6203 S Mason Ave, Tacoma, WA 98409

There is a reason that Google reviews of this school are disabled. If I had to guess, the principal or administration of the building somehow got them turned off because of the overwhelming negative feedback the school was getting. I was a substitute here in a 3rd grade class for one day. The negative energy radiated the second I stepped into the office. The secretaries looked at me like I had done something wrong. I was treated dismissively at first, and then when I later asked about an issue with the attendance software (my class didn't load up) I was glared at. I was also not given the password to sign in so I came back and asked for it and the distain was palpable. All the secretary had to do was print a new sheet for me but she was so annoyed while doing it. So, before class even began I was already wanting to leave. Also, a teacher in the staff room also asked who I was there for and when I told her, she rolled her eyes and said, "good luck!" Great first impression....Class began and immediately there were major issues. Students cursing (F, S, B, MF, etc.), aggravating each other, fighting, not listening, having to ask students five times to get lined up, and the list goes on. One major issue I have with this school and others like it is that it provides students with an unlimited amount of trips to an alternative room where they can "calm down". Essentially these rooms, in this school's case the "Den", let students come in whenever they want and let them play and eat snacks. Students learn quickly that they do little to no work in there so they return often. The purpose for these rooms is good in theory but in reality they are a place for students to escape responsibilities. The students here wouldn't ask to go there either, they would TELL me that they were leaving, which to me points to a bigger problem of students having too much sway and power in the school. The phone was constantly ringing all day with questions from the rude office staff about things I didn't know. "Do you have masks in you room?" (How would I know?), "After (student name) left the counselor did he go to gym?" (How would I know?!) All day with questions like that. The principal came by a few times and it was obvious to me that she was in way over he head and not a strong disciplinarian which was clearly needed in a place like this. Anyways, this place was a nightmare. Terrible office staff, terrible administration, and terrible student behavior. Don't go here!