248 Gray Hawk, Spring Branch, TX 78070

My daughter attended Bill Brown Elementary from kindergarten through second grade. We recently moved to another state, and the experience at her new school has really opened my eyes to what an elementary school environment can be and, unfortunately, to how different our experience was at BBES.From early on, it became apparent that parent involvement, particularly through the PTA, could feel very exclusive. I often felt that you were welcomed only if you already had friendships or connections within the PTA. I also found the office staff to be noticeably unwelcoming on occasions when I volunteered, visited my daughter for lunch, or needed to drop something off.What concerned me most, however, was the way students were treated. During several visits to the school, I personally witnessed staff yelling at and belittling children for what appeared to be normal childhood behavior. Students seemed to be expected to be seen and not heard. When my daughter started at her new school, she came home one day and said, “The teachers don’t scream at us at this school.” That statement broke my heart and really made me reflect on what she had experienced previously.Academically, my daughter appeared to thrive at BBES. She consistently scored in the 98th percentile on assessments and was accepted into the gifted and talented program. In second grade, her teacher even had to provide her with third-grade math material to challenge her academically.Since moving, however, she has had a very different experience. She is now performing below a second-grade level in third grade and no longer qualifies for gifted and talented services. While I understand that educational standards and assessments can vary significantly from state to state, the difference has been striking and has made me question whether her academic performance at BBES accurately reflected her educational needs and abilities.Moving to a new state has given me a much different perspective on what a supportive elementary school can look like. I am grateful for the contrast because it has helped me recognize how important it is for children to feel respected, encouraged, challenged, and genuinely cared for at school. Unfortunately, that was not consistently our experience at BBES