Printers Row

I have two daughters at two different selective enrollment schools, and my experiences have been night and day. My oldest attends Jones and she has never much enjoyed it. She has had some really excellent teachers and some less so, one in particular was an absolute bully. When she complained about him to her counselor she was met with "Oh, him, yeah we know how he is". While some teachers are better at teaching the school didn't offer any help that was reliable. It was only last year (under a new principal) that I learned about math tutoring that was available. That is probably due to the lack of Family Engagement. I never received any newsletters or updates in her first two years at Jones. The new principal has remedied this, but as a parent who is not a part of school council, I rely on information from the adults in the building. As far as safety, my daughter has endured a couple of awful encounters that went unnoticed from the "Adults" in the building. She submitted a report to the office, but nothing was ever done, and she continued to suffer. She finally asked for help from a teacher, who kept her separated from that person during classes. In another instance we received a consoling call from the assistant principal but again, never any follow-up. I will note that both instances occurred with the previous principal. The counselors have been supportive overall, all of our experiences have been positive. The nurses' staff has always been caring. Although navigating an elevator pass has been almost impossible, even with a valid reason. Maybe because the elevators are always out of service. Every year we "walk" my daughter's schedule. If you're worried about the stairs at Jones, you should be. Yes, they walk them every day and often may go from the top of one building, down to the bottom over to the other building and up to the top floor. And then back again. Honestly, I think it was poor planning. Overall, our experience has been very lackluster. When I hear of other people's experiences, I feel like there are two different schools. Jones for those in the loop and Jones for everyone else who are left to navigate on their own. Her friends have had much the same experience with teachers not teaching and not caring. I hope the new principal can turn the school around. Inclusivity to me means one school for all. I will add that my other daughter LOVES her school and so do I. It's a completely different experience.