V G Hawkins Middle School

My son was diagnosed with ADD in January. He was failing some of his classes, and I was concerned that he would not pass the 6th grade. I tried to work with this school throughout the entire process of his diagnosis and was marginalized the WHOLE time. I requested that a plan be put in place for him about a dozen times and it was not even acknowledged that I made a request. He still failed 3-4 classes, I didn't get a phone call as the Sumner county website stated I would notifying me of any type of need for summer school and there was nothing in the report card that addressed whether or not he will be repeating the 6th grade. I was embarrassed the one of his teachers (with a doctorate no less) actually wrote on my son's ADD assessment that he "picks his nose and eats it in class." Which is blatantly false. I feel as though my concerns for my child's education are met with a "What is she here for this time?" attitude. DO NOT PUT YOUR CHILD IN THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM IF THEY NEED ANY TYPE OF EXTRA HELP AT ALL you will be treated as an idiot by the administration. They will put every type of roadblock imaginable in front of your child's educational success.
--Submitted by a parent

Hawkins Middle has been a wonderful experience for our family! All three of our boys have or are attending Hawkins Middle - and we have seen first-hand that the education they received at Hawkins more than adequately prepared our son for success in an honors/AP route in high school. The academic and extracurricular opportunities are available with teachers,admins, coaches, and support staff readily providing a positive environment to grow. The "family feel" atmosphere at Hawkins is one of my favorite aspects of the school- you really feel welcomed and encouraged to participate alongside the school staff and administration to create the best of both worlds for your student- home encouragement and assistance and validation from the classroom. It is a team effort raising our children- so get involved-know what your school is all about- help and encourage the staff, it is a rewarding adventure @ Hawkins. Thanks for all the great years of learning, encouragement, and fun!
--Submitted by a parent

My child was an academic achiever in elementary school. Spelling Bee, Math Olympics ect. Hawkins needs improvement. The teachers use their phones during class, texting and watching videos during instructional time (proven) One teacher was constantly preaching about her religion and bragging that she can't be fired for 10 yrs. so she can say what she wants. The nightmare continues with some teachers using movies constantly as lesson plans. You will not be able to accurately check your childs progress unless you make an appointment. They will tell you that the teachers post assignments on the web, however they are always outdated and vague. Classroom management leads to bullys. They are under new leadership now, so I'm not sure how it has changed anything.
--Submitted by a parent

Hawkins is a wonderful school! My youngest son attended Hawkins, and we were very pleased with all aspects of this school. It offers a wide range of activities not only in the classroom but also in extra-curricular activities for the students. The faculty and staff are very warm and are extremely willing to help the students as well as the parents. The principal and teachers offer a safe environment and fair discipline. It is our job as parents to prepare our children for school by teaching them early about responsibility for their actions and work as well as respect for others. Hawkins does a wonderful job by nurturing these important characteristics so our children will become productive citizens of this state. So often I feel that society wants to blame the school system for their problems when a closer look at the deterioration of the family and church should be taken.
--Submitted by a parent

This schools is great. They have all that academics that a child could need at this age.

The last comment I posted was on Oct. 4. I really don't think too much homework is given. My third grader even has homework on weekends, which I don't agree with. My son is in 7th grade now at Hawkins & I've had problems with him being lazy and choosing not to do his classwork/homework at times. He has been in one of the best Magnet schools in Tennessee, but has still managed to bring home at least three F's this year. I was notified by his teachers & attended a parent-teacher conference. We discussed what was going on & began working with him. Since then, I have tightened down on him and he has brought three grades up so far since his last report card. I believe a lot of the problem was his transition to middle school. So I don't blame the teachers or the school.
--Submitted by a parent

I disagree with the other comments. Hawkins needs a lot of work. The teachers do not care, assign way too much howework, are very impersonable, do not communicate with parents, do not participate in any extra-curricular activies, do not attend the school sporting events, and blame everything on the students. The school is in trouble with certain scoring and test results, and they simply blame it on the students,but it is the teachers fault,. My daughter never recieved an F in her life until Hawkins, and this last semester she had 4 and the sad part was that none of her teachers communicated to me that her grades were slipping. I personally know of several other students that this has happened to, Students that have never failed any subject. Our students came from great Elementary schools with fantastic grades, now all of a sudden they are horrible students?
--Submitted by a parent

I used to go to this school, and I can honestly say, it was horrible. The teachers were impersonal and the allotted amount of time to get from class to class was ridiculous. Also, the band program is a joke.

It's a great school filled with teachers and staff who honestly do care about your student. The principal is an honest, compassionate man who certainly does his best to try and assist both parents and students whenever possible.
--Submitted by a parent

Good school, it needs upgrading. Principal and teachers try hard there and lots of parents involved.
--Submitted by a parent