Cons of private school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Butting is definitely a con:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/01/15/dismissal-upheld-in-prep-school-hazing-incident/524fa325-7171-41b4-8edc-1d5fa8706d9f/

1991???

It’s 2022.

[Anonymous]

In our case, the HOS's kid was in my kid's class. HOS's kid bullied other kids relentlessly. The kids who actually reported it were either ignored by admin or if an incident was severe enough and HOS kid was punished, there was retribution.

It was brutal. We pulled our kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our case, the HOS's kid was in my kid's class. HOS's kid bullied other kids relentlessly. The kids who actually reported it were either ignored by admin or if an incident was severe enough and HOS kid was punished, there was retribution.

It was brutal. We pulled our kid.

Omg what school was this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP private school is for kids that can not cut it in public

My child was in the G&T program in public and is now in a Big 3 private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Butting is definitely a con:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1991/01/15/dismissal-upheld-in-prep-school-hazing-incident/524fa325-7171-41b4-8edc-1d5fa8706d9f/

1991???

It’s 2022.

1) Some things, you never live down.

2) Who do you think is now the parent community? Look to your left, look to your right. There is a butter abutting you.

[Anonymous]

Important to find a private school that isn't tiny. It's just not a good way to go socially to have a tiny crowd - kids need that diversity and ability to find their tribe. Once we changed out to a school with 80 kids per grade, they and us are so much happier. The limited population means that it's all a clique - if you don't get along with one, you aren't going to get along with any. It really is not conducive to a happy environment. Even if you do get joy out it, as the years progress, life changes and you have to be able to adapt and get a long with a wider group of people.

Important to find a school that is not going to baby the kids. We moved from a school that constantly gave additional make up chances for papers/exams to upper elementary and it's not doing our kids any good. Public won't do that and there's something to be said for needing to learn from your mistakes upfront - you have to take responsibility for doing the work.

Definitely the long long summers and many days off but honestly depending on the school and public school zone, it could be a wash. Typically speaking though, the summers are going longer in private. 13 weeks is a LONG summer!

I don't feel that the money thing is a huge deal nor the bullying/snobbery. I think you find good, nice, bad, difficult people everywhere. As long as you have a diverse population. You are obviously more likely to find well-to -do families in private settings but again, good and nice people who have money are still good and nice We have several very well to do families we know in public - I mean - you will find them throughout DMV area cause we all live in a bubble.

Public is good for the regular kid who is fine with everything. Good student, strong identity and can make friends easily, strong academic aptitude ie they like school/learning/responsible. My kids love their private school - they say they learn in an innovative, interesting way and it's just more in depth. You really have to find that right school though - NOT ALL privates are as good as a public school and not all public schools suck. The biggest difference however is that the public school mandate of Common Core and teaching for tests is really tough for true critical thinking. You basically are learning how to take tests. That's not a bad thing I guess but in the long term, having a life as an adult, I'm not sure how that really helps you.

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Cons of private school: rich people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cons of private school: rich people

Yep. Obamas, Kennedy’s, Gores, and Pelosis are NOT the kinds of people you want your kids in school with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Important to find a private school that isn't tiny. It's just not a good way to go socially to have a tiny crowd - kids need that diversity and ability to find their tribe. Once we changed out to a school with 80 kids per grade, they and us are so much happier. The limited population means that it's all a clique - if you don't get along with one, you aren't going to get along with any. It really is not conducive to a happy environment. Even if you do get joy out it, as the years progress, life changes and you have to be able to adapt and get a long with a wider group of people.

Important to find a school that is not going to baby the kids. We moved from a school that constantly gave additional make up chances for papers/exams to upper elementary and it's not doing our kids any good. Public won't do that and there's something to be said for needing to learn from your mistakes upfront - you have to take responsibility for doing the work.

Definitely the long long summers and many days off but honestly depending on the school and public school zone, it could be a wash. Typically speaking though, the summers are going longer in private. 13 weeks is a LONG summer!

I don't feel that the money thing is a huge deal nor the bullying/snobbery. I think you find good, nice, bad, difficult people everywhere. As long as you have a diverse population. You are obviously more likely to find well-to -do families in private settings but again, good and nice people who have money are still good and nice We have several very well to do families we know in public - I mean - you will find them throughout DMV area cause we all live in a bubble.

Public is good for the regular kid who is fine with everything. Good student, strong identity and can make friends easily, strong academic aptitude ie they like school/learning/responsible. My kids love their private school - they say they learn in an innovative, interesting way and it's just more in depth. You really have to find that right school though - NOT ALL privates are as good as a public school and not all public schools suck. The biggest difference however is that the public school mandate of Common Core and teaching for tests is really tough for true critical thinking. You basically are learning how to take tests. That's not a bad thing I guess but in the long term, having a life as an adult, I'm not sure how that really helps you.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a huge con is that once you introduce choice, you might always wonder about the opportunity cost of choosing that school over others.

This is a really interesting - and I think true - point.
No school is perfect. if you just attend your local public school, you accept the imperfections without too much angst (within reason, of course)
If your private school that you worked hard to choose and apply to and were excited about getting accepted into has imperfections (which it will!) it makes you question your choices and perhaps start looking all over again.

It’s a great point. I read an article about the concept of the Paradox of Choice (described well here: https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/economics/the-paradox-of-choice ) and the psychological downsides of trying to make the very best decisions for your family. It really helped me understand and better control some of the anxieties I’ve had since becoming a parent. I think it’s something that everyone looking at private schools and elite colleges probably struggles with to some extent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP private school is for kids that can not cut it in public

My child was in the G&T program in public and is now in a Big 3 private.

As DC left a private K-6, we turned down a Cathedral school for a public magnet.
We knew five families in the magnet who made the same decision wrt Sidwell or cathedral schools.

[Anonymous]

Friends being spread out is probably the hardest. We have multiple kids and have done both private and public. DD has been private since 3rd grade and is a sophomore in private HS. We moved for 3rd grade because she was an average student and her public school was so large. Our experience was either gifted or those really struggling received more instruction than the average student. My youngest daughter was in private for 7 years (started in K) and this year went public. Each kid has different needs (academics and/or social). There isn't one right answer.

[Anonymous]

Cons of using private school: it costs money. Pros: it is not DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Cons: the governing board
pros: it's not DCPS