Mitchell Intermediate School

I am very concerned about the bullying in 5th grade. It appears to still going on. My son has different looks, ethnic, than most of the students and I feel for this he is being picked on. The math teacher is horrible. She is not teaching. He started out well and his grades are decreasing. Parents have complained with no results. I feel they are overwhelmed due to classroom size and basically do not teach. The websites are not updated and the newsletter comes on Fridays after the lessons are already done. We are lost on the kids assignments and have a hard time understanding the homework. I hear that families are homeschooling and the kids are excelling. It is not worth my son suffering emotionally for the rest of his life. We will be homeschooling.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a terrible school..WAY too large as all elementary schools feed into this middle school. Classes are out of control and teachers complain they cannot handle everything and this is why they say they do not have time to give parents feedback. Bullying is a huge problem...especially for boys. My son has been picked on mentally and physically for over a year and the teacher and principal turn their heads. Read previous older reviews and you will see this has been going on for years. Unfortunately I cannot afford private school, but most of my friends can, and therefore have switched to private and are now happy.
--Submitted by a teacher

I've had one child go through this school and presently have one in the 6th grade. It has been a true blessing and answer to prayers to have my kids attend this school. The teachers and admin truly care and look out for the children. Both kids are 504 and the care and level of education that they receive from Mitchell is the highest of quality. The LC experience , though at first concerned me ended up being absolute genius. The teachers get to know the kids and the way they learn and "customize the experience with that individual child." I Cant say enough good things about the time spend at Mitchell and LC&6. My only regreat is this will be the last year I have a child there. J. Wideman
--Submitted by a parent

The school is wonderful with all of it's teachers. My student is in LC 2 and we love it there... Improved grades from last year, such nice teachers... They go above and beyond.
--Submitted by a parent

I have mixed feelings about this school. The G/T program is nothing more than assigning extra work for the child which is truly disappointing. Also, just like all the other schools in The Woodlands, teachers are pressured by admin. to teach to the TAKS. The goal is to obtain or retain an exemplary rating. This is nothing new and we all know it happens across the state. Furthermore, the school tries to keep parental involvement to a minimum unless one is part of the PTA which is somewhat perplexing......these children are in 5th/6th grade! On the other hand, the teachers, at least the ones we've had contact with, seem to be concerned with the child's academic progress and overall well being. The principal is outstanding and quick to address questions or concerns. The fine arts program is top notch. Bottom line: There is good and bad anywhere.
--Submitted by a parent

The BULLIES are out of control! Mitchell's bullying prevention PowerPoint is a very ineffective way to stop the harassment. The administration needs to look beyond the PowerPoint and personally supervise the LC classroom exchanges and playground time. Unfortunately, these areas have become the breeding grounds for the bullies. Reducing bullying in our schools reflects an improved school environment that is friendly and welcoming to all students. In schools where children feel protected from bullying, they are free to spend their days learning, building friendships, and dreaming about all the possibilities for their lives, but not here at Mitchell. In contrast, we cannot say enough great things about Mitchell's hard-working counselors and teachers. They are quick to respond positively and are genuinely concerned about all issues related to our child. Our teachers keep us updated with daily assignment websites and send constant schedule and project e-mail reminders. Tip: 'Parents Get Involved!'.
--Submitted by a parent

The LCs do not keep up with the website postings for the kids homework and progress reports. They depend on this system, but yet do not maintain it. It is very frustrating and has made it very difficult for my wife and I to manage. We have made several complaints about this and we get the 'we do our best' and 'we try to teach kids to be responsible for their own schedule'. Its easy if you have an organized child - but if you need to help your child stay on top of things, the school sets you up for failure. In my opinion this one downfall ruins the reputation of this school. The teachers are very good other than that and overall we are happy with the school.
--Submitted by a parent

Mitchell is the worse school in the Woodlands. It is too large so they have broken the school up into learning communities (LC). Each LC has approximately 100 students. The four teachers focus on study habits the first two months of school with excessive planner checks, and complex multi-week projects. They do not remind the students it is due and expect Germanic like precision of 10 year olds in researching, planning, and composing the project. They expect this with no in school work on how to develop these skills. God help the househlods with two working parents and a non-academic background. Additionally, while they inflict this high standard on the students, they are virtually always behind in keeping up with the teacher assignment websites, and glacially slow in responding to questions when asked via email. Even when asked for a parent teacher conference, the teachers delayed two weeks. AVOID Mitchell. Homeschool.
--Submitted by a parent

Teach the test seems to be their one goal here. Very focused on retaining an exemplary rating on their TAKS testing rather than creating a true learning environment. Kids are grouped into LCs (learning communities) of about 200 students each in an attempt to overcome the problems of a campus that is too big.
--Submitted by a parent

So far, I am not impressed with my 5th grader's experience at Mitchell. My A/B child's grades are plummeting and the teacher's seem much more interested in cookie-cutter rules than in teaching. They do not update their own parent access websites and that makes it very hard for me to help my son be successful. The first semester seemed geared to forcing ten year olds to learn good study habits - something they didn't particularly need in elementary school. Teacher communication is a real struggle. I've waited two weeks for a response to my request for a conference. I want my child to be excited about learning!
--Submitted by a parent