I have a theory as to the source of many (most?) of Houston's problems: lack of education (live, bus)

[amyalta]

To the poster who wondered if I've been in Houston, yes, a large section of my family lives there & I have done so for various periods.

Insularity? Trust me, there is no one so insular as an American - no one. Only Americans say things like 'European press is all left wing, wheareas American press is impartial...' and 'george Bush was fairly elected in 2000' and so on. And there is no such thing as a 'European,' by the way - that's another perfect example of American insularity. No one in the UK would describe themselves thus - nor would any French person.

Books? Texas schools? I am very well informed here - exhaustive researches in Katy, Cypress, Kingswood and Woodlands schools, all supposedly superior to many. How about 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Of Mice and Men' being seen as intellectually challenging and being studied at the age of 15? My son had devoured them both by age 11 - and he is by no means an A student.

I found the remark about kids who don't get into the top bands in UK being condemned to a life as a janitor, another hilarious example of insularity. Well of course, to answer you in the same vein, we don't have vast armies of illegal immigrants to take on such jobs!

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by amyalta

To the poster who wondered if I've been in Houston, yes, a large section of my family lives there & I have done so for various periods.

Insularity? Trust me, there is no one so insular as an American - no one. Only Americans say things like 'European press is all left wing, wheareas American press is impartial...' and 'george Bush was fairly elected in 2000' and so on. And there is no such thing as a 'European,' by the way - that's another perfect example of American insularity. No one in the UK would describe themselves thus - nor would any French person.

Books? Texas schools? I am very well informed here - exhaustive researches in Katy, Cypress, Kingswood and Woodlands schools, all supposedly superior to many. How about 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Of Mice and Men' being seen as intellectually challenging and being studied at the age of 15? My son had devoured them both by age 11 - and he is by no means an A student.

I found the remark about kids who don't get into the top bands in UK being condemned to a life as a janitor, another hilarious example of insularity. Well of course, to answer you in the same vein, we don't have vast armies of illegal immigrants to take on such jobs!

Where are you from?

1. But that's actually the case compared to the U.S.
2. Yes, there is. Especially if you introduce yourself to someone outside of the E.U.

Like I said, you can't compare all those things. Also, does it really matter? Just gotta love the difference.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by amyalta

To the poster who wondered if I've been in Houston, yes, a large section of my family lives there & I have done so for various periods.

Insularity? Trust me, there is no one so insular as an American - no one. Only Americans say things like 'European press is all left wing, wheareas American press is impartial...' and 'george Bush was fairly elected in 2000' and so on. And there is no such thing as a 'European,' by the way - that's another perfect example of American insularity. No one in the UK would describe themselves thus - nor would any French person.

I'll take you word for it when you say you have family in Houston, however I am now thinking you and I have a different definition of "insular". On one hand you say Americans are so one-sided in our opinions yet on the other you are saying Europe is a continent full of individual countries. Those countries are insular, and you know this. That is, unless your definition of insular is different. England's history with Ireland and Scotland may be the quintessential definition of insularity.

Originally Posted by amyalta

Books? Texas schools? I am very well informed here - exhaustive researches in Katy, Cypress, Kingswood and Woodlands schools, all supposedly superior to many. How about 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Of Mice and Men' being seen as intellectually challenging and being studied at the age of 15? My son had devoured them both by age 11 - and he is by no means an A student.

Are those books really that difficult? Perhaps you are placing a little too much value on them based on reputation. I will give you this, though. We read "A Separate Peace" in Freshman honors English. That was rather pathetic.

Originally Posted by amyalta

I found the remark about kids who don't get into the top bands in UK being condemned to a life as a janitor, another hilarious example of insularity. Well of course, to answer you in the same vein, we don't have vast armies of illegal immigrants to take on such jobs!

You aren't going to win that argument. I have in-laws that this has happened to. If you aren't a good student, you are not able to go to college. This is why United States universities are full of Europeans that fail in sub par U.S. universities. They were put on the blue collar track due to test scores and come here for a college education. They are woefully unprepared, fail and go back more. As for illegal immigration, what does that have to do with the price of a tacky neon sign in Piccadilly Circus?

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

You aren't going to win that argument. I have in-laws that this has happened to. If you aren't a good student, you are not able to go to college. This is why United States universities are full of Europeans that fail in sub par U.S. universities. They were put on the blue collar track due to test scores and come here for a college education. They are woefully unprepared, fail and go back more. As for illegal immigration, what does that have to do with the price of a tacky neon sign in Piccadilly Circus?

That's not true.

India is the leading place of origin for international students in the United States with 94,563 in 2007/08 (an increase of 13% from the previous year), followed by #2 China (81,127, up 20%) #3 South Korea (69,124, up 11%), #4 Japan (33,974, down 4%), #5 Canada (29,051, up 3%), #6 Taiwan (29,001, down less than 1%), #7 Mexico (14,837, up 7%), #8 Turkey (12,030, up 5%), #9 Saudi Arabia (9,873, up 25%), #10 Thailand (9,004, up 1%), #11 Nepal (8,936, up 15%), #12 Germany (8,907, up 3%), #13 Vietnam (8,769, up 45%), #14 United Kingdom (8,367, down less than 1%), #15 Hong Kong (8,286, up 7%) #16 Indonesia (7,692, up 5%), #17 Brazil (7,578, up 6%), #18 France (7,050, up 5%), #19 Colombia (6,662, down 1%), and #20 Nigeria (6,222, up 5%).

International Students in the US


International students are generally very successful. Any professor will tell you the same.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by radiodude84

First let me say I love Houston and this is NOT a "bash Houston" thread. If you came here to do that, sorry find somewhere else to bash. Similarly if you cannot handle constructive criticism of your city, then this thread isn't for you.

So to the theory....look at all th major complaints people have about Houston. I base these off of what people who have visited me here in the city have told me, complaints on this forum, and my own family/friends here and what they have to say. The complaints are

1) it's a boring city. Yes, there is stuff to do here but by big city standards I don't think anyone can argue Houston has it "going on" like NYC, LA, Miami, SF, Chicago, Minneaplis, etc. Those places are known for being vibrant and exciting.

2. Lack of city planning. No need to go into that

3. Extremely conservative suburbs. I have friends from Philly who moved to pearland and were disheartened by some of the close-minded and hateful rhetoric their kids were exposed to at school.

4. Horrid pblic transit options.

I won't go into why I think lack of education in the citizenry is the cause for some of this .... I just wanted to throw this idea out there and get some feedback. Any data available on how educated our metro is compared to other areas?

I agree with points 2, 3, and 4, but I think you're wrong on the lack of edu and the vibrant feel of the city. "Houston"(not the suburbs) is a very exciting city with many different types of entertainment for everyone to enjoy.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by XodoX

That's not true.

International Students in the US


International students are generally very successful. Any professor will tell you the same.

That wasn't what I stated. Those who fail in the European school systems (including England) often times come to the United States as they are unable to attend university in Europe. They often times struggle. I've experienced it first hand with my own students.

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

That wasn't what I stated. Those who fail in the European school systems (including England) often times come to the United States as they are unable to attend university in Europe. They often times struggle. I've experienced it first hand with my own students.

I know what you meant. I was just saying that you do not have many Europeans attending american Colleges. Why would someone want to pay 30k + a semester when you can get it free at home? And no, there are still ways to attend College over there. Yes, it's a little complicated but possibile.
I didn't say I disagree with you, but you can't compare the High Schools in the U.S. with the ones in Europe. There's a reason why they do it like this.

[yoshi555]

Wow, okay...

UT, Texas A&M, Rice, SMU, Baylor, UofH

Every one of those schools have at least one program that is HIGHLY competitive. Not everything outside of the Ivy league is bad.

Education...

Let's be specific.. HISD vs. FBISD? or maybe CYFISD? Drastic differences.

Our lack of city planning is historic, but that has nothing to do with education..

Houston is second of the most Fortune 500 companies in the nation, we're liberal as hell compared to the rest of the state, we have a world-class theater district.. Lastly, how dare you say anything against our medical district. We have EXTREMELY hard-working people in this city. A large portion of those people work around-the-clock to help the sick and disadvantaged. Our cancer research is ground-breaking.
And can anyone forget NASA?

While it's definitely easy to bash this city...Houston was listed as one the best places to beat out the recession, AND best for recent graduates.

[Black Jack22]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Expand the light rail and everything else will come together.

Yes, that will help Houston a lot in addition to the theme park being built.

[Thaskateguy]

We see how well the "Astro world" did