Public or Private school?

irishgal44

I'm not gonna be able to read this thread without my head exploding, given interesting comments like "being able to say God without getting in trouble" (public schools release children from EDUCATION time to go to "release time for religious education" and it screws with the schedule for academic classes").

Quote me all you want, but every place is different - in our area, public school is not released for religous education, and children are discliplined for bringing up religion in our public school. That was how we based our decision - plus our school system is a joke. My husband is a police officer and sees the behind the scenes behaviors and would never let our children attend public in our town.

Krull_the_WarriorKing

I went to Private school all threw Junior High and High School.

I would choose Private school ALL the way!

What did you throw?

That's some talent right there. I threw javelin but never an entire high school. I guess they only taught PE and skipped English at your school.

Gettinfit2

Depends on the school. Not all public schools are bad and not all private schools are good.

Unwrapping_Candy

I went to Private school all threw Junior High and High School.

I would choose Private school ALL the way!

Well her parents at least tried to help her by sending her to private school. :ohwell:

Gigi_licious

I went to Private school all threw Junior High and High School.

I would choose Private school ALL the way!

What did you throw?

That's some talent right there. I threw javelin but never an entire high school. I guess they only taught PE and skipped English at your school.

You must have been trying to throw the public schools. Private schools are smaller and easier to throw.

azQmaster

I went to Private school all threw Junior High and High School.

I would choose Private school ALL the way!

What did you throw?

Junior High and High School. Pay attention.

SILLY ME

TDGee

After reading through the way that some comments were written out, I would dare say that there is much room for improvement in both sectors. I am the product of public schools as are my children.
I believe the single most important factor in a child's education is the direct and regular involvement in the classroom and the school. My children's school has a policy of mandatory parental involvement in the school and school functions. It seems to have made a world of difference when compared to kids from different school districts in the same town.

sleepytexan

It depends on the child, and it depends on the public school district, and private school in question. Many public school districts in the US are hurting for funds, and therefore slipping and cutting back on important education for kids. Some school districts are dangerous and suffer from crime/drugs/gangs. If your child would attend such a district, it would be worth it to try to make private school work.

Assuming you live in a perfectly fine public school district, you may still want to send your kids to private school bc 1. private school holds a status that is important to you, 2. there may be a specialty private school that appeals to your child and would enhance her talents, 3. something about the private school is more appealing than the public school (religious affiliation, smaller classes, etc). 4. some other reason

Keep in mind that not every private school is "all that". Private schools typically pay their teachers less than public schools (what a shame)! As a result, private schools may have a higher percentage of new teachers and/or "comfortable" old teachers who do not need to achieve tenure. This may or may not be a good thing. Private schools do not usually have bussing, although certain public school districts provide bussing to private school. Private schools may or may not have equivalent sports or academic opportunities compared to the public district. Generally, the higher the property taxes, the better the public schools. If you're paying property taxes through the nose, your public school is probably a pretty good bet.

Now, the main consideration: the child. I have 3 easy kids who could go anywhere and be fine and 1 challenging one who needs to be in public school or in a specialized private school. My challenging child has ADHD and a non-verbal learning disability, despite having an exceptional IQ. He also has perfect pitch, is extremely musically talented, and can play any instrument he picks up immediately. He can sing or identify whatever note you ask him to. It is a VERY odd mix. When he was little, he was extremely hyperactive and we were asked to remove him from a performing arts kindergarten. He attends public school and is doing very well now in 8th grade (but it has been a LOOOONNNNNGGGGG road).

A generic private school is NOT the way to go if you have a kid like this, and it also may not be the right place for a kid with other sorts of special needs. This is not to say the public school route is easy, however, private schools are not required to create or comply with an IEP (Individual Education Plan) the way public schools must, and usually do not provide services during or after the school day such as OT or speech, as a public school would. Public schools have special needs classrooms and classroom aides that may help certain children with certain disabilities. Private schools typically do not.

If the private school will work with your child's special needs, you will still need to go through the public school or private services elsewhere to get OT, speech, or whatever -- that means YOU and your child will have to take extra time away from homework, coaching, sports, etc. to complete these things. If your child has any behavioral issues such as hyperactivity, chances are that a private school will either not accept them, or will eventually kick them out.

So . . . it's a complicated thing.

ladybg81

My son will go to private school. He is already in the preschool so we already have a leg up.

Just_Dot

I'm a strident believer in the public school system, and the more people that leave, the worse it will become.

I get what you're saying. I do. But if it's terrible, why should they STAY? The kids who want a better education should not have to stay just because it'll "make public schools worse." It's a sad thing when whiny parents want their kids treated like "royalty," but it's quite another when the advanced kids just aren't challenged because the teacher has to educate/cater to the class average. AP and honors classes just weren't challenging for me. Nor for a lot of my classmates. And I went to school in several different states, so it wasn't just one school system that was bad. I opted to skip my senior year entirely and attend classes at the university.

I'm on my iPad, so typing is a pain....and this will be brief. If everyone leaves, the schools will never get better, and students who can't afford private, or aren't lucky enough to "win the lottery" and get into a charter school will just lose. If your schools are *kitten*, get involved and help make them better, rather than taking the "easy" way out and just opting out. (I say easy with quotes because I know for many families bankrupt themselves to put their kids through school...)

Maybe because I come from an elementary school background where classroom differentiation is not only the norm, but expected--meeting the needs in both my social studies and language arts classes at the middle school level for all of my students, whether they are advanced, average, or struggling easier for me. (holy run on, Batman!)

kelsully

Actually how good a school is depends on the individual school, not its classification as public or private. Again, your child can always take advantage of the AP and Honors programs at public school, and it is far easier to be at the top of your class at a public school. I know some issues of public school includes class size, but that isn't an issue in advanced classes because less people take them. In my old high school, which contained 3000+ students, AP and Honors classes contained 14-24 students per class.

I am a science teacher at a private school...I have 29-31 students in any given class I teach. When I taught in a public school we were mandated by contract and a state law that said we could only have 24 per science class. Private schools don't have to hire certified teachers, they don't have to follow state rules to some degree. There are pros and cons to every school. I have great kids at my new school and had some great kids at my public school way back when, despite being a underprivledged public school. You need to assess each school on its own merits. If my kids were band kids, artists or really wanted a lot of AP classes I would probably want them in a suburban public school as the options there are immense.

fteale

Private. I went to private schools so it's just what I know.

fteale

Can I ask what percentage of children in the US go to private school? Judging by this thread it sounds like it is more than the 7% here in the UK.

kensky

Montessori magnet! Rah rah rah!

christine24t

how about you ask what your daughter would like?

Qarol

If your schools are *kitten*, get involved and help make them better, rather than taking the "easy" way out and just opting out.

Oh, if it were this easy. I guess when I was in school, it wasn't something that would have occurred to me to do. The parents really need to do this. It shouldn't be up to the students to make the schools better. All I knew at the time was I was bored, and the teachers couldn't help me much. They suggested after school programs and such, but that's MORE work. I wanted my existing classes to be fun and exciting. I wanted to have to WORK for those good grades. I would blow the curve in my classes. (And I had some annoying teachers who would point this out to the class, so everyone hated me for getting such good grades. This did not help me.) I guess as advanced as I was, I didn't think there was anything I could do about it. I was only a kid.

wriglucy

After teaching in the public school systems in the US...I'd have to go with private

bluefox9er

it doesn't matter which as long as your child has the motivation to study and the desire to learn :-)

irishgal44

it doesn't matter which as long as your child has the motivation to study and the desire to learn :-)

AGREED!! And parenting is a key factor as well. Just by you posting for an opinion shows how much you care about your kids and their future...your child has already been given a great advantage.

CaptainGordo

I went to Private school all threw Junior High and High School.

I would choose Private school ALL the way!

No - no words. No words to describe it. They should've sent a poet.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I was a public school teacher until I had to leave for disability. I agree that it depends entirely on what schools you're talking about. Charter schools can be awesome or terrible, depending on the model (they aren't held to the same laws as public schools and aren't required to take all students, so it's hard to tell by their scores). Public schools are full of teachers who want to make a difference, but also they're full of kids whose parents don't give a crap. I've worked in totally rural areas with great kids who wanted to learn and I've worked in suburbs where everyone just expected to get an A no matter how much effort they put in. I also worked in a great magnet school. It really just depends on the school. I plan to home school early on and then send my kids to public high school. If high school isn't working for whatever reason then we can reconsider, but I want to support the public school system if possible.

Breckgirl

It depends on the public school. In Oakwood High School in Dayton Ohio 97% of the graduates go to on to college.

Just_Dot

If your schools are *kitten*, get involved and help make them better, rather than taking the "easy" way out and just opting out.

Oh, if it were this easy. I guess when I was in school, it wasn't something that would have occurred to me to do. The parents really need to do this. It shouldn't be up to the students to make the schools better. All I knew at the time was I was bored, and the teachers couldn't help me much. They suggested after school programs and such, but that's MORE work. I wanted my existing classes to be fun and exciting. I wanted to have to WORK for those good grades. I would blow the curve in my classes. (And I had some annoying teachers who would point this out to the class, so everyone hated me for getting such good grades. This did not help me.) I guess as advanced as I was, I didn't think there was anything I could do about it. I was only a kid.

Whoa... Apparently I didn't explain myself well or something. This is is why I hate debating over the interwebz....

I didn't mean "you" as a student, but I meant the grown-ups in the community... Not just parents, but all members of the community. Obviously, I would never expect a student to challenge the system...that's what adults are for. I'm so sorry that your experience as a gifted learner in a public school setting has clearly colored your view about s chools. Why wouldn't it? Teachers who do not strive to challenge EVERY student in their classroom do those of us that *do*?a huge disservice. You clearly didn't have teachers that gave a crap and that's sad.

FWIW, most schools have standards-based assessment now, eliminating the curve.

Just_Dot

Whoops, double post.

sunkisses

In south Florida, I would absolutely send my children to private school if I could afford it. Our state's education system is so corrupt that it caused me to change my college major from Secondary English Education to just English. My student teaching was the eye-opener for me. During those years I was dating the capital budget director for one of the local districts and I was learning about where money comes from and how it's spent. The politics behind this are... well, not something you'll be hearing about on the news or radio. If people knew what goes on behind the scenes and how little there is that we can do about it, it'd be alarming.

As long as you're paying you have some say in what your child is learning, what their teachers are doing, etc. It's possible to get a good public education, but it's more in your control when your money is doing some of the talking.

ninerbuff

My daughter is in GATE in San Francisco public school (she was GATE identified early - at the end of 2nd grade). I have to say that the education she's getting now is far superior to what I got in public school 30 years ago. There are two public high schools here that are held in such high regard that you're virtually assured admission into any college she applies for if she goes to them.

So, as it stands, she is in 7th grade and is already jockying for grades so she can get into the best high school. This will probably be harder on her than getting into college - because the high school she gets into will determine where she can go to college.

It wouldn't be this competitive if it weren't a quality public school education.

Don't write of public school. The more people that pull their kids out to go to private, the less challenging public will become. A "free and compulsory education" is part of what makes this country great.

GATE runs in our family!!! My wife went to Lowell in SF.

ninerbuff

The one thing that would worry me with private schools, is mixing with children who think money is the be all and end all of life, and are spoilt. No matter how much money I had I don't want to be (nor want my kids to be) snobby about it, and think they are above others because of it. Or think that they deserve all the material things in the world just because we can afford it.

I think that the parents have a much better influence on that . My parents aren't rich and sending us to private school was a sacrifice. My brother and I knew that and we didn't let people with money influence our morals since many of the spoiled kids had bad relationships with there parents.

solpwr

I grew up in Montana. My oldest daughter grew up in Pasadena, CA and Montana. My youngest grew up in Montana. All of us attended public school.

My oldest was a GATE student in California. Still, seeing the school system there, and the children and their parents, I wanted to move back to a place where there weren't so many issues with the school system. When we moved back to Montana, my kids got a better education. The culture outside the metropolitan areas of the U.S. generally supports a better environment for education. I believe inside metropolitan areas, a private school is a good way to experience that better environment.

So it depends on where you live, in my view.

ninerbuff

I went to Private school all threw Junior High and High School.

I would choose Private school ALL the way!

Homophone alert!

Qarol

I didn't mean "you" as a student, but I meant the grown-ups in the community... Not just parents, but all members of the community.

Thank you. This makes me want to find out everything I can do in my local school system, even though I'll never have children. I haven't got a clue where to start, though...