Simlogical schools- Pros? Cons? Opinions? Muffins?

[StrangeTownChick]

(I looked and could not find a thread like this, so here you go!)

I have recently opened a school with simlogical's hacks, and I've got to say, it's a lot less exhausting than I thought it would be!
The day starts at 8 AM sharp when school starts and all students are teleported in. The school is located in my empire city and has all my playable children and teens (as according to me I don't yet have enough kids to require a graded school system). The students have 15 minutes to hang out and socialize before it's time for class to begin. Then they all file into a classroom and do gradework for most of the morning. At 11:30 AM, class ends and I turn free will back on (it's always off during class because otherwise the students do not do their work). Then the students have some free time to play on the playground, read in the library, eat lunch in the cafeteria, or just hang out and socialize (an aspect I love about these schools- the kids get to socialize when they normally wouldn't, so they'll all have met each other once they're grown up like real school!). Then at 1 PM they are called up to three classes upstairs. I have divided the students between an art class, a children's cooking class (hence the muffins), and a music class. They will then be directed to use the easels, stoves, and pianos respectively until 2:45 PM, when class will end, free will goes back on, and they have 15 minutes to just hang out before school ends and they can all go home.

How does your school system work? Any pros? Cons? Opinions? Muffins?

[julmoo]

Could you explain this a little more? I never understood how exactly these custom schools work.

So you have a teacher living in a "school" and every morning you teleport the students in. Okay.
But what happens when you play the families with the kids? How do they go to school?

I just can't wrap my head around this thing XD
Sorry ;_;

[StrangeTownChick]

The kids go to school normally when you play their families. When you play the school family, the teachers start school, the kids are teleported in and temporarily added to the household. At the end of the day, the kids are sent back to their own households and can leave the lot as they please.

[julmoo]

oh okay.
I was just wondering how that might work ^.^

You could make a kind of school building with daycare, elementary and high school all in one. That actually sounds really good.

[Rarr]

I downloaded the school items, but I haven't put them to use yet. One of my ideas is that once my town gets large enough, it would be possible to make more than one school, like how in RL there are school districts. I'm also planning on making a private school which charges tuition and has a uniform.

[labellavienna]

Does sims 3 have a reliable school system?

[lg135]

I've thought about using simlogical's school mods - micromanaging isn't my absolute favorite thing, so a lot of the mods available might cut down on some of it :) May give them a go once I fix my laptop. I do have a question though - during class hours where students are using their workbook to study, are they skilling up anything or just sitting their working on their workbook the same way they work on 'homework'?

I've been using the Paladin's Place vocation mod to have sims teach other sims skills, but that's really mostly for skills that have badges. I'd love to be able to have a lecture portion of a class for all skills - like "Art History" going along with art, or learning about the body for gym, and cleaning just in general.

Basically I have one boarding/private school for wealthier sim teens, but I'd like to have another for magic users, and a public school for young children. The current boarding/private school is a year long [read: all four seasons], and houses six live-in students, the headmistress, and the gameskeeper/professor. I run it like a business, so there are 6-7 professors hired and one cook. During school hours other students who've paid tuition are teleported in and attend classes with the live-ins, but leave at 5-6ish and only get one meal a day.
Tuition is charged by semester and used to pay the staff and for the general upkeep of the mansion, so it's definitely not cheap. Some rich families (usually a Landgraab or Almassizadeh) may sponsor a poor student to attend if they've shown promise, and the school gives out a scholarship that pays half the tuition (does not include uniform or activity fees). Live-Ins pay more tuition, but have year 'round access to all the resources (vast library, state of the art gym, art and dance studios), get three meals a day, elective classes over the weekend, and summer field trips.

Seasons are extended to 10-14 days long, so there are usually 2 full weeks of school and 2 weekends. Fall has one holiday, Spring has none, and Winter only runs for a week and a half, with 3-4 days off for winter-vacay (most live-ins go back home, but they may stay if they want, as the headmistress and gameskeeper live on the lot year 'round).

There is a dance/music recital at the end of Fall where parents attend and students show off their skills. Talent Show and Art Gala happen in the Spring. Usually one art project per semester - A perspective drawing or pottery due the first week of Winter and portraits at the end of Spring. At one point I did try assign art homework, but it's tedious to require it for all students so now I just assign it every so often and just 'imagine' the non live-in students did it (or didn't! there are some slackers ;P)

It may seem like a lot of work, but it's fun enforcing rules, and then have students break them ;D (I've got a live who is always late for class. He hates most of his professors because of all the after class lectures he gets xD) I like watching students do what they want during their down time, see who they sit with during the lunch, and watching crushes and romances unfold (and lots of rivalries and fights -_-)

[Simsica]

I've thought about using simlogical's school mods - micromanaging isn't my absolute favorite thing, so a lot of the mods available might cut down on some of it :) May give them a go once I fix my laptop. I do have a question though - during class hours where students are using their workbook to study, are they skilling up anything or just sitting their working on their workbook the same way they work on 'homework'?

Unless you install a mod named "homework skills", the kids will just work toward the school grade. However, with "homework skills" and "reading skills", the school has a purpose beyond the EAxis school. Both those hacks are Inge's. Homework skills increases skill points while the kids do school/homework and reading skills does so while they read books.
You can organize your school however you want though, because Inge's system allows for two types of class work (or subjects): "gradework" (work on grades, seen in Sim's school panels) and "classroom period". The latter can be used for whatever you want, because it just directs the students to attend a class in a classroom. It doesn't create homework object like the first one does. I use it for anything from Paladin's Vocational training to art classes with easels or a gym class.

[maxon]

(I looked and could not find a thread like this, so here you go!)

Really? Because there have been at least three threads on this recently.

I use the hacks myself. My school days are similarly structured to yours in that I have them work in the morning. They have lunch and then basically a free period to do whatever they like (usually helped along by me) with all the equipment available in the schools. In my primary school, there is a playground which is generally very popular after the fun hit they take from all that work but there's also other stuff like an oven, art and music stuff and computers available. The secondary private school has a sports field, garden, gym, swimming pool, library, music room, art room, lab and so on where they can skill. I find I don't want to keep them there much beyond 3-4pm. Like some of the others, I think the main benefit is that kids get to socialise with each other.

[Macaroodle]

lg135- how do you send the live-in students home for vacation?

[joandsarah77]

Since the kids are selectable I just click on each one and tell them to do their work, sounds like most people don't? Just seems easier to me. I have mine do their workbook in the morning and the afternoon is for gardening, skilling and free time. My school has a play ground, a gym, pool, science room, music room, computer room, library and some putters. I'm not nearly so strict with a set time table as some others are apart from getting the bookwork done first thing. I usually look at the kids want and send them off to do skilling which raises fun and then give them free time. Playing on the computers, playing an instrument or burping at the podium seems to be the activities of choice. It's normally five before I think to end school and even then some will stay until after dark if I don't tell them to leave.

I use a summer holiday mod since school from 8-5 is a very long day, plus my kids are children for 15 days with the aging mod I use.

How do people find the boarding school? That's the only one I haven't used. I don't really want kids away from their families for so long, although it would suit some teens.

[lg135]

lg135- how do you send the live-in students home for vacation?

If I'm not playing the school household during the break I just go to the student's individual homes and add them back to the household temporarily until it's time for them to go back.

If I am playing the school household and have no plans to play the individual students at home, I go to the empty lot across the street from the mansion and teleport the ones going 'home' there and go back and play the school.