Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
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Anonymous
| For those of you with kids in private school . . . what makes private a better choice than the public school in your neighborhood? Advantages/disadvantages? FWIW I am currently weighing the pro and cons for my dc. Thank you! |
Anonymous
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Cons: Does not meet as many local kids for friendships and playmates.
Pros (for us): Single sex education centered on boys More physical activity More arts and culture (who knew at a boy's school) Great young motivated teachers who are also fantastic role models Better supervision than the public school (smaller school, teachers know all the kids) so less bullying More laid back feel than our local public Great curriculum (no Common Core -- especially Math) Sentence Diagramming and so much more... |
Anonymous
| Tell me about sentence diagraming pro or con?? |
Anonymous
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Cons: Cost, distance
Pros: Small classes, individualized instruction, exceptional teachers, trustworthy peer group, physical and emotional safety, lovely physical environment, many performing arts opportunities, great curriculum |
Anonymous
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Interesting that no one so far has mentioned the "con" that most people see:
$30K x 8 = $240,000 (actually, that's low b/c it doesn't account for tuition increases -- so probably more like $300,000 for 8 yrs.) (or $30K x 12 = $400,000 with tuition increases). $300,000 vs. $0 is a significant "con" --- might not be a deciding factor for some, but it's still significant. It becomes even more significant if you have more than one child. Many people would love to send their kids to private school for the reasons listed above by PPs, but ultimately decide that the money (even if it is available) is better spent on other things (saved for college, saved for private HS, spent on a house, saved for retirement, used to pay living expenses so that the parents are not living so close to the edge, etc.) You can't do a cost/benefit analysis of private school without considering the financial cost to the family.... unless that school is free. |
Anonymous
| Cause our zoned school has a greatschools rating of 2, and we don't want to move out to the burbs and can't afford a house in one of the very few areas with good schools. |
Anonymous
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My husband insisted on private. I thought it was ridiculous. Our local school, Stone Mill, in North Potomac is great.
But it's been fabulous. More differentiation, more emphasis on teaching social skills, conflict resolution, etc. I never want to go back (in elementary). Drawbacks are no gym, and fewer kids makes forming friendships a bit more challengng. |
Anonymous
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We are zoned for what is considered to be a great public. The main disadvantages to private are: cost and not having as many friends in the immediate neighborhood. DC is a shy, quiet, bright child. So in our case, the main advantages are (may not be advantages in your case, I really think it depends on the individual child): smaller classes, more attention from teachers, more structured environment that is also warm (if not, he could easily disappear in the back of the room). There's a very strong emphasis on the social side (helping dc feel more confident, without making him feel that his quiet personality is a bad thing). There is a more developmentally-appropriate curriculum, in my view (much more learning through play in the early grades, recess several times a day, art, music, etc.). We are not a wealthy family, so paying tuition does come with significant tradeoffs. But we feel it has been worth it. Good luck in your school search, we were in your shoes not too long ago, and I know how difficult it can be to make a decision.
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Anonymous
For me, it's a definite pro. It's the only way I ever really learned about all the parts of speech. I had a college professor who taught it as a "dying art form." |
Anonymous
18:41 here. Actually, cost was the very first con I had listed. |
Anonymous
| Dyslexia |
Anonymous
|
In our case -
Con: cost distance from friends DC's now warped perception that being middle class is somehow "poor" because we don't winter in Vail, summer in Paris or drive a Range Rover Pro: no standardized testing no teaching "down" more and better quality reading and writing more thinking, analyzing and discussion more gym class - and real phys ed like weight lifting and sports skills, no Chicken Dance! being surrounded by kids who are all highly motivated brings out the best in our DC and we found a school that selected ambitious, hard working kids better quality lunches - real food cooked in a kitchen an environment where manners are expected and enforced teachers who approach their job as college professors do and are also available before and after school no projects that are done 100% at home teachers have more freedom to choose material from a variety of sources the school can dismiss students with chronic behavior problems biannual drug testing and breathalizers at dance exits flexible aftercare (drop in) uniforms teaching study skills - how to study, how to take notes, how to "close read" teaching responsibility and consequences - our public allowed late work all the time consequence free, our private accepts it under some circumstances but only with reduced credit overall environment - a studious atmosphere and little things like having copies of famous works of art instead of "don't join gangs" posters on the wall |
Anonymous
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private pros:
recess every day (vs. once a week) music and art part of the curriculum |
Anonymous
| Another pro - more opportunity (not always) to meet like-minded parents. Also, more ability to be in communication with the school as we need information on DC. |
Anonymous
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For the pro-private column:
The day after Nelson Mandela died, the history teacher interrupted the unit to discuss who he was, what he did and what the students should know about him. Next day, back to the regularly scheduled programming. +1 to everything that 21:29 said. |