Private School...

[Father_0f_7]

Now we have our children go to a Private Episcopalian School up until 4th grade. After 4th grade, any grade after that they can decide whether or not they want to stay at the private school or go to a public school.

What do you guys think...do you think private school is a good thing, or do you think it is something that is pointless and public school would suit them just fine.

 

[NinJaBob]

Our son goes to Catholic school. My wife felt really strongly about it because she went there and insists that she got a better education than I did plus they can do things like say the Pledge of Allegiance and learn about God. I feel that learning about God is important but that can be taught by the parents. Plus our school is expensive. I went to public school my whole life and turned out just fine. It's a personal choice. I don't know what else to say about the issue. Follow your heart.

 

[Father_0f_7]

That's what I thought, we are going to keep them in private school...we have enough money to pay for it, and they have two more years before they are able to decide for themselves. Cassie loved it so much she decided to stay...i think Dane is going to go back. I was like her, I loved private school...I was taught to respect people in a more structured environment, I felt safer and all that stuff...then it wasnt safe for me at home and I had to go live with my brother in Kansas. (wow that was off subject...sorry)

At our public schools here in Jacksonville they can say the Pledge of Allegiance, they however cannot learn about God except for after school activities (like Christian Student Alliance, or Fellowship of Christian Athletes.)

I just wanted to see if I was absolutely crazy for putting all six of my kids in private school at one time or another.

 

[NinJaBob]

Crazy no. I can see the benefits. You're right there probably is a more structured environment that is more conducive to learning. I don't mean to talk it down at all I just never went so it's hard for me to truly see the benefits. My wife went to private school until 9th grade then went to public school. So I guess that she has a better perspective. It's just causing my family some financial hardship so I look at it with a moderate amount of disdain.

 

[Trina]

I think it really depends on the schools in your area. We are very fortunate to have a good public school system. I taught in a private Catholic school for several years and loved it. Good academics, small classes, a strong sense of community and very little political red tape. That said, private schools here are outrageously expensive. I looked into it and it's at least 15K a year per kid. Sorry, but we'd rather invest that money toward college, especially since we're happy with the public school district. However, if that wasn't the case we'd seriously consider private school or homeschooling.

 

[eleventy1!!]

I agree with Trina. I think it has everything to do with where you live. I am impressed with our local public schools and have not learned anything that would dissuade me from them. We also have open enrollment here so if I did happen to be in the zone of a bad school, I would be able to enroll my children in the public school of my choosing so long as I provided the transportation. I think this makes our public schools slightly more competative and possibly better than they would be with a captive student body.

 

[AmyBelle]

It depends on the school in your area.

Here at the end of the school year the newspapers print out a list of all the schools in the state ranked from best scores to worst. There are some public schools up there beating private.

I personally always get a kick out of seeing my old (public) high school, which usually ranks in the 80's beating DH's old (private) high school, which usually ranks in the 200's. HAHA. I highlight them and stick them on the fridge just to irritate him.

 

[Cthru]

i was in private schools all my life.
am i smarter than my peers because of it.. don't think so. the lessons are the same. Do i have better values than my peers? don't think so either.

It was more strict.. crazy expensive and I really disliked my parents for separating me from all my friends when HS came around and most of them went to the public high school.. it was hard to start fresh with a new group.

I think it depends on where you live really. Here the public schools are really great. If I was in a bad area (first of all I'd move to a better district) but if that wasn't possible only then would i consider private schools.

 

[HappyMomma]

I agree that it depends on where you live... as well as the personality of the child.

 

[Aviation4kids]

For me,the most important difference between the private and public schools is the environment.In theory, private schools are safer and their policies are not so influenced by the "politically correctness" mentality. Regarding the quality of education and the academic results,I believe that the most important factor is the parents involvement.If the parents are watching their children school activity ,the difference between public and private schools is not necessarily so big.Again,the "neighborhood" is important but not decisive.

I have considered, at some point ,a private school for my son (he is 8 years old) ,even the homeschooling option.Finally,I took him to a good public school and he is doing great.I check daily his homework and I make sure that he understand his lessons.I try to keep a balance between the "requirements of the system" and the independent work based on free will and independent thinking.

To encourage him to learn I try to connect his school activity with the real life and I did this through one of his hobbies,aviation.You can learn more about that if you will visit my site, Aviation for Kids .
So far he has only A and A+ and I think this is a direct result of my involvement.Also,the teachers know that I am watching him and I keep in touch with them on a regular base,even if it is just a small chat when I pick him from school.I must admit that I am fortunate to have a flexible working schedule but I believe the any parent can do this in a way or another and this is a proven method to reduce the difference between the public and private schools.GET INVOLVED and TAKE ACTION are the two "secrets" of a good education in school and home.

 

[Father_0f_7]

This particular private school they go to now is around that same price (it's about 20,000 a year per kid) And the public schools are good here too but we want our kids to learn about hte bible, aside from home and church, and we cant force them to go to after school activities...besides they dont even have those kinds of after school activities until around 6th grade here.

Their school is #2 on a list of 40 to Jacksonville schools (public and private) and the public school is #3 - so they are both very good schools. (Although I will admit the public school has been having quite a few problems this year) but Amber teaches at the school so we feel a bit safer having them go there.

Cthru - This is why we let them choose what school they want to go to after 4th grade (around age 10). We dont want them to feel left our of any group, as (especially around that age) it can be a very complex world and you need your friends around you.

Aviation4kids - It is really cool that your son is into Aviation. I was a Navy Pilot for a long time and it is a very high pressure intense job. At the private school the twins and cassie attend they have prgrams like Aviation, Horseback riding, Lacrosse, Bowling, Music, and other programs similar to them.

 

[PennQuaker09]

It totally depends on the area, but I honestly don't know.

I was raised in the suburbs of Birmingham, AL and the state's best public schools are located there. In Mountain Brook, the only reason to send your kids to private school is if you want some kind religious instruction.

Nate is from Atlanta and he went to both public and private schools. He likes the idea of private schools while the kids are in the elementary years, but I don't know if I want to do that.

For me, I think the decision is going to be based on where we live. The private schools here in Bergen County and in NYC are crazy competitive and it's a different kind of environment. Like, if you want your kids in certain private schools, you have to start from birth and I'm not sure I want my kids to have that kind of pressure. Would I love for them to go on to a great college? Absolutely, but Nate and I both graduated from public high schools and we both have degrees from awesome universities.

I also don't want my kids to grow up in a bubble. I think a lot of private schools and suburban public schools foster that type of environment. But negative pressures are also very much found in affluent schools. The same can be said for private schools.

Tenafly has the best system in New Jersey, so I guess we'll see when the time comes.

 

[Music-dad]

I'm a U.C.C. "Old Boy" (Upper Canada College - Toronto)

Like Cthru, I was way ahead of any of my friends in the public system...the music program was second to none, and our sports teams were unbeatable.

It was an awesome experience and because the school had such a massive budget we had olympic sized pools, a hockey rink, 9 football/soccer fields, 7 baseball diamonds, a full size track, concert hall...as well the school owned a 900 acre property outside Toronto that we were taken to for 2 week camping trips.

The only drag was no girls - hahaha...but Bishop Straun was just down the street, so we would sneak down there on breaks.