Vinewood Elementary School - Lodi, California

Silver F.

Went to this school years ago and was in Ms. Bills' class. This teacher is abusive of her position as an educator and exhibited bullying behavior as well as promoted bullying behavior between and to her unfortunate students. She uses tactics like shaming, publicly (in front of the class) and privately, in order to control her students into doing well in class. Within my year at Vinewood in her class, I was humiliated in front of my peers due to my grades, as well as my classmates who were in a similar position. If students do not do exactly as she says, exactly how she says to do it, they are punished. I preferred to highlight my sentences/words in a squiggly line. After she saw this, she took my packet from me and demanded that I start over from the beginning, simply because my highlighter marks weren't straight. This is the ridiculousness that she will go to to shame her lower-performing students, or honestly, students who have any shred of uniqueness or personality.

In my year, we studied Greek Mythology. She decided to group us up based on our grades in her class so that all the other students were aware of how we were performing. She even named the groups after groups in ancient Greek mythology as well. I can't remember all of them, but I know that I was placed in the lowest group, or the "Spartans" (a class known to be brutal, inhumane, uneducated fighters.) The highest grade group? Athens. The most beautiful city in Greece, known for it's luxury and led by Athena, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. By doing this, she severely segregated her students into cliques by letting them know whether they were great, average, or bad. This was such a horrible teaching practice that led a lot of her students to look down upon each other, and students were being supported in their actions by the very teacher who's job it is to discourage such behavior. Improving your grades could get you up into one of the higher groups, so it eventually became an unwinnable competition with the students pinned against each other. I only ever saw one student move up.

The final straw was Box City. Box City is a school-wide event in which students build their own "shops" out of boxes and charge their peers fake currency for services or items. This event was very fun and honestly would have been the highlight of my year, if I had even been able to participate. I was barred from this event by Ms. Bills because I did not finish 35 letters to send to my peers as part of a yearly project. I will admit that I should have done these assignments, but because of the position I was in at the time, which both myself and my mother tried to explain to Ms. Bills, it was exceedingly hard for me to finish them.

Instead of showing compassion, understanding and sympathy towards my situation, she disregarded anything besides the fact that I was unable to finish them, and I was placed in an empty classroom for the duration of Box City week where I had the choice to either read, or work on the letters.

The only kindness I was ever shown was from the Principal at the time, my music teacher Mrs. Reinhardt, who is amazing, and a teacher in another room, who gave me some currency and allowed me to spend it in her class during one recess in Box City. To these people, thank you for showing love and compassion towards your students. I commend you for it. And to Ms. Bills, thank you for making my year in your class the worst year in elementary school. I have little to no fond memories of either you, or the students who you let bully both myself and other students. I will never forget the days you sent me home in tears.

As a note, I have never been a poor student. In personality or academics. I was in GATE classes (this class too!) and this was the only year I didn't do well. This should really tell you something. I truly hope Ms. Bills has changed her ways in the years since I left.

Remember that as a teacher you are leaving lasting marks on each child you touch.

"Kids don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are."
- Jim Henson

Kgb B.

Amazing school! I attended 3rd grade - 6th grade and I would recommend it to anyone

Aaron S.

Amazing teachers and staff. Keep it up, VW!!!!!

Tiffany C.

Amazing in all ways as always!

Epic Y.

Yaroslav S.