To the editor:

In response to the forthcoming plans for again building bigger, better, newer facilities to Lawrence’s educational system, I offer this argument: For elementary school, I attended Pinckney, a small school in an older building; we didn’t even have air conditioning. I learned some of the most important lessons in my life there, and credit much of my knowledge to the amazing teachers and experiences I had there.

After leaving Pinckney, I attended Central Junior High, another older school lacking amazing facilities. The history of the school, the care and love of the staff there and the experiences ingrained into the very building itself were what I took away; not the impressions of a flashy building. I loved Central, and so do the people that I still keep in contact with who went there.

Finally, I went to Free State High School, the only school I’ve attended where there was a brand new sparkling building. I loathed the school; it had a cold heartless feeling, despite the good teachers who were there. Many of the students had been pulled from their neighborhoods and the things they knew to attend this new facility, and they hated it. I eventually transferred to Lawrence High School, and I felt relaxed in this school near to my house.

Now I attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, studying graphic design, and I realize that what impacted me in my early schooling was not flashy new technology, but passionate teachers and caring. These are the important things from my K-12 education, not the spotless walls of a cold new concrete box.

Phaedra Babcock,

Chicago