Private versus Great Public

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Her education is far better than what I received. Arlington is known nationally for the quality of its education, and b/c it has a lot of affluent residents, children tend to have very involved parents. It's nothing like the public schools I remember. Good luck in whatever you decide!

I agree with eth PP... don't compare private schools with the public education you received as a child -- actually go see what is being offered in the schools. And, if you were in Montgomery County, I'd be more wary. But you live in Arlington -- they really do have good schools.

I disagree on MoCo - I have found the schools here to be excellent, at least in our cluster (feeding in to BCC). The testing was initially a little excessive, but I think that is settling down. You have fantastic teachers and great students.

[Anonymous]

It depends where you are in MoCo. The BCC cluster is definitely a great place to be.

[Anonymous]

OP, I hear you. We're in MoCo and our local K-2 is reputedly excellent, though big. The 3-5 school has a much more uneven reputation.

For us I think it has come down to feeling that our individual child will be better served in a small private school. DC is currently in pre-K at a good private and the bottom line is that the school knows and values my child. The curriculum is also richer than a MoCo public's curriculum, and is developmentally appropriate. There's more recess, PE, music, etc. There's rest time after lunch each day. It's definitely tempting to consider saving the money and sending DC to the good neighborhood school. I think these early years set the tone for all the long years of school ahead, though, and I think our current private school does a great job of helping children love to learn. For now, for our 5 year-old, these things are worth paying for. Just one parent's (convoluted) thought process. . . . Hope it's helpful.

[Anonymous]

Part of my private vs public conflict is about those extras that keep the child engaged and make learning fun and just gives them exposure to the world beyond the immediate and shows them how many things in the world are related. I think some of holistic view can be found at public magnet schools, possibly charter schools, and certain private schools. It may be harder to have that in the traditional public school because it isn't the focus. For me anyway, I had these one or two teachers that I can remember actually reaching me and inspiring me - other than that it was pretty much lackluster - study for the test, do well on the test, on to the next thing .... with the occasional "project" which usually annoyed me because I didn't see the point of it other than saying we had hands on project work. I think it wasn't until I went to college that I had that aha moment when learning was truly interesting and I could see how it related to my life and the world around me. Before, I just did well without being challenged, and don't think I ever truly enjoyed learning - only the success of getting good grades. For me giving my children the best education would include both the challenge and the joy of learning.

I agree with the PP that mentioned in general you are not the client with the public school as you would be with a private school and if your child fits within what the public school does well - you may not have any issues or reasons to ever notice. It's like someone that says I loved this place but never saw the customer service when there was a problem and you got to experience it. You could end up with very different perspectives.

I'm in MoCo and really looking into magnet programs despite having a really good neighborhood school. I would like to consider privates but I would have to make a really strong case with DH since we paid all this money to buy a house in an area with really good public schools. We had the house before the kids so not knowing their personality or knowing we would get a little bit of the official central office/party line in regards to an issue with our daughter - we only had test scores and general reputation to go by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends where you are in MoCo. The BCC cluster is definitely a great place to be.

I meant, I think Montgomery County school quality is more varied than Arlington County is. In Arlington I think the schools are more uniformly of good quality. Montgomery County it really depends on where you are.

[Anonymous]

The worst teacher my son had in elementary school recently left for a prestigious private school. I wish her and them great success.

[Anonymous]

Something you might want to look into regarding MoCo schools is the degree to which elementary school lessons are scripted. This was quite intense a few years ago. Perhaps it is relaxed somewhat now. Highly scripted lessons make for pretty joyless teaching and learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has been to private and is now in public.

Here's the big difference:

In private school, the parents are the customers. You pay the bills, you need to be satisfied (although the really exclusive privates can always find new customers, so you might not have as much say there.)

In public school, the state (and county) are the clients. The state (and county) pay the bills. The state has a mandate to educate the public and it does so, according to whatever laws have been put in place that year. The state requires schools show progress on goals the state has set out for it.

Parents can influence the county and more remotely, the state, and of course ultimately everyone is accountable to the taxpayers. But you the parent going into the principal's office to conference about your child-- you aren't the client. The school does not exist to serve your child. The school exists to educate all children in the jurisdiction, and your child is one "product" out of many that the school is churning out to meet state specifications.

How happy you will be with this process depends upon how well your child fits in with the product specifications, or if you can find a school where your child fits in better. I might sound like a bitter public school parent but I'm not -- my kid is in a great public school and thriving -- but you need to understand that in public school, the parent is NOT the client (nor is the child.)

This is a little depressing, although it makes a great case for charter schools where the parents are the customers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has been to private and is now in public.

Here's the big difference:

In private school, the parents are the customers. You pay the bills, you need to be satisfied (although the really exclusive privates can always find new customers, so you might not have as much say there.)

In public school, the state (and county) are the clients. The state (and county) pay the bills. The state has a mandate to educate the public and it does so, according to whatever laws have been put in place that year. The state requires schools show progress on goals the state has set out for it.

Parents can influence the county and more remotely, the state, and of course ultimately everyone is accountable to the taxpayers. But you the parent going into the principal's office to conference about your child-- you aren't the client. The school does not exist to serve your child. The school exists to educate all children in the jurisdiction, and your child is one "product" out of many that the school is churning out to meet state specifications.

How happy you will be with this process depends upon how well your child fits in with the product specifications, or if you can find a school where your child fits in better. I might sound like a bitter public school parent but I'm not -- my kid is in a great public school and thriving -- but you need to understand that in public school, the parent is NOT the client (nor is the child.)

This articulates our experience with public schools quite well. Thanks--I appreciated reading it.