Public or Private school?

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.

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:

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

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.

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!)

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

Montessori magnet! Rah rah rah!

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.

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

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.

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

Whoops, double post.

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.

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...