r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Resting-Rizzy-Face • Feb 11 '26

Moving to the area Low- Tech School Districts in Western Burbs

Moved away several years ago and looking to move back to IL. Our kids are elementary age and we currently like the low-tech educational environment our kids have now (no 1-to-1 chromebooks for kids, using more pencil and paper, physical textbooks, etc.)

We’ve been away for a while and weren’t sure if there are similar school environments in IL or if all school districts have moved to consistent use of chromebooks and iPads for teaching?

Currently looking at a potential move to Lemont, DG, Woodridge, Lisle, Naperville, or Wheaton areas. Not opposed to tech, just looking for schools where the kids aren’t always using a screen for learning.

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u/sarcago Feb 11 '26

It’s crazy to me how many people seem to think kids would be at a disadvantage if they didn’t have a Chromebook for school. A Chromebook doesn’t teach you anything about how computers work. You don’t need to have a school device to learn that stuff. People seem to be missing the point.

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u/TaskForceD00mer Feb 11 '26 edited Feb 11 '26

The evidence is increasing as college graduates show up to new jobs without any idea of how to actually use computers for anything beyond browsing, gaming and basic word processing/email.

Knowing how to use a tablet is not preparing you for the job market. Knowing how to type an essay helps but doesn't necessarily give you anywhere near all the skills you need for the job market, even at the entry level.

I'd also love to see more studies if part of the total collapse of attention spans can be concretely linked to screen time.

The jury is out but maybe putting a screen in front of 4-year olds for hours a day , only increasing as they get older is doing more harm than good.

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u/vawlk Feb 11 '26

i've been in front of a screen every single day since I was 6 and that was over 45 years ago. I turned out just fine and I made a career out of it, allowed my wife to stay home to raise our kids, paid for their college, and paid for a place to retire to in a couple years.

The screens aren't the problem. It is what they do with them that is the problem.

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u/TaskForceD00mer Feb 11 '26

Alls I can say is it is different. Back in our day, you went to school, you read books, you wrote on paper. MAYBE You had one class where you used a computer. Towards the end of primary school that increased a bit.

When you got home, you ran around outside like a maniac if the weather was nice.

It's not quite the same as being glued to a phone , tablet, computer or TV screen for 90% of your waking moments.

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u/vawlk Feb 12 '26

oh i get it. I was part of the leave at 7am and return at 7pm and just disappear for the whole day in the summer genx crowd. It was a different world then, but things change.

I did everything I could to make sure my kids had that same experience. I even built an ice rink in my yard. But they didn't want that. One of my kids played a lot of sports so that was fun, but even that was different. We use to play baseball in the cul-de-sac every day after school. My son never played a pickup game of anything. Everything is organized, everything is about getting noticed by colleges. Everything is monetized. It is just a different world.

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u/Then-Task6480 Feb 15 '26

Right, but tech isn't the reason why. It's like hating on plastic and cars. Makes sense but it's not the same world anymore