Blacksburg Middle School

the community of learning to which most educators at the school are dedicated
--Submitted by a teacher

I like the way the school is designed and the pod idea is awesome. The teachers are ok some of them are awesome but others are bad. They sometimes play favorites and the students get by with alot of stuff. But overall it is a good school. One thing that does bug me is that at lunch some of my friends get stuck in the 7th grade lunch and its not fair bc there are 7th graders in my lunch!!
--Submitted by a student

The teachers in the lower grades are mostly excellent, especially Mrs. K and Mrs. Whie (1st grade, not 5th). After that, students who need even the tiniest amount of help should transfer. Principal hates children. I don't know why she is there. She supports the most damaging teachers and brings out the worst in otherwise good teachers. Teachers routinely scshout at students inches from their faces. Very punitive and negative. I feel sorry for the kids in this school. We moved our kids as soon as we could.
--Submitted by a parent

Most of the teachers are excellent and care about their students sincerely. However, there is, sadly, also a significant number of people in teaching positions that are doing great harm to students and the school through bullying students. Even more sadly, when complaints are made they are ignored.
--Submitted by a parent

i love this school, actually i get sad when i go home!
--Submitted by a student

The school does not follow policies. This is a good school if your student does not struggle. They do not work well with students who do not fit their ideal student. Maybe this is why they cannot make AYP!
--Submitted by Very Concerned, a parent

great school overall. The math program is considered weak by the high school math teachers. Very little after school help for Algebra and Geometry students. Parent teacher meetings usually result in defensiveness rather than concern for the student. Certain teams are the significantly better than others. no overall norm.
--Submitted by a parent

As a group, the teachers at BMS are top notch professionals. They have substantial experience, know their subject matter very well, and understand adolescents. The teachers collaborate wonderfully using a team approach, which effectively transitions students from the elementary to the high school format. The BMS curriculum is greatly strengthened by excellent specialties (e.g., band, art, tech ed, computer tech). The regular schedule, including daily PE, is an asset. The PE program, however, could be strengthened by shifting from using an antiquated, authoritarian model to developmentally engaging approaches (e.g., Kipps Elementary PE program). Except for the limited library resources, the facilities and equipment are state-of-the art across areas. At present, the school lacks a tradition of encouraging parent involvement, and most interactions with parents probably focus on problems. Encouraging parent involvement would create more positive parent-school relationships, expand assistance for individualized learning, and tap valuable community learning assets.
--Submitted by a parent

My impression is that if a child is not in the gifted program and if they in fact may have some learning issues, they tend to fall by the wayside at BMS. Also, once a child is labelled as a trouble-maker they tend to stay that way - there is no reward for improved behavior. There are definite favorites and then there are the kids that get marginalized.
--Submitted by a parent

BMS has essentially no program for gifted students other than the different math levels. At the same time BMS seems to have little ability to teach children who have trouble learning. Teachers are minimally concerned about the success of their students.
--Submitted by a parent