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I grew up in Joliet, but attended Plainfield schools (back when there was only one high school). I no longer live in the area, but have many friends who live, work, and teach in both communities.
Plainfield schools have typically had a reputation for being one of the better districts in the area. You really should continue to research this though... greatschools.com is a fabulous resource. Plainfield South HS is statistically worse than PNHS as far as grades and student achievement. I have a few friends working in South that frequently mention that there is a strong gang presence in the school and surrounding neighborhoods. However, I have friends in North who say the same thing. The same could be said for Joliet. There are good and bad schools. There are good and bad areas.
No matter where you live...there is always going to be something great about the location and something you don't like. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.
I think the most important thing to remember is that good kids and positive results start in the home. If you are an involved parent and you do the very best by your child, they will be fine and succeed no matter what his or her environment may be. I've found, having worked in education for over 10 years, that those students who excel are those who have parents that are caring, compassionate, open-minded, and involved.
No matter where you live...there is always going to be something great about the location and something you don't like. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.
I think the most important thing to remember is that good kids and positive results start in the home. If you are an involved parent and you do the very best by your child, they will be fine and succeed no matter what his or her environment may be. I've found, having worked in education for over 10 years, that those students who excel are those who have parents that are caring, compassionate, open-minded, and involved.
I do agree with your post...there will always be some type of "problems" no matter where you live but you can somewhat minimize the probability dependening on where you live. Some problems are worse in other areas and theyre also different types as well.
I also agree that everything starts in the home but a lot of times good kids are picked on and or somewhat pushed into doing things that they know may be wrong.
We parents can only do so much but we have to be involved with our children as much as we can and pray heavily that they will be safe!
I grew up in Joliet, but attended Plainfield schools (back when there was only one high school). I no longer live in the area, but have many friends who live, work, and teach in both communities.
Plainfield schools have typically had a reputation for being one of the better districts in the area. You really should continue to research this though... greatschools.com is a fabulous resource. Plainfield South HS is statistically worse than PNHS as far as grades and student achievement. I have a few friends working in South that frequently mention that there is a strong gang presence in the school and surrounding neighborhoods. However, I have friends in North who say the same thing. The same could be said for Joliet. There are good and bad schools. There are good and bad areas.
No matter where you live...there is always going to be something great about the location and something you don't like. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.
I think the most important thing to remember is that good kids and positive results start in the home. If you are an involved parent and you do the very best by your child, they will be fine and succeed no matter what his or her environment may be. I've found, having worked in education for over 10 years, that those students who excel are those who have parents that are caring, compassionate, open-minded, and involved.
It is crazy to me to sit here and read this !! My family is looking into the Plainfield area and I'm not very familiar with the area so I was glad when I came across this forum. Well after reading this I'm still glad but extremely frustrated. I am an African American woman and this obviously was very offensive to me. I really would not have expected this from a Hispanic woman!! I have fought my entire life to live in nice areas that are safe and have found discrimination on every side. Regardless of that fact my husband and I still fight to make a nice life for our family. With that being said I think that it is best for children to attend schools that are racially divers. The realty of life is most schools are still segregated and tend to lean one way or the other. I would prefer for my child to attend a school where he is not the only African American in the class but if the children all get along then so be it! Kids are kids until we pollute their minds with racism! I don't know how you would characterize me and my family (ghetto or preppy) but I know that as people we are all more alike then different. Let's remember just because these children may come from areas that are lower income that does not make them bad or "ghetto". Maybe this could be a good experience for your children since as you say they have only seen one Black person in their lives. We really do exist outside of TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by isevilla
Hello everyone I happen to come across your posts via a google search and would like to ask a few questions of the persons who responded about the Joliet area. I apologize in advance for the long post but didnt know where to turn for advice.
I have just moved to the Joliet area (Jefferson & Larkin) cross streets to be exact. I have been visiting the Joliet area for about 10 years to a relative living in the area (by the small plane airport) and Ive always been wanting to move out here.
I had a problem with my credit and was not allowed to get a large amount for a home even though i could afford it in the farther western part or shorewood and happen to find this home for a decent price and I think its a fairly nice area as well until today.
My children were always brought up in upper middle class areas and we have never had any problems. They also have like seen one black person in their life. Well we moved here and the block or surrounding blocks we live on seem to be older/elderly white couples. We are in our thirties and are hispanic but brought up in white neiborhoods all our lives.
So I go to enroll the kids in the school that is 3 blocks away or so and find that almost all the kids walking around are black and I dont mean preppy blacks I mean ghetto blacks. The teachers and staff for the most part were white and or hispanic. My kids totally freaked out and were starting to feel and act weird. After school when my husband and I went to pick them up I would say 90% of the kids were black. My kids came home and said that they were 1 in 5 white/non black kids in their class and that the rest were black and that they werent good black kids. This really freaked me out.
I am freaked out because my oldest who is 12 knows right from wrong and the difference between ghetto people and preppy people etc and for him to come home and say that the kids were bad and ghetto scared me. My kids were always in schools that were all white and we never had problems with anything. He also said that they betted that no one had a real football jersey and when he said he did they all got mad at him and started to dislike him.
I dont want my kids to be seen as "rich" or "well off" compared to the other kids. I saw on the school's web site that 70% of the kids are on some type of welfare.
Any advice anyone? Should I take them out of the school if its possible or look to move again? I dont know where they come from or if they get bused there or what?
Ok, so throughout this thread black kids have been refered to as ghetto. Ghetto is a term used for slums, poor areas that consist of abnormally high density housing that is neglected and terribly unsafe. In this thread, why are these kids being labeled as preppy or ghetto? Are those the two classifications for black kids...black people?
law1013: Just like any other area, Joliet has its pros and cons. As a lender in the area, I can tell you that there are many price ranges available for you to consider, as well as architectural styles, ranging from historical homes located on the near west side and closer to the downtown section, to the modern and new homes built surrounding the city. The far western portion of the city and towards Plainfield has experienced extensive growth in the last decade. It is true that along the Rte. 59 corridor, I-55, and I-80 it can get rather congested and hectic at rush hours, but they serve to connect you with multiple areas very easily and quickly. The new extension of I-355 in particular has opened up traffic immensely and greatly improves travel time to the western suburbs and Chicago alike. As in all Chicagoland rapidly-expanding suburbs, it is a matter of catching up with infrastructure improvements. It will happen, but growing pains will be felt until that time.
I would suggest doing some homework and research on the area so you can determine which areas of Joliet or the surrounding communities would best fit your families needs and lifestyle. Many area real estate websites have links to school systems to aid you in that research, plus other links for your benefit and search as well. If you need additional information or have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or an area realtor for assistance.
Best of luck to you in your new home search ... and welcome to the area!
Ok, so throughout this thread black kids have been refered to as ghetto. Ghetto is a term used for slums, poor areas that consist of abnormally high density housing that is neglected and terribly unsafe. In this thread, why are these kids being labeled as preppy or ghetto? Are those the two classifications for black kids...black people?
Apparently, that's how they're sorting through the "black trash" and "middle class blacks".
I can't say we have any "slums" per se, although cruising along Richards St. at some hours is a little bit more interesting than I'd like it to be.
I live in Shorewood and love it! I promise you that MOST people (not all so save it) that make bad comments on the Joliet area have never lived there, which in my opinion makes their comments worthless. A big reason for that is that when one visits Joliet they tend to go to "attractions" like the Rialto Square Theatre, Silver Cross Field for a baseball game, Harrahs casino, or they have to go to court. All of these places (execpt the courthouse) are nice but they are within a few blocks of each other in the somewhat blighted downtown area. Areas a few blocks north or south of there aren't that great. To most people living in Joliet, we are miles from there. To us that doesn't define Joliet, but it does to visitors cause thats what they see. True, your taxes go towards the whole city, but the schools aren't bad at all if you're west of the river. Look it up and you'll find more problems (mostly drugs) in recent years in Plainfield high schools. I know because I know many students from the area. (I'm 40, not a high schooler). Troy schools are great and our kids prefer them to the catholic school in Joliet they used to go to. Their education standards are high. Its unfortunate that Shorewood doesn't have its own high school. That being said, the Larkin-Jefferson area is fine. I don't even know where thats coming from. JOliet Junior College by the way is a great school. Avoiding Joliet schools is over-reacting. If you wan't to pay $7000 a year in taxes in Naperville because the site of black people makes you uncomfortable then go right ahead. Joliet is 54% white with more hispanics (mexicans) than blacks. Mexicans mostly make up the north east side, blacks dominate the south east side, and whites make up most of the rest although its not a segregated area. Shorewood is 93% white, showing the west/east divide trend. I only bring this up because I think thats what naperville types are avoiding. A huge amount of whatever crime there is in the joliet region is contained to 2 or 3 small areas (evergreen terrace/ bluff st., St. Patricks, and near Silver Cross Hospital, not near Joliet West or most schools. Rich people don't have much reason to commit crime, so obviously these are poorer areas. I have nothing against Naperville and I once lived in Plainfield. They just have a superiority complex. I guess you have to keep justifying your horribe taxes by telling each other how great it is. ps Does anyone really care about the gas station by the airport?? No one lives by it!
I always see on these sites this bias. What constitutes a nice area to some is different from others. As a white male I realize that to some people the number of blacks in an area corealates to how "bad" or "nice" it is. If you're white and from another state or region, you probably don't want to move to Harvey, Gary, or Englewood. Even blacks can't honestly claim those areas are nice. You wouldn't want to move to Little Villiage either (all mexican). I don't like people who don't even live here putting Joliet in that same category cause it totally isn't. Its a great place to live in my opinion. I didn't move to Shorewood to avoid blacks. Its smaller and has more of a close-knit feel (something I NEVER sensed in Plainfield cause I'm not FROM there). Different ethnic people live in peace together in Joliet. There are neighborhoods in Joliet I would not want to live in. Are there any in Naperville? I don't know. So what if there is as long as you don't live in that neighborhood? Does that make Joliet a place to fear moving to or sending kids to school there? I say no way! I know kids that graduated from West (JTHS) that got scholarships, went far is sports, and had great experiences there with no fear whatsoever. My step-daughter goes there now. Joliet Catholic Acedemy tuition is somewhere around $8000 a year I was told. Its a great school if you can afford it. Is it better than JTHS? how much better? Is Lake Forest better than Joliet? By better are we talking square footage of houses, less blacks, less crime, or better quality of life? Does it matter if you can only afford a $1500 a month house payment??? Shame on those who condemn Joliet as a place you wouldn't want to live. I'm sorry you don't see it for what it really is.
Seems like you have a problem with Mexicans because you assume all Mexicans are illegal. Don't Mexicans have the right to fair housing?
I didn't see anywhere in his posting referring to Mexicans or any other race for that matter.
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I know I'm late but....
!! My family is looking into the Plainfield area and I'm not very familiar with the area so I was glad when I came across this forum. Well after reading this I'm still glad but extremely frustrated. I am an African American woman and this obviously was very offensive to me. I really would not have expected this from a Hispanic woman!! I have fought my entire life to live in nice areas that are safe and have found discrimination on every side. Regardless of that fact my husband and I still fight to make a nice life for our family. With that being said I think that it is best for children to attend schools that are racially divers. The realty of life is most schools are still segregated and tend to lean one way or the other. I would prefer for my child to attend a school where he is not the only African American in the class but if the children all get along then so be it! Kids are kids until we pollute their minds with racism! I don't know how you would characterize me and my family (ghetto or preppy) but I know that as people we are all more alike then different. Let's remember just because these children may come from areas that are lower income that does not make them bad or "ghetto". Maybe this could be a good experience for your children since as you say they have only seen one Black person in their lives. We really do exist outside of TV. 
RACE was NOT mentioned
