My thoughts on private school

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs. If you decide not to do private school either because it's not for you or you don't get in, then it is no joke or understatement that you save a lot of money regardless of how much money you earn. You will be thrilled with what you can do with that extra $30k or $60k you are not paying for tuition. Another way to look at it is you're driving a brand new BMW or two into the Potomac each year. That much money can also buy a lot of supplemental tutoring, enrichment, and longer and nicer vacations. (Note even if the tuition tag is in the low 20s, by the time you get around to paying tuition insurance, aftercare, and donations for everything under the sun, you will be out quite a bit.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for this post--refreshing! I'm pg and don't have any kids yet, so I haven't experienced this, but I am not going to consider private schools. (And I know I may be the only one on this board.) But if the public schools are lacking, we'll supplement at home. I don't like the thought of my children being around only an exclusive group (and even if it's not Sidwell-exclusive, any private school is necessarily more exclusive than a public school, no matter how "diverse.") I place a lot of value on being in an environment with racially/culturally/economically diverse people, which most private schools just can't deliver.

I beg to differ. The public schools where I live are a majority white upper middle class because that is the demographic of our neighborhood. I have no problem with it - that's just life in this neck of the woods. In fact a neighbor visited two schools in our catchment area and saw only one child in each school that looked different - I think in one school the child was Asian and in the other Indian looking. my neighbor is married to an Indian and was specifically looking for racial diversity. you can go for days without seeing one person of color around here except behind a shop counter or looking after kids in a play ground. The private school my son attends has a way more diverse student body - cultural, racial, economic, religious. Sometimes private schools that are proactive in their diversity drives tend to have a more diverse population.

That is not to say private schools are the way to go for all - the choice is yours but i don't agree with this argument at all.

[Anonymous]

My daughter attends a private school. We can afford it, but I question our decision all the time. There are a few students that also attend that are on financial aid, so it is "economically diverse". The statement is a joke because these kids do not fit in. They can't afford the niceties the other students have, the rich kids aren't interested in them and in some cases are mean to them, and the parents don't want to associate with their parents.

The big issue is that my daughter is one of the mean ones. She is a snob and despite my talks with her, she just doesn't get it. I blame myself for her attitude, and not monitoring her attitude change and nipping it in the bud sooner. I thought that since I came frome a very poor background and that she knows of the struggles and sacrifices I have made to get us to where we are now, that she would be more accepting of the differences in people. that isn't the case. In fact, I had invited some of her classmates and their parents over for a cookout and she fell into her normal clique and ignored the others. I don't know what to do at this point-she will not listen to what I have to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in one school the child was Asian and in the other Indian looking. my neighbor is married to an Indian and was specifically looking for racial diversity.

Don't let your neighbor know your ignorance...Indians are Asians!! Duh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with PPs. If you decide not to do private school either because it's not for you or you don't get in, then it is no joke or understatement that you save a lot of money regardless of how much money you earn. You will be thrilled with what you can do with that extra $30k or $60k you are not paying for tuition. Another way to look at it is you're driving a brand new BMW or two into the Potomac each year. That much money can also buy a lot of supplemental tutoring, enrichment, and longer and nicer vacations. (Note even if the tuition tag is in the low 20s, by the time you get around to paying tuition insurance, aftercare, and donations for everything under the sun, you will be out quite a bit.)

Driving a BMW or two into the Potomac is not quite on the level of investing in education for your children but if that's the way you see it then of course I can see why you would not chose private. Also for some people money is really not an issue. They could just as easily drive 4 BMWs into the Potomac and send 4 kids to private school and still have $$ left to burn. It is not always an either or. Our son's school fees were available long before he was born. paying his fees does not impact our expenses in anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in one school the child was Asian and in the other Indian looking. my neighbor is married to an Indian and was specifically looking for racial diversity.

Don't let your neighbor know your ignorance...Indians are Asians!! Duh.

You know full well what I mean. Stop trying to be smart.

[Anonymous]

12:30 poster - I applaud you for saying you are to blame for your daughter's snobbiness. It's very refreshing to see parents take blame for something instead of placing the blame elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

I'm the 12:15 poster--point taken about not all public schools being diverse in whatever way. But the ones in my area are, so that's my frame of reference (and why my decision makes sense to me).

This is a good discussion!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with PPs. If you decide not to do private school either because it's not for you or you don't get in, then it is no joke or understatement that you save a lot of money regardless of how much money you earn. You will be thrilled with what you can do with that extra $30k or $60k you are not paying for tuition. Another way to look at it is you're driving a brand new BMW or two into the Potomac each year. That much money can also buy a lot of supplemental tutoring, enrichment, and longer and nicer vacations. (Note even if the tuition tag is in the low 20s, by the time you get around to paying tuition insurance, aftercare, and donations for everything under the sun, you will be out quite a bit.)

Driving a BMW or two into the Potomac is not quite on the level of investing in education for your children but if that's the way you see it then of course I can see why you would not chose private. Also for some people money is really not an issue. They could just as easily drive 4 BMWs into the Potomac and send 4 kids to private school and still have $$ left to burn. It is not always an either or. Our son's school fees were available long before he was born. paying his fees does not impact our expenses in anyway.

Great point!!!!!