Woodhome Elementary Middle School

I've attended Woodhome since I was in the fourth grade, and am currently in seventh. Throughout my time in elementary school, I felt like I was taught everything I needed to know and was adequately challenged. I reached middle school and was also very pleased with it. They have some excellent teachers who make learning fun with things such as discussions, learning outside, personal experience stories, etc. The teachers at the school are very approachable, kind, and welcoming. There are a few extracurricular activities, the two most prominent being NAL (National Academic League), which was Baltimore City's runner-up champion for the 2009-2010 season, and Chess Club, which is taught by a chess master. However, there are definatly some drawbacks to this school. It could be said that it isn't a 'real' middle school by definition, being that the student population is so small within the middle school, have no 'elective' classes like foreign languages, and the fact we're not given any choice at all as far as the 'level' of our lessons. It's very apparent that there is no discretion when placing students in classes, e.g. "lower" level reading comprehension students with "higher" level reading comprehension students. We also don't get art, and our resources vary by day. There is also a complete disconnect with certain things, such as discipline and actual leadership. Sometimes, it seems that certain teachers seem to think that they are principal of the school, and some would say 'extend beyond their reach' to try to enforce rules on students. The discipline at the school stinks. For the most part, there is no real major incidents like violence or anything. However, the school's discipline is so poor that repeat violent offenders are given a slap on the wrist, meanwhile people without a violent history seem to be easily suspended for defending themselves in a fight. Students are also completely unrecognised for doing the right thing and performing well, instead they're preached to about what not to do. Parent involvement is minimal, however we have parents who are involved who are honestly plainly and honestly over-involved and seem to forget they're a volunteer, not a teacher. The middle school special educator should be more appreciation then she gets, having to spend the whole day in a self-contained class with no support from the administration. I think that this is one of Baltimore's best schools that isn't given a chance because of it's size, so I hope in the future it becomes a more highly recognized school, appreciated for it's quirky leniency and amazing teachers.