haven’t gotten to know you’re coming, and therefore are good about staying on task. Conversely, those you’ve already gotten to think they are off the hook sometimes, so you might want to vary your approach, going up one row, then down another a few rows away, then doubling back.

The important thing is that you get to every student individually. I hear of too many teachers who haven’t set foot in their rows all year. They assign things from the front of the class, then go to their desk and expect the kids to figure it out. Maybe some people don’t realize it, but real teaching takes place at the desks of the students. If you’re not finding ways to get to each one of their desks, you are not finding ways to reach each one of their minds.

Some days I get to the desks of every single one of my 150 students. Most days my colleague gets to all of the desks of his students. If you want to teach them at their level, you need to do it at their desk. And it would help if you got a stool, so you could get to their perspective.

I realize this is easier said than done, but it is as solid advice as I can give. Work the rows. Look each one of them in the eye, and let them know you are trying.

And do it soon. If class sizes keep increasing, there might be a time in the near future when you could be on your feet from eight to four and still not get to all your students. I said earlier, there are a lot of teachers out there who can effectively teach a class of 20 urban youth, and there are a hell of a lot fewer who can do that with a class of 35. If this country keeps picking on teachers, you might as well not even have any, because if we cram any more kids into our already crowded classrooms, the number of teachers able to deal with that situation might be zero. You can only work the rows if there is space to walk, and room for their roots to grow.