How do private schools manage to get through everything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

If your Catholic school isn't delivering and your public school is so much better, why are you there? Go back to the public school forum troll. LOL

No Catholic school is delivering and you can stop pretending and lying to people that yours does. Go back to trolling, troll. LOL

Really? Then why are you here? You are the troll hun. Kind of pathetic actually.

I’m here because I can be here, I know about privates. Do you decide who can be here? You are intimidated and am ticked because you don’t want anything negative said about privates. Seemingly, you have no confidence in private either. You are pathetic with trying to suppress what others have to say because you don’t like it.
Get more creative instead of the tired “troll” comment. Insults are the argument of the weak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

If your Catholic school isn't delivering and your public school is so much better, why are you there? Go back to the public school forum troll. LOL

No Catholic school is delivering and you can stop pretending and lying to people that yours does. Go back to trolling, troll. LOL

Really? Then why are you here? You are the troll hun. Kind of pathetic actually.

I’m here because I can be here, I know about privates. Do you decide who can be here? You are intimidated and am ticked because you don’t want anything negative said about privates. Seemingly, you have no confidence in private either. You are pathetic with trying to suppress what others have to say because you don’t like it.
Get more creative instead of the tired “troll” comment. Insults are the argument of the weak.

Sorry you are suffering PP. I suggest you get help with your mental illness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

That’s the best you got? Really makes you argument sooooo valid. You got me. Been in private since prior to covid. Maybe your dinky little “private” school can
finally reap some benefit with covid giving it a little bump up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They don’t get through much at all.

Total teacher autonomy. Go deep, do 6 week units, your favorite ones. Lots of group work. Reading to yourself. Video tape the instruction or lesson, then run Q&A during class time and see if anyone says anything. No worries about ERBs or MAp- just say you teach different things (way less), at a different pace (way slow).

Just say you don't teach to the test (fixed that for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

If your Catholic school isn't delivering and your public school is so much better, why are you there? Go back to the public school forum troll. LOL

No Catholic school is delivering and you can stop pretending and lying to people that yours does. Go back to trolling, troll. LOL

Really? Then why are you here? You are the troll hun. Kind of pathetic actually.

I’m here because I can be here, I know about privates. Do you decide who can be here? You are intimidated and am ticked because you don’t want anything negative said about privates. Seemingly, you have no confidence in private either. You are pathetic with trying to suppress what others have to say because you don’t like it.
Get more creative instead of the tired “troll” comment. Insults are the argument of the weak.

Sorry you are suffering PP. I suggest you get help with your mental illness.

Nice comeback. The tired “suggest you get help” and the “mental illness” accusations when one has nothing. That’s a great argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

If your Catholic school isn't delivering and your public school is so much better, why are you there? Go back to the public school forum troll. LOL

No Catholic school is delivering and you can stop pretending and lying to people that yours does. Go back to trolling, troll. LOL

Really? Then why are you here? You are the troll hun. Kind of pathetic actually.

I’m here because I can be here, I know about privates. Do you decide who can be here? You are intimidated and am ticked because you don’t want anything negative said about privates. Seemingly, you have no confidence in private either. You are pathetic with trying to suppress what others have to say because you don’t like it.
Get more creative instead of the tired “troll” comment. Insults are the argument of the weak.

Sorry you are suffering PP. I suggest you get help with your mental illness.

I bet you grammar police forums also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

That’s the best you got? Really makes you argument sooooo valid. You got me. Been in private since prior to covid. Maybe your dinky little “private” school can
finally reap some benefit with covid giving it a little bump up.

Actually yes!! Our school did benefit from COVID and then people realized how much better it was there and never went back. See how that works?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

That’s the best you got? Really makes you argument sooooo valid. You got me. Been in private since prior to covid. Maybe your dinky little “private” school can
finally reap some benefit with covid giving it a little bump up.

Actually yes!! Our school did benefit from COVID and then people realized how much better it was there and never went back. See how that works?

Good schools never needed a boost from covid. Your comment isn’t saying much about your school. Good schools already had enough students. You inadvertently admitted your school is not one of the good ones. See how that works? Keep pretending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

That’s the best you got? Really makes you argument sooooo valid. You got me. Been in private since prior to covid. Maybe your dinky little “private” school can
finally reap some benefit with covid giving it a little bump up.

Actually yes!! Our school did benefit from COVID and then people realized how much better it was there and never went back. See how that works?

NP. Enrolled our children in one middle and one upper private because of covid and expected private to be better academically. Not seeing the value with the cost of tuition. Returning back to public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

That’s the best you got? Really makes you argument sooooo valid. You got me. Been in private since prior to covid. Maybe your dinky little “private” school can
finally reap some benefit with covid giving it a little bump up.

Actually yes!! Our school did benefit from COVID and then people realized how much better it was there and never went back. See how that works?

Choosing private over public ideas was the lesser of two evils. Not really a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have shorter school years and longer recesses. How do they manage to get through their curriculum? Or are they behind public school?

They assign a lot of homework. I teach in a public school and all of the reading in my middle school class is done in school. I either read the texts aloud or play an audiobook. If students took texts home to read, not only would they not read them, they wouldn't bring them back. Very few students do the assigned homework. Most can't read on grade level either. My middle school son goes to a Catholic middle school. He has assigned reading each night plus vocabulary. Every other night he has writing and grammar too.

Hahahahahha! My child is at Catholic too and that’s not happening. And it’s not parochial which are notoriously bad. He got more in public, you must have had a very, very bad public.

NP here. My experience is the opposite. I worked in a public school that spent 15% of the school year on mandated tests (I counted) and had a policy against assigning homework. I now work in a Catholic school that only mandates 3 days of tests a year and encourages meaningful homework. Perhaps we can’t compare ALL public schools to ALL parochial schools. Perhaps we should judge each school on its own merits.

As for how my specific Catholic school gets through material, I believe we are able to make very good use of each school day. Each grade level team scrutinizes the weekly plan to make sure we aren’t straying from standards we are trying to meet. Every activity is targeted and we supplement with strategic at-home assignments.

There isn’t a no homework policy here in public school so that is not relevant.

I disagree. I wrote that each school should be based on its own policies / merits, so it is useless to compare “all” publics versus “all” parochials. As one example I used a public with a no-homework policy in which I used to teach. We wasted a TON of time in class through mandated tests and couldn’t supplement at home. That is ONE school, and not an entire district. My current school, a parochial school, has a different set-up that allows for a more strategic use of time. This explains how ONE private school is able to get through a lot of material in fewer days using ONE public merely as a benchmark.

Your anecdotal story means nothing.

NP I have had kids in both public and Catholic middle school. Public school gives very little homework (MCPS W school). Maybe 20 minutes. My daughter, currently in 8th grade Catholic school spends up to 2 hours on homework. She is much better prepared for HS than my public school son every was. We did move him to Catholic HS and he had so much catch up to do to and had to learn how to actually write well. Luckily he had excellent teachers with small class sizes and was able to rise to the occasion. I don't believe that would have been the case in his W public school.

Baloney, this stuff you name is uncreative. It just gets repeated and has no meaning. Excellent teachers-doubt it as privates don’t pay as well and other reasons and you may can’t back up that they are “excellent.” Smaller class size-that’s about the only better thing and meh. Writing well-big fat lie and it’s just the typical reason that just automatically gets repeated. Nothing of substance. These are all just the same tired “reasons” parent try to justify the cost.

This poster is so sad. All of that virtual school and quarantine has gotten to her. Don't worry PP, your public school will eventually get back to normal. I know it's tough.

That’s the best you got? Really makes you argument sooooo valid. You got me. Been in private since prior to covid. Maybe your dinky little “private” school can
finally reap some benefit with covid giving it a little bump up.

Actually yes!! Our school did benefit from COVID and then people realized how much better it was there and never went back. See how that works?

Good schools never needed a boost from covid. Your comment isn’t saying much about your school. Good schools already had enough students. You inadvertently admitted your school is not one of the good ones. See how that works? Keep pretending.

+1

[Anonymous]

Have to go to the best privates - they have the best students, facilities, teachers, families, resources etc. With the best, anything is possible. It’s actually very simple: best > less than best.

[Anonymous]

As others have mentioned private schools don’t get through everything. Do not believe anyone who tells you they do or that all privates result in better educational outcomes than public. Study after study has proven this untrue.

What private do: Private schools educate to a narrower band of abilities and a smaller class size making it potentially easier to move through material while limiting certain types of disruption or needs that arise for disability or mental health needs. Because they are not held to yearly state standards and standardization testing, they can choose to cover just the basics and then pick and choose which topics to apply greater depth. This can be good or bad. Since most view childhood as a time of exploration, if they go in depth on something your child is interested than it can be great. If not, it can be somewhat stifling and cause kids to miss opportunities to discover interest or challenge themselves in an area of interest. Also because the class sizes are smaller, it can limit the course selection each year, particularly electives, as students get to higher levels. To this end, their is a lot of tutoring and enrichment being funded by parents. Same is found in public by families of means. The difference being public school families are not paying tuition first.

Another difference is school day and where privates apply focus. Particular at the lower level the focus is less academic. Because of this kids have more fun, which makes parents feel good and feeds into the idea of youth being magical and all about play. This can however be quickly derailed as kids move through the levels and are forced to quickly catch up on academics and encounter academic intensity both in class and via homework.

Ultimately its a scale. You as a family decide which things are important/unimportant and if that balances in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have mentioned private schools don’t get through everything. Do not believe anyone who tells you they do or that all privates result in better educational outcomes than public. Study after study has proven this untrue.

What private do: Private schools educate to a narrower band of abilities and a smaller class size making it potentially easier to move through material while limiting certain types of disruption or needs that arise for disability or mental health needs. Because they are not held to yearly state standards and standardization testing, they can choose to cover just the basics and then pick and choose which topics to apply greater depth. This can be good or bad. Since most view childhood as a time of exploration, if they go in depth on something your child is interested than it can be great. If not, it can be somewhat stifling and cause kids to miss opportunities to discover interest or challenge themselves in an area of interest. Also because the class sizes are smaller, it can limit the course selection each year, particularly electives, as students get to higher levels. To this end, their is a lot of tutoring and enrichment being funded by parents. Same is found in public by families of means. The difference being public school families are not paying tuition first.

Another difference is school day and where privates apply focus. Particular at the lower level the focus is less academic. Because of this kids have more fun, which makes parents feel good and feeds into the idea of youth being magical and all about play. This can however be quickly derailed as kids move through the levels and are forced to quickly catch up on academics and encounter academic intensity both in class and via homework.

Ultimately its a scale. You as a family decide which things are important/unimportant and if that balances in the end.

Interesting post, but I can’t say that it meshes with our experience. I don’t know anyone doing tutoring or enrichment in our private lower/middle school. Perhaps it starts in upper school?

You are right that the lower school was much more play based, and the rubber hit the road in middle school! Definitely a big adjustment, but the kids seem to be doing beautifully (at least mine and his friends). We’re certainly not experiencing this as a derailment. I’m glad that the intense academics didn’t start earlier, as I think he’s much better equipped to deal with it now.

For what it’s worth, though, I think the answer to OP’s question is that the actual number of school hours is the same, that’s all. Not a complicated story. The public school near my kid’s private school starts at the same time but gets out 1.25 hrs earlier. That’s more than six extra hours a week, which accounts for any differences in the calendar.