Is private school REALLY different than public school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One big difference we experienced was behavior. Our children in those years attended both public and private schools on the West and East coasts (not all at the same time, obviously).

Behavior in the private schools was appalling and not dealt with in any kind of effective way. So there was talking back to teachers, bullying, wild boy wrestling, that kind of thing.

In the privates there was almost a fear of intervening in case the rich donor parent was offended. In publics it was a matter of rules and public safety and there was never any hesitation to contact parents immediately when something went wrong.

I have also had this experience. Privates are sometimes afraid of disciplining or imposing what VIP children might interpret as "mean" rules like no yelling, running, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids went to an upper NW public and 2 (out of 3) are now in private.
They never had worksheets in the classroom in K and there was no homework until 3rd grade either. In kindergarten there were two 30 minute recesses plus a movement class daily. There's a dedicated PK-1 science teacher and the school now has Spanish beginning in K. All 3 of my kids were in class in kindergarten with less than 23 kids (and two teachers).
They had art/music once a week.

So basically the difference was a few art/music classes a week which in my mind wasn't work $25K+ a year per kid. If your child is getting worksheets and limited outside time in K then something is wrong. A really good public school won't have any worksheets (in any grades).

I found that my kids transitioned seamlessly to private school after elementary and are now at the top of their classes.

Just a wild guess, were your kids at Horace Mann, where the parents pay for extra teaching support and lots of upgrades? That is not the norm in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An average private you're paying tuition so your kid doesn't have to interact with the bottom third or half of an average public.

This is basically true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids went to an upper NW public and 2 (out of 3) are now in private.
They never had worksheets in the classroom in K and there was no homework until 3rd grade either. In kindergarten there were two 30 minute recesses plus a movement class daily. There's a dedicated PK-1 science teacher and the school now has Spanish beginning in K. All 3 of my kids were in class in kindergarten with less than 23 kids (and two teachers).
They had art/music once a week.

So basically the difference was a few art/music classes a week which in my mind wasn't work $25K+ a year per kid. If your child is getting worksheets and limited outside time in K then something is wrong. A really good public school won't have any worksheets (in any grades).

I found that my kids transitioned seamlessly to private school after elementary and are now at the top of their classes.

Your kids went to DCPS? Then one of the two "teachers" was actually an aide, not a fully realized and credentialed teacher with the requisite Masters and student teaching already accomplished. Lemme guess: Janney parent or Mann? It's usually Mann posters claiming they have two teachers for every class, but lately it's been Janney. No DCPS has two teachers in a classroom. None.

Also, 45 minutes a week of exposure to Spanish is not really language instruction, is it? regardless, all DCPS now have this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One big difference we experienced was behavior. Our children in those years attended both public and private schools on the West and East coasts (not all at the same time, obviously).

Behavior in the private schools was appalling and not dealt with in any kind of effective way. So there was talking back to teachers, bullying, wild boy wrestling, that kind of thing.

In the privates there was almost a fear of intervening in case the rich donor parent was offended. In publics it was a matter of rules and public safety and there was never any hesitation to contact parents immediately when something went wrong.

I have also had this experience. Privates are sometimes afraid of disciplining or imposing what VIP children might interpret as "mean" rules like no yelling, running, etc.

My experience has been the complete opposite. Behavior was more ch worse in public school. Desirable privates have plenty of full pay kids waiting to take a spot from a poorly behaved kid.

[Anonymous]

Different FROM.

[Anonymous]

Wait and spend the money starting at 7th or 9th. Btdt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One big difference we experienced was behavior. Our children in those years attended both public and private schools on the West and East coasts (not all at the same time, obviously).

Behavior in the private schools was appalling and not dealt with in any kind of effective way. So there was talking back to teachers, bullying, wild boy wrestling, that kind of thing.

In the privates there was almost a fear of intervening in case the rich donor parent was offended. In publics it was a matter of rules and public safety and there was never any hesitation to contact parents immediately when something went wrong.

I have also had this experience. Privates are sometimes afraid of disciplining or imposing what VIP children might interpret as "mean" rules like no yelling, running, etc.

This shows up on threads when people complain about "mean teachers." Some schools (notably Catholic) don't put up with crap. Others enforce rules, and risk losing families who then decamp to other schools.

[Anonymous]

My kids switched from public to private this year and all I can say is the first couple of weeks in private are nothing like DCPS. They had 23 kids with a teacher plus aide in public, including a few kids who needed a lot of special help, they now have 12 kids and 2 full time teachers. They have PE plus recess every day now. They have several other fun specials that they tell us about every day as soon as we pick them up. But mostly they already feel special there, the teachers are so welcoming and warm which means a lot for young elementary kids. It's a huge financial commitment but I'm thrilled with the change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is in a private K that I love. Three recess times a day, two snacks, and a fresh lunch made from scratch daily! There are about 14 kids in the class and 1-2 teachers depending on the time of day. It is very personal, warm, and non-institutional. I just love it.

Can you please share which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is in a private K that I love. Three recess times a day, two snacks, and a fresh lunch made from scratch daily! There are about 14 kids in the class and 1-2 teachers depending on the time of day. It is very personal, warm, and non-institutional. I just love it.

Which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One big difference we experienced was behavior. Our children in those years attended both public and private schools on the West and East coasts (not all at the same time, obviously).

Behavior in the private schools was appalling and not dealt with in any kind of effective way. So there was talking back to teachers, bullying, wild boy wrestling, that kind of thing.

In the privates there was almost a fear of intervening in case the rich donor parent was offended. In publics it was a matter of rules and public safety and there was never any hesitation to contact parents immediately when something went wrong.

I have also had this experience. Privates are sometimes afraid of disciplining or imposing what VIP children might interpret as "mean" rules like no yelling, running, etc.

This shows up on threads when people complain about "mean teachers." Some schools (notably Catholic) don't put up with crap. Others enforce rules, and risk losing families who then decamp to other schools.

No no. You're talking about Catholic schools - those are parochial, totally and utterly different and I agree they DO have discipline. My examples are strictly private (high fee paying) and public in good areas (original poster quoted at top).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One big difference we experienced was behavior. Our children in those years attended both public and private schools on the West and East coasts (not all at the same time, obviously).

Behavior in the private schools was appalling and not dealt with in any kind of effective way. So there was talking back to teachers, bullying, wild boy wrestling, that kind of thing.

In the privates there was almost a fear of intervening in case the rich donor parent was offended. In publics it was a matter of rules and public safety and there was never any hesitation to contact parents immediately when something went wrong.

I have also had this experience. Privates are sometimes afraid of disciplining or imposing what VIP children might interpret as "mean" rules like no yelling, running, etc.

This shows up on threads when people complain about "mean teachers." Some schools (notably Catholic) don't put up with crap. Others enforce rules, and risk losing families who then decamp to other schools.

No no. You're talking about Catholic schools - those are parochial, totally and utterly different and I agree they DO have discipline. My examples are strictly private (high fee paying) and public in good areas (original poster quoted at top).

Name the privates.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the public & private schools in question. Broad generalizations about either public or private schools are very rarely going to be true for a good number of schools in that category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they are not ready for K, best to hold them back a year like DCUM standard dictates. As a teacher, one would hope you got them prepared academically and socially. If your kid needs rest time in K, they do no belong in K.

This statement lacks understanding of what's appropriate for K age kids. Sadly it is the shared by many these days. Kindergartens have become first grades and if you want a more age appropriate experience for a five year old, you might find it in private school. We did. k-8 progressive sort of school and a smooth transition to HS after.