Muscatine

MIL,

Don't get me started on this subject. I bet a lot of posters on here don't want me to, because they know the bad feelings I have towards MHS. And I have wrote many times about it.

One thing you should learn: You won't win when it comes to MHS.If you don't have money and your child is not in sports.....you won't win. Period. I contacted many parents with the same problem and they pulled their children out of MHS and sent them to LM, Wilton or Davenport. My youngest was suspended for defending himself. My oldest was a very quiet kid and still got picked on by the teachers. I have talked to other parents with the same problem. In my opinion, is that MHS did not know that some of these parents had money.....they just didn't show it off. So the joke was on them. And most of the parents that pulled their kids out of Mhs, the children flourished at other schools. It's all about money and your last name. Trust me MIL, you won't win. Ole Drunkenfool celebrated when the last one graduated! Good riddance MHS!

p.s. Do they still have the nasty cranky a$$ people answering the phones out there?

 You MUST be willing to LISTEN to the other side of the story.

I agree wholeheartedly, when my son was accused of walking towards a teacher in a threatning manner , i asked the acting vp what my sons story was ....i was told he had the teachers side of things and that was all he needed.

And DF you are right about certain kids being picked on by teachers.

My daughter goes to west and was told if she gives a thumbs up sign that she would be suspended for a week....because the vp (kelly morgan) doesnt like it cuz he's missing a thumb.... I told her to give her friends the thumbs up sign to her friends and see what happens .........my lawyer and i will be all over the school...(i have a very successful lawyer.......he doesnt tell me this like staunchley does...mine gets the results i desire...actions speak louder than words staunch)

Dont get me wrong, there are some very good teachers, teachers who strive to get the best out of thier students ....unfortunately in the muscatine schools the crappy teachers are taking over....

I'm nervous about responding here because I'm probably going to get blasted.  But, I have to respond to this thread.

I absolutely agree that we, as parents need to be our children's advocate- after all we know our children better than anyone.  However, with each poster that continues to post negatively about the school & the disciplinarians; there seems to be a..."well, my child did this...but for a good reason because they told me so". 

I have raised 2 children & I have one @ the high school.  I have been through the teen years.  I get it.  One of my older children made very BAD CHOICES... it was very difficult.  Boy, did she do her best to convince us that it wasn't her fault!  We were right there on her side!  Hard as it may be to accept, (AND I WAS RIGHT THERE WITH YOUR OPINIONS),,, our teens make bad choices.  When they do & if they are caught, the school administrators must do what they feel to make the school safe for all the other children.  I was SO PISSED OFF with their decisions!  Only in retrospect do I understand what was happening.

A couple of you have been very vocal about the treatment of your kids.  Yet if you read your own posts, you will read that there is some doubt in your minds.  The kids are going to tell you what YOU want to hear.  You know first hand what they are like.  At home, do they show you the same disrespect they are accused of at school?  Do they rebel @ the authority you want to show in your home?

A couple of you have told your children that if someone is bullying them to fight back & use any weapon they can find.  OMFG!  My husband has the same point of view!  Gosh DARNIT!  Not in today's world!  One of my son's friends was being picked on by a gang member in Jr. High.  His dad told him the same thing.  So he did.  He fought & took the bully down.  On "the bully's way down, he stabbed my son's friend in the leg!!!"  He is an athlete - It took him out for a bit - but he is ok today.  WHAT IF THAT KNIFE WOULD HAVE LANDED SOMEWHERE ELSE???

Dammmmmiiit,  we live in a world of crazy people; Columbine, Virginia Tech...etc.  Walk away from Bullies!

As a parent, talk & talk & talk to the school authorities if you feel a wrong has been done.  If you feel that you haven't been listened to, Go talk to Tom Williams.  Have solid proof; go in, not looking for a fight but for a solution.  The teachers & administrators your children have are on your side - not against you. 

HOLD YOUR CHILD ACCOUNTABLE & LET THEM BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.  There are consequences to every behavior; child or adult.  The sooner you allow your child to live with those consequences; the sooner they will be a contributing member of society.  I KNOW, firsthand. 

A very heartfelt post, TLou.  Reminded me of my own school days in the 50's and 60's.  We had quite a strict dress code.  Shirts had to have  collars, pants and girls skirts a certain length, and boys had to wear a belt at all times.  Now certainly none of this had anything to do with the educational process, but they were indeed small rules among many that we were expected to follow.  If I got sent home without a belt, I could be assured that my parents would be angry with me, and not the school administrator, regardless of their position on whether or not it was a good or bad rule. 

Certainly a different time we live in with so many parents believing their kids do no wrong, never lie to them and that the teachers are the sources of their problems.  Everybody does the parenting thing differently, and thankfully our young ones turn out okay in the end most of the time.