Combine classes or leave kid to learn alone?

In the tiny Cheider we have here, my third-grade boy has one other kid in his class. Their current teacher is a young Bochur who has good intentions but no experience in Chinuch. The other boy in the class has some learning difficulties and the teacher tends to lose patience with him. The boy's father, who is the second-grade teacher (five kids in the class, including another son of his and a different kid with learning difficulties) has decided to take his son into the second grade, leaving my son by himself. My son seems to get along pretty well with his teacher, but I don't know how good it will be for him to spend his mornings for the next five months alone in class with this Bochur, who also has some of his own issues. So the question is, should I also combine him with the younger class? Learningwise, he will probably gain more if he stays alone with the Bochur and no classmates holding him back. He is definitely far more advanced and mature than most/all of the second graders. But for some reason, the idea of leaving him alone in class with this teacher for the rest of the school year makes me slightly nervous.
WWYD?
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Can you combine him with the older class?
Not that a private teacher is bad, on contrary!
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Can the 2nd grade rebbe handle your kid too? There will already be two special needs students in that class.

Maybe officially keep your son in 3rd grade, but have him in the same classroom with the 2nd graders, and the bochur in there too doing harder work with him based on the 2nd grade lessons? You can say it's for social reasons. I can see that as true, as well as relate to your discomfort with all those months of one on one alone time with a bochur.
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Posted: Tue, Feb 01 2011, 9:25 am Post subject:

I was also going to suggest sending him into the 2nd grade classroom WITH the bochur. The bochur can learn about chinuch from the Rebbe and can also provide a tutor for more advanced work with your son within the classroom framework. Win-win.
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Posted: Tue, Feb 01 2011, 9:45 am Post subject:

Can you explain how that would work in practice? Let's say it's a Mishna class. The Melamed explains the Mishna to the class and then while they are summarizing it the bochur gives my son extra work on it? Won't that be disruptive? Besides that I'm not so sure he would know how to prepare the extra work. I mean, it sounds like a good idea, but I'm not sure how/if we'd be able to implement it.

Yes, like what you said. If the bochur is a rebbe then he should be able to do this. If he can't, then as Marion said, it can be a good way to learn rebbe skills. The rebbe can prepare your son's work with the bochur, for the bochur to implement in the 2nd grade class.

My dd ended up in a class with only four giels and hated that, so it really can be a social challenge, aside from the discomfort of all that alone time. And the bochur might tend to slacken off if he has only one student for so many hours.