Many parents of Sisters Middle School students have heard comments like these from their students. Too often, they quickly relay these remarks to me, very upset that their child has been treated unfairly or that the school has started making attendance optional. Well, borrowing a famous phrase from the radio commentator Paul Harvey, parents need to check out "the rest of the story."

The most important point I'd like to make to parents is that if anything your child tells you feels upsetting to either your student or you, PLEASE follow up on it! Our staff works very hard to help all students be successful, and we don't want families feeling dissatisfied or even confused. We welcome your questions and concerns.

But I also want to remind parents that there is a significant difference between a contact that seeks more information and one that's angry or accusatory. Many, many times parents have discovered that the story they have heard at home is incomplete in some way. Sometimes students deliberately mislead their  parents because they don't want to get in trouble. Other times the student is confused or has misinterpreted the situation.

And sometimes teachers and staff have made mistakes. I remember well a comment that I as a language arts teacher made on a student's essay. It sounded sarcastic and was hurtful to the student. I apologized, then went to work healing my relationship with that student. But I appreciated the way the parents addressed the situation. They came in seeking information, and they shared their child's feelings calmly. Their professional approach to the problem helped us achieve the best resolution possible. So please continue to call, visit and email with your concerns; just remember to seek "the rest of the story."

~Lora Nordquist, SMS Principal