Carroll High School

It's a very old, ugly school. The office staff almost never helps anyone unless someone is assertive. Most of the staff only gossips and eats in the office. Then, most of the counselors are almost never available for the students. The female assistant principles are too defensive against students. The principle seems apathetic of his surroundings. There's almost cocking and dust everywhere the eye can see. There is a large number of stray cats all over the campus and the outdoors smell terrible. It seems the janitors aren't cleaning anywhere in the school at all. The lunch is greasy and doesn't seem healthy. In the Cantu Gym, there's always a dreadful smell in the hallways. It seems no one ever bothers to try and clean anything there. There used to be a foreign language building, but all the language teachers were separated to the freshman building and where the math classes used to be; this doesn't help at all because there are so many disruptions from students who skip. Try to listen to tapes of listening exercises for an AP test while students in the hall scream and yell vulgar comments to each other and the room above the classroom is filled with desks being scraped and moved across the floor by 25+ students! 

The bathrooms throughout the building almost never have toilet paper, paper towels, and soap. This school year, there weren't enough textbooks for the students. There are many assistant principles and security staff in various locations on campus, but there are still many fights around the campus and too many students who yell inappropriate comments in the hallways. Some students are treated with additional respect by some teachers, simply because the students are in clubs such as Student Councils, JSA, Decathlon, and NHS. At a pep rally this year, the top Tigerettes wore scandalous outfits, consisting of extremely short shorts just underneath the behinds, skin-tight tops that showed off the midriffs and some busts and fishnets on top of the outfits, which was very inappropriate. There is a secretary in the Career Center who is also in charge of the book-room; she is rude to many students and has a sour attitude. There are three thirty-minute lunch shifts. Each shift has long lines of students. By the time a student gets his or her lunch, there is about 8 - 11 minutes to eat lunch. The air-conditioners have thermometers that instructors are unable to control, which makes classrooms difficult to learn in due to some very warm temperatures. The PE coaches do not do anything for the students, so the coaches are basically being paid to do nothing except yell at students and hang out in gymnasiums. The sophomore and freshman English instructors DO NOT prepare students for the junior and senior years. Some teachers, especially elective-based teachers, email other teachers, listen to music, talk and text on their cellphones, gossip with students, and do anything but teach subjects.

However, I have had so many amazing instructors. I have seen very encouraging and devoted instructors. I have learned so much from some teachers, most who have retired or transferred to different schools. My past and current teachers are respectful and do not show favoritism for "special" students who are part of academically-successful clubs or high rankings. My past and current instructors do more than teach. They have taught us many helpful things, such as how to write formal business letters, VITAs, résumés, complex equations, etc. It's as if I have been learning three different subjects per class, such as government, economics, and history all in one course. I have always learned that regular teachers don't care about their students' educations; however, last year I had two very special mentors. My regular teachers were strict and taught very well. In fact, I only missed two questions on the TAKS exams and my SAT scores were higher in the subjects. These teachers don't fool-around and I look forward to having them write recommendation letters for me for particular scholarships and universities. Some instructors are very intellectual and spend so much time, even outside of class, just to help students who are struggling with courses. The lunch ladies are very respectful and fair. The lunch ladies are always busy and clean. I have never seen one without gloves and hairnets when serving food (so far). The male assistant principles, unlike the female assistant principles, are respectful and humble to everyone. The male APs greet students and co-workers and confront issues responsibly. These men are strong without bad attitudes. 

This is all I can think of for now. I'm not putting down the school, I am simply being very frank about it. This is my last year, and even though I strongly dislike the school, I truly admire many devoted instructors who are teaching many students and helping many students create the students' lives after high school.