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Arthur Dent wrote:

cardinalkarp wrote:I'm not saying that their isn't good schools and bad schools because obviously there is

Lol

/Sorry

Oops, got some typos and really bad grammar in there don't I

That was on purpose. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Responding to both CK and Popeye, good points, but I came into college writing as well as or better than college seniors (or so a prof told me), and I wasn't/am not naturally a great writer. I just had really good english teachers who knew how to build on a student's strengths. Maybe I just had some especially good teachers. Maybe it was due to my Dad's love of learning that I was open to them more than the average student.

Plus the general culture of my high school was those with below a 3.0 (really, below a 3.5) were less popular. The "cool" groups actually populated all of the honors classes. That might be due to the parents more than anything, but I think this school culture had a lot to do with the "drive" I ended up having. I think I became driven because I didn't want to feel stupid around my peers.

Regardless, I'll concede that its not completely the highschool, but I do think that there is a considerable difference which is complicated to say the least. I think if I was made fun of for good grades instead of being picked on for poor grades, I don't think I'd be in grad school right now, and I'll bet there is a considerable number of students who, like me, would play up, or down, to the level of their competition in their formative years.

Of course it's up to the individual. But on average students who received a better education in HS are going to be more prepared in college.

Controversial I know, and I'm sure someone will find a flaw in it, but that's my stance.

jim wrote:Of course it's up to the individual. But on average students who received a better education in HS are going to be more prepared in college.

Controversial I know, and I'm sure someone will find a flaw in it, but that's my stance.

No agrument from me. The school does make a difference but whether or not the student WANTS to learn is what really matters.

jim wrote:Of course it's up to the individual. But on average students who received a better education in HS are going to be more prepared in college.

Controversial I know, and I'm sure someone will find a flaw in it, but that's my stance.

I guess. But I still think it's up to the student and more importantly at the high school level their parents.

I can't say much though, because both of my parents were teachers, so I learned as much or more from them than I did my real teachers.

DuPage County has some really nice places like Morten Arboretum, along to go with almost 1 million residents. But it bums me out to know that some world class farmland in Kane and Will County is being turned into tract housing when there are plenty of brownfields and derelict tracts in Cook County.

..

JCShutout wrote:Responding to both CK and Popeye, good points, but I came into college writing as well as or better than college seniors (or so a prof told me), and I wasn't/am not naturally a great writer. I just had really good english teachers who knew how to build on a student's strengths. Maybe I just had some especially good teachers. Maybe it was due to my Dad's love of learning that I was open to them more than the average student.

Plus the general culture of my high school was those with below a 3.0 (really, below a 3.5) were less popular. The "cool" groups actually populated all of the honors classes. That might be due to the parents more than anything, but I think this school culture had a lot to do with the "drive" I ended up having. I think I became driven because I didn't want to feel stupid around my peers.

Regardless, I'll concede that its not completely the highschool, but I do think that there is a considerable difference which is complicated to say the least. I think if I was made fun of for good grades instead of being picked on for poor grades, I don't think I'd be in grad school right now, and I'll bet there is a considerable number of students who, like me, would play up, or down, to the level of their competition in their formative years.

Very good point.

maddash wrote:Newtown in St. Charles seems like an interesting concept (something you're seeing more and more of). Anyone know how it's doing?

http://www.newtownatstcharles.com/

That is interesting. There's a similar concept out here. Prospect New Town. They call it a "New Urbanist" community. It's one of the places we'll look if we decide to downsize locally.

The New Urbanist planning movement proposes an antidote to conventional, sprawling suburban development which is characterized by oversized front yards, wide, featureless streets, and inhospitable house fronts dominated by huge garage doors. Prospect, in common with other New Urbanist communities, instead features narrow, tree lined streets connecting homes to numerous parks and public amenities, shops, and offices. Home types include detached houses, townhouses, courtyard houses, apartments, and live/work lofts. Mature trees have been planted along Prospect’s streets and in its parks to provide the shade and privacy typical of an established community.

http://www.prospectnewtown.com/

Radbird wrote:

maddash wrote:Newtown in St. Charles seems like an interesting concept (something you're seeing more and more of). Anyone know how it's doing?

http://www.newtownatstcharles.com/

That is interesting. There's a similar concept out here. Prospect New Town. They call it a "New Urbanist" community. It's one of the places we'll look if we decide to downsize locally.

The New Urbanist planning movement proposes an antidote to conventional, sprawling suburban development which is characterized by oversized front yards, wide, featureless streets, and inhospitable house fronts dominated by huge garage doors. Prospect, in common with other New Urbanist communities, instead features narrow, tree lined streets connecting homes to numerous parks and public amenities, shops, and offices. Home types include detached houses, townhouses, courtyard houses, apartments, and live/work lofts. Mature trees have been planted along Prospect’s streets and in its parks to provide the shade and privacy typical of an established community.

http://www.prospectnewtown.com/

I prefer that by far to the first one. More trees near the houses, more interesting architecture.