Families who have gone from public to private: what has been the biggest difference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child learned actual content, not just reading strategies over and over and over again. He had social studies all year long as well as science. They didn't alternate like in public school. In science, they had to write up labs and then actually did them. He was taught actual grammar and received a grade for it. He was taught vocabulary and spelling finally counted in his writing. He was taught how to write and then his writing was critiqued and he was able to make changes to it before it was due. His teacher did this through writing conferences with each student and comments on Google classroom. He took a foreign language and it was a regular class. There was none of this ridiculous redoing of assignments and tests. A test or quiz was given and the date was known in advance. If you didn't study and did poorly, oh well. Do better next time. He teachers expected a lot more from him. He got straight As in public school and a year and a half later, still gets mostly Bs and Cs and I'm happy about it. Public school parents who think their child is doing well live in Fantasyland. Oh and he was in the highest group in math in public school (and got straight As) and he scored in the 70% percentile in basic math skills when he started private school. A tutor and myself are now catching him up on basic math since the Common Core crap math he learned is useless. Oh and the grading scale is harder.

What school district? If my kid got all As, I would question it in a minute whether public or private. Back at home only hardworking smart kids got all As- maybe 15 kids out of 800.

[Anonymous]

In lower school, more recess, more pe (with more emphasis on actual sports than kickball, etc), foreign language with native speaking teachers (although our public is piloting), woodworking, math about a year advanced v. Our public accelerated class, handwriting as a subject, ipads in classroom plus tech class, and dedicated science teacher with lab. Maker space available to kids in morning, school drop off beginning at 7:20. More frequent field trips, including overnights. Public class size was 25 to 30 after K, private is 12 to 15. Teacher led curriculum instead of county mandated. No teaching to standardized tests Teachers eat lunch at same table in cafeteria as kids. More racial and income diversity than our public.

In middle, more independence, kids can eat outside, have morning and afternoon 20 minute free blocks with teacher appointment times in afternoon for students to ask questions, review tests , etc . . Small class sizes, more rigorous curriculum, particularly with respect to math, social sciences and language arts. Sports (or drama/dance) are mandatory and built into school day vs. our large public where only a few sports offered and nearly impossible to make teams. Also have pe or dance every day. Laptop required for all classes, separate tech class, tech maker space available for kids to use outside of class. No extra charge for afternoon supervision until 6.

These are Baltimore single sex privates—my kids previously went to 10 rated, blue ribbon Baltimore County elementary with little income diversity. The specific private and public schools involved matter.

[Anonymous]

DD went from a W feeder school in MoCo to private. I agree with many of the comments in this thread.

If you’re considering making a switch, look closely at they type of private school- they are not all created equal and the ones that everyone seems desperate for their kids to attend may not be best for your DC.

The biggest difference for DD:
-Smaller classes means more attention and ability for teachers to do more during the day (15 kids in a class instead of 25-35)

-Less chaotic environment- because the school isn’t bursting at the seams, the environment is less stressful (especially in the halls and in the lunch room).

-More hands-on instruction and practical application of concepts. Learning by doing is an everyday occurrence. In public school in was an unusual occurrence (great teachers but not nearly enough time or resources).

-More specialty instruction. Instead of having one PE teacher glossing over a few sports (again, great teachers but time a resources were lacking), DD has a swim instructor, volleyball instructors, etc. These are people who have years of experience teaching the sport to players at all levels. She gets a very good beginning level understanding of the sport (and has PE four days out of five instead of one day out of five).

-Environment of achievement. At the beginning of the year DD commented that one of the reasons she enjoys her school so much is because everyone wants to be there and work hard. HUGE difference from her public school. She doesn’t have to deal with always being seated next to the class clown because she was always on task and “balanced the group”.

Biggest difference for me and DH:
-Feedback- we have an hour for parent conferences and the feedback is thoughtful and meaningful. Her teachers are highly responsive to our questions and go above and beyond to help. DH and I were tired of attending conferences that lasted five minutes only to be told that DD was so fabulous and they had no practical feedback. Yes, she’s great it she’s not perfect and there is ALWAYS something that can be done better.

-Community- as strange as it may seem, DD’s private (that draws kids from all over DC, VA and MD) feels more like a community than DD’s public ES. That obviously won’t be the case at every private but DD’s school focuses on building community in ways that her public school didn’t (or couldn’t).

Our family is fortunate that DD was accepted to the school that we felt would be the best fit for her and we are relieved that the school has surpassed our expectations. I understand that it doesn’t work out so well for every student (and family) but these are the biggest differences we’ve experienced. Good luck to you, OP with whatever path you choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD went from a W feeder school in MoCo to private. I agree with many of the comments in this thread.

If you’re considering making a switch, look closely at they type of private school- they are not all created equal and the ones that everyone seems desperate for their kids to attend may not be best for your DC.

The biggest difference for DD:
-Smaller classes means more attention and ability for teachers to do more during the day (15 kids in a class instead of 25-35)

-Less chaotic environment- because the school isn’t bursting at the seams, the environment is less stressful (especially in the halls and in the lunch room).

-More hands-on instruction and practical application of concepts. Learning by doing is an everyday occurrence. In public school in was an unusual occurrence (great teachers but not nearly enough time or resources).

-More specialty instruction. Instead of having one PE teacher glossing over a few sports (again, great teachers but time a resources were lacking), DD has a swim instructor, volleyball instructors, etc. These are people who have years of experience teaching the sport to players at all levels. She gets a very good beginning level understanding of the sport (and has PE four days out of five instead of one day out of five).

-Environment of achievement. At the beginning of the year DD commented that one of the reasons she enjoys her school so much is because everyone wants to be there and work hard. HUGE difference from her public school. She doesn’t have to deal with always being seated next to the class clown because she was always on task and “balanced the group”.

Biggest difference for me and DH:
-Feedback- we have an hour for parent conferences and the feedback is thoughtful and meaningful. Her teachers are highly responsive to our questions and go above and beyond to help. DH and I were tired of attending conferences that lasted five minutes only to be told that DD was so fabulous and they had no practical feedback. Yes, she’s great it she’s not perfect and there is ALWAYS something that can be done better.

-Community- as strange as it may seem, DD’s private (that draws kids from all over DC, VA and MD) feels more like a community than DD’s public ES. That obviously won’t be the case at every private but DD’s school focuses on building community in ways that her public school didn’t (or couldn’t).

Our family is fortunate that DD was accepted to the school that we felt would be the best fit for her and we are relieved that the school has surpassed our expectations. I understand that it doesn’t work out so well for every student (and family) but these are the biggest differences we’ve experienced. Good luck to you, OP with whatever path you choose.

Thanks, this is really helpful. We are looking at private, but haven't made a final decision yet. DH doesn't have any experience with private school, whereas I do (though it was only for HS). These insights help frame our thinking!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, this is really helpful. We are looking at private, but haven't made a final decision yet. DH doesn't have any experience with private school, whereas I do (though it was only for HS). These insights help frame our thinking!

thumb up for private school over public school

My son who just recently graduated from college could have attended public Langley HS. Instead his mother sent him to Sidwell and it was the best thing we did for him. Private school taught him critical thinking which is something they taught in public school. My daughter didn't get accepted into Sidwell so she attended Langley HS and don't get me wrong, Langley HS is a good school but it is NOT Sidwell. She was a good student at Langley HS but she is really struggling at UVA.

my 2c

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child learned actual content, not just reading strategies over and over and over again. He had social studies all year long as well as science. They didn't alternate like in public school. In science, they had to write up labs and then actually did them. He was taught actual grammar and received a grade for it. He was taught vocabulary and spelling finally counted in his writing. He was taught how to write and then his writing was critiqued and he was able to make changes to it before it was due. His teacher did this through writing conferences with each student and comments on Google classroom. He took a foreign language and it was a regular class. There was none of this ridiculous redoing of assignments and tests. A test or quiz was given and the date was known in advance. If you didn't study and did poorly, oh well. Do better next time. He teachers expected a lot more from him. He got straight As in public school and a year and a half later, still gets mostly Bs and Cs and I'm happy about it. Public school parents who think their child is doing well live in Fantasyland. Oh and he was in the highest group in math in public school (and got straight As) and he scored in the 70% percentile in basic math skills when he started private school. A tutor and myself are now catching him up on basic math since the Common Core crap math he learned is useless. Oh and the grading scale is harder.

My kids attend public school and they have social studies and science all year long. I'm shocked that there are any schools that actually alternate these. What state are you in?

Maryland. Baltimore County. They alternated between science and social studies in ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child learned actual content, not just reading strategies over and over and over again. He had social studies all year long as well as science. They didn't alternate like in public school. In science, they had to write up labs and then actually did them. He was taught actual grammar and received a grade for it. He was taught vocabulary and spelling finally counted in his writing. He was taught how to write and then his writing was critiqued and he was able to make changes to it before it was due. His teacher did this through writing conferences with each student and comments on Google classroom. He took a foreign language and it was a regular class. There was none of this ridiculous redoing of assignments and tests. A test or quiz was given and the date was known in advance. If you didn't study and did poorly, oh well. Do better next time. He teachers expected a lot more from him. He got straight As in public school and a year and a half later, still gets mostly Bs and Cs and I'm happy about it. Public school parents who think their child is doing well live in Fantasyland. Oh and he was in the highest group in math in public school (and got straight As) and he scored in the 70% percentile in basic math skills when he started private school. A tutor and myself are now catching him up on basic math since the Common Core crap math he learned is useless. Oh and the grading scale is harder.

What school district? If my kid got all As, I would question it in a minute whether public or private. Back at home only hardworking smart kids got all As- maybe 15 kids out of 800.

Ever heard of grade inflation? Search the forums for recent discussions of it in local districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, this is really helpful. We are looking at private, but haven't made a final decision yet. DH doesn't have any experience with private school, whereas I do (though it was only for HS). These insights help frame our thinking!

thumb up for private school over public school

My son who just recently graduated from college could have attended public Langley HS. Instead his mother sent him to Sidwell and it was the best thing we did for him. Private school taught him critical thinking which is something they taught in public school. My daughter didn't get accepted into Sidwell so she attended Langley HS and don't get me wrong, Langley HS is a good school but it is NOT Sidwell. She was a good student at Langley HS but she is really struggling at UVA.

my 2c

OP here. I totally agree. I went to public for ES and MS, and then Andover for HS. It completely changed me (for the better!). In my MS--despite its being a strong public school--it wasn't "cool" to enjoy learning. I got made fun of for answering questions. The kids just wanted to get A's so they could go to a good college and make a ton of money.

At Andover, everyone is a nerd and has their own passion. It was awesome. I learned how to think critically on a level I think my local HS would not have provided. I learned how to cope with a ton of academic pressure. I learned that, even though I was at the top of my class in MS, I would never be the smartest kid in any of my classes at Andover. I had friends who tested out of BC calculus their freshman year. They ended up doing an independent math seminar. I had a friend who invented a new geometry theorem. I had a friend whose curation work at one of Andover's museums won her a Rhodes scholarship. These kids were just on a different level, and it was a very humbling experience.

Anyway, long story short -- I think a strong private HS can be an incredible experience. In some ways, it can almost ruin college for a kid because you basically end up going to the rough equivalent of a liberal arts college for high school (that's a different story altogether, and speaks to the importance of picking the right college for a kid who has had such a robust HS experience). I just don't have exposure to lower school privates, so it's helpful to hear other people's experiences.

[Anonymous]

I am also in W feeder school but the PPs are correct. My DD's private is worth every penny for us, she love it sooooo much more than her MoCo public.

[Anonymous]

We went private until 8th grade then went public, for both kids. Have been very helpful, privates at that young age were great at fostering curiousities, finding personal interests and teaching kids to speak. In addition to learning various subject matter. Teacher feedback was excellent, so was parent community. Loved that the sports were after school, at the school.

hs was ready for larger environment, knew the soccer coach and kids already, large cohort of top kids (Whitman) so not a fishbowl environment. We let each daughter decide for herself to continue on in k-12 private or do nearby public. At that age the kids are all studying 3-4 hours a night, doing their sport or EC, and trying to have fun along the way.

[Anonymous]

APS through 5th, then private. Also had a child who went K-12 at APS. Biggest differences we saw:

* Much stronger writing instruction -- and in virtually every class (history, science, even math)
* (Obviously) much smaller classes (average size 12-15) -- means that more introverted students are invited into the conversation every day. They cover a lot of material more quickly, as fewer distractions. Lots of class discussions.
* A real effort to ensure every student is engaged in something outside of coursework. Participation in extra- curriculars is required, and they work with students to ensure they find their passions.

Not a knock on APS -- we were very happy with our older child's education. But as more students are in APS schools, it is simply harder for teachers to meet each child where they are.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, everyone. One additional question: Did you ever feel as though the school was catering *too* much to your kid? In other words, was your kid getting a sense of entitlement? We really want to balance making sure our kid gets a high quality education with trying to avoid her feeling a sense of entitlement. I know it's really hard to do, and that there are plenty of entitled kids in public schools, but I wonder if it's a risk in having such small class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD went from a W feeder school in MoCo to private. I agree with many of the comments in this thread.

If you’re considering making a switch, look closely at they type of private school- they are not all created equal and the ones that everyone seems desperate for their kids to attend may not be best for your DC.

The biggest difference for DD:
-Smaller classes means more attention and ability for teachers to do more during the day (15 kids in a class instead of 25-35)

-Less chaotic environment- because the school isn’t bursting at the seams, the environment is less stressful (especially in the halls and in the lunch room).

-More hands-on instruction and practical application of concepts. Learning by doing is an everyday occurrence. In public school in was an unusual occurrence (great teachers but not nearly enough time or resources).

-More specialty instruction. Instead of having one PE teacher glossing over a few sports (again, great teachers but time a resources were lacking), DD has a swim instructor, volleyball instructors, etc. These are people who have years of experience teaching the sport to players at all levels. She gets a very good beginning level understanding of the sport (and has PE four days out of five instead of one day out of five).

-Environment of achievement. At the beginning of the year DD commented that one of the reasons she enjoys her school so much is because everyone wants to be there and work hard. HUGE difference from her public school. She doesn’t have to deal with always being seated next to the class clown because she was always on task and “balanced the group”.

Biggest difference for me and DH:
-Feedback- we have an hour for parent conferences and the feedback is thoughtful and meaningful. Her teachers are highly responsive to our questions and go above and beyond to help. DH and I were tired of attending conferences that lasted five minutes only to be told that DD was so fabulous and they had no practical feedback. Yes, she’s great it she’s not perfect and there is ALWAYS something that can be done better.

-Community- as strange as it may seem, DD’s private (that draws kids from all over DC, VA and MD) feels more like a community than DD’s public ES. That obviously won’t be the case at every private but DD’s school focuses on building community in ways that her public school didn’t (or couldn’t).

Our family is fortunate that DD was accepted to the school that we felt would be the best fit for her and we are relieved that the school has surpassed our expectations. I understand that it doesn’t work out so well for every student (and family) but these are the biggest differences we’ve experienced. Good luck to you, OP with whatever path you choose.

+1--so well said. We also went from "W" feeder to private and the above mirrors our experience exactly.

[Anonymous]

We haven't found that. There is a lot of accountability for turning in work on time, showing up on time, etc --- in fact more than we found at APS. We have also insisted our kids have summer jobs, etc -- underscoring the importance of working not expecting things to be delivered to you. Good luck with your decision!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, everyone. One additional question: Did you ever feel as though the school was catering *too* much to your kid? In other words, was your kid getting a sense of entitlement? We really want to balance making sure our kid gets a high quality education with trying to avoid her feeling a sense of entitlement. I know it's really hard to do, and that there are plenty of entitled kids in public schools, but I wonder if it's a risk in having such small class sizes.

Has not been an issue for us, perhaps b/c we deliberately chose a private that emphasizes independent work. DD feels challenged and supported, not "catered to".

That said, we were very concerned about the sense of economic entitlement at many privates.