Public or private school - which did you go to? what about your kids?
Maybe it's the trailer for "Waiting for Superman" but the school system seems quite bleak, especially as I come from a country with one of the best school systems in the world.
A friend said to me: but look at your grown-up friends, they have turned out just fine, clever, intelligent, despite the school system. And then I started to think, and realise that many of them probably went to a private school.
Did you? Did you go to private school? What are you considering for your kid? Why?
6 Answers
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Hey Katja -- Hope all is well.
I both attended and teach in public schools, so you can guess which side I'm going to fall on. I like to think I turned out just fine, clever, and intelligent, and I'm sending students out into the world who are the same. Most of the truly brilliant people that I've encountered have come out of public schools.
I also got a chance to witness a diversity of people that are typically not found in a private school. The world is filled with rich, poor, black, brown, white, conservative, liberal people that I interact with every day. Folks that have a private school education do not typically encounter that diversity.
Growing up, my public school was huge, but had all of the opportunities for advanced classes, music, etc. I teach in a very successful suburb, and live in the suburbs as well in a strong school system.
It is certainly the case that if we lived in a poor school system, we'd consider other options. But most people who can afford private schools don't live in the inner city, do they? We chose to live where we do partly because the schools do offer what we want.
A quick note about Oprah and charter schools. It's been shown that students in charter schools do no better than the ones in public school, excpet in the cases where the charters specifically target poor students. I hope that's where Oprah's money is going.
In closing, a strong public school is the way to go. If you live near bad schools, I'd move. If you can't move, and can afford to do so, then maybe private is the way to go..
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My wife and I both went to public schools in America (although when I lived in England I did spend a couple years in a private school from age 7 to 9 or so).
For our children, who are 5 and 3, we are planning on sending them to public schools. We will do our best to pick the best public schools available that are local to us.
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I'm still undecided about this. My politics say public, but I worry. I don't know how to judge the school district we're in. We're near school districts that are indisputably regarded as the best public schools in the country, and in fact our local high school is regarded as one of those, but our elementary schools are not. I don't know if they're being unfairly panned because our town is not as rich as those nearby, or if there's legitimately reason not to send your child there.
On the one hand, parents I know and respect, well-educated, intelligent parents in our neighborhood with wonderful, brilliant kids are sending their children to our local public schools. On the other hand, I know other parents who move from our neighborhood, or chose elsewhere to live, in order to land in the *best* public schools.
Perhaps I've swallowed my parents' values wholesale - they sent us to a wondeful private school through 8th grade (or, in my younger brother's case, 5th - they were less sold on the value of the middle school); and then to excellent public schools for high school (and middle school). My mom wanted a full-day play-based kindergarten, and that seemed only available at a private school. We'd like that too, and it seems to be almost the exact same choice here, on the other end of the country, today.
Sandra Tsing Loh says that our generation's elites abhor public schools because of the lighting, we want everywhere we go to feel like Starbucks (Amazon: "Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting!"). Maybe that's true.
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I went to private school for 3 years and my brother 7. He is brilliant and the public school system did him no justice. My brother could sleep in class or skip and still get an A. Understand that this was more than 30 years ago. Our public district was among the highest and our high school top rated.
I believe it is the constraints that are put on the public system that holds the teachers/admin/schools back from encouraging and actually pushing their students in order to reach their full potential. I am a huge supporter of private schools and would encourage any parent to make the necessary sacrifices for their children to attend at least for elementary school. The foundation of education, that is how the children view their education and the habits they develop in the early stages are most important in my opinion.
Both of our boys went to private school until eight grade. Both are successful, caring men who are not afraid to work hard to succeed. The youngest, now 22, has returned to college to further his degree. This was his own choosing. My oldest, after serving 8 years in the military, is studying as well. They both believe that education is the way to reach their full potential.
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We decided where to live based on the school district. It is one of the top in the Bay Area (it is also a very expensive place, which raises all these questions about equality in public education...)
The school is great academically, in part due to ultra-motivated, educated, successful parents, who push their kids hard. On the other hand, it has little diversity and for the non-rich minorities it can be socially difficult.
Other schools in close-by districts may not score as high, but a significant element here is a more diverse population, where the less successful and educated parents (many non-English speakers), are unable to help and push their kids as much. I say this with the utmost respect for those parents, who do the impossible to send their kids to these schools, but cannot hire tutors or help much with the homework.
What I'm trying to say is that the parents have an important effect, no matter what the school. And diversity is probably very important.
If both parents work, you will need to arrange for afterschool care, which may be included on private schools.
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Just curious, but what is everyone's criteria to judge how "good" a school (public or private) really is?
done!
- Erin, Oct 27, 2010
This is an awesome question. Consider starting a new thread (by clicking the "Ask the Guild" button at the top)? Only the folks who already answered this question (or opted to follow it) will see this question, but I could imagine a much larger population might be interested.
- andrea, Oct 27, 2010