The Challenge of Teaching

One of the major challenges I have found in teaching is the wide range of skill levels possessed by the students. In my Grade 8 class, for example, there are some that are very intelligent and grasp everything right away. There are others who can't read. There are only a few at the top end, quite a few in the middle, and then some at the bottom. This leads me to wonder: to whom should I be aiming my instruction at. If I aim only at the top end then most of the class will flounder but the top end, who actually have a chance of passing the exams next year, will be well prepared. If I aim at the bottom end, I might be able to bring them up a little bit but they still won't pass and the top end will be left bored.

I still haven't quite developed a consistent answer to this question. Probably in effect I am aiming at the top end and the middle or upper middle of the class. I have to, after all, make some progress in the curriculum and can't go over the same things over and over again. Nonetheless, I often wonder if I should be doing more for the other kids as well or if this would not make much difference in the end anyways.