203 S Elm St
Kankakee, IL 60901

I have lived here almost my entire life. The elementary school has really gone the distance to make sure kids are valued and loved. Now seeing people I went to school with teaching puts a smile on my face because I know the kids are in good hands. We actually live in Peotone now but my kids still loved Manteno schools and always will. Mr. Glenn truly cares for his students and he treats everyone with respect and kindness. This is an amazing, safe place to raise your children.

Teaching at MHS was a toxic experience. As a professional, I expect administrators to provide their staff with support, open communication, and empathy. I did not find any of these traits demonstrated during my employment. When hired, I never received clear expectations about what my curriculum would be. Whenever I requested collaboration time with others in my department to discuss common courses, the requests were denied. This lack of support made it impossible to piece together a consistent curriculum. Instead of giving me the tools to be successful, MHS admin chose to "reward" staff by offering us "casual dress" days and chances to win $5 gift cards, which I found condescending as a professional.Because of the lack of support and collaboration time, my entire year was spent feeling unprepared. For example, I once received the material for my 1st hour lesson 15 minutes before needing to teach it. Time that would have been used for assessment or student assistance was instead forced to be spent on organizing the mess I had inherited from previous teachers. I found that much of the curriculum was either inappropriately low for the high school level or lacking in creativity, which explained why students were glued to their phones and constantly listening to music. Administrators with no classroom experience showed little empathy despite being aware of the situation, choosing instead to micromanage me, which undermined my authority within my classroom. I felt set up to fail, which resulted in constant stress and anxiety. This took a toll on my mental and physical health, manifesting as real pain, which I have never experienced before in my long teaching career. MHS presents itself as a welcoming community, but I never found that to be the case. Preferable treatment is given to staff and students with status within the district. Administrators coddle parents, who in turn coddle their students, resulting in an environment of little accountability. The district goes out of its way to ensure graduation rates are maintained, offering unlimited attempts to turn in late work or revise assignments that were clearly completed using AI. Students take advantage of this lack of accountability, which is detrimental to their preparation for life after graduation. I had great expectations for working at MHS. However, the experience made me want to quit teaching entirely. If you have a passion for education, I'd recommend seeking employment elsewhere.

its okay but they don't teach you the things like science they don't give you the best instructions and the food is good but only 50 percent of 6th graders know there own grade level reading.