East Middle School

My son has been at East since September 2016. It is his first year and he likes the school and his teachers. He loves the different courses that they offer, which is important for students. The only problem that I have with the school is that they offer science, English and math as the last three classes, in that order. I have asked my sons counselor and the principal if these classes could be taken earlier in the day. I was told that there are other math, English, and science classes earlier in the day but my son could not take the earlier classes. I have had to go to the school several times because my son has asthma but was not using his inhaler at school. I asked the principal and the teacher of his last class if they could remind him to use his inhaler. I sat in class and witnessed him coughing and struggling to breath. I asked the principal again if my son could be reminded to use his inhaler. I explained that he would not be able to comprehend what was being taught if he could not breath properly. I feel that my son is not important to them and they don't really care if he learns or not. I asked if he could get help with math through a program that helps children with math in their WIN class. They said that it is for select students as are the earlier math, English, and science classes. What has to happen for my child to be important enough to be a "SELECTED STUDENT"? The school offers a variety of courses that children are interested in and those courses are offered earlier in the day, however, the courses that are important are important for kids to succeed in high school and enter college are given a back seat. Maybe it is the "SELECTED STUDENTS" that will succeed because their education is set up for them to succeed. They get the important courses earlier in the day and special math help in their WIN classes. I felt like I was being blown off because I was complaining that my son couldn't breath in his last classes of the day. The school is a nut free school which is good for children with nut allergies but I guess asthma is not a high priority on the list of life threatening allergies.

My daughter is in her second year at this school and I have been struck by how enthusiastic and engaged the teachers are with the students. She is excited about what she is learning and it's in large part due to the teachers. The school also has lots of extracurricular activities to appeal to a broad range of kids.

My second child has just finished her time at EMS and we have been truly blessed have been part of this school. Both my wife and I are educators, so we have some exceptionally high expectations when it comes to teaching and learning. With both of our students, the majority of experiences were outstanding. Mind you, there were teachers that our children liked better than others, but that is to be expected. We found the administration to be helpful and concerned with the well-being of our kids. There were several times over our 4 years at EMS that the staff (counseling, support staff, teachers, administration) went above and beyond for our kids...and we saw them do it for others as well. Between my wife and I, we have almost 50 years of educational experience in some of the top districts in MI, and we put our kids at East and we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

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