Is private school REALLY different than public school??

[Anonymous]

Another thing I have noticed in my experience at public and private is that there is just more competition at the private I know. It could be the area and the expectations of parents. But the kids spent a lot more time than the public school kids I knew talking about who was the best at running, reading, coloring, etc. When the top-down emphasis is on excellence, it can have an effect on the children that encourages competitiveness. Some may like this and others may be turned off.

[Anonymous]

Based on my experience, there is more time for fun in privates and generally more joy.

[Anonymous]

In my experience (having had kids in both) the only reason to use private elementary school vs. your JKLM public option in NW DC is
-you have enough money that $35K a year means very little
-your child has special needs.
Otherwise, the public experience is about 90-95% of the private one. And the private schools themselves agree because they take these kids coming from DCPS for middle
or high school all the time. Kids are admitted to Sidwell and GDS (etc) from Janney, Mann, Deal, etc and they transition seamlessly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP with a specific angle: anyone with experience in public & private that can speak more to bullying? We're dealing with minor teasing / pushing in 1st grade (public) that I'm concerned will get worse over time.

We're dealing with the same thing, same grade, in a Catholic elementary. It's not a public/private thing, it's a kid thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone should just state which independent school and which public system, or else this conversation is 100 percent useless. If I asked you "what are the benefits of nude pumps vs black pumps with "this dress," you'd need to see the dress for your answer to have any credibility.

To wit, I can guarantee that the math and science offerings at GDS middle and hs are stronger than DCps and moco math and science offerings outside of takoma and Blair magnets. St. John's high school vs bcc ? Maybe a different equation, I wouldn't know.

I am poster 8:14. We are at a W High School. Private School was an All Boys HS in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on my experience, there is more time for fun in privates and generally more joy.

That has been my observation as well. Private school kids appear happier and more enthusiastic about school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on my experience, there is more time for fun in privates and generally more joy.

That has been my observation as well. Private school kids appear happier and more enthusiastic about school.

hahaha. utter tosh.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I have worked as a teacher in public and private. I have four kids who have attended a mix of private and public. The teachers are far and away happier in private, and that permeates the building. The kids feed off that passion. It's just more mission driven. More play, more arts, more individualized attention in private, tho I am not familiar with parochial schools. The academics are similar in the younger years, but as they get older, writing instruction and social sciences are stronger in private. More feedback, less grade inflation in private. I am simply not a fan right now of public education, which is a shame. Public Ed simply isn't doing a good job of educating the whole child and teaching them to view learning as a joyful process.

[Anonymous]

I have had experiences in both schools. DC #1 went all the way through in private. DC # 2 decided to go to public starting in 7th grade and is currently in HS.

Differences we have seen:

1) Science and math instruction has been better in public than private. Private school teachers don't seem to have as good a background in math and science education.

2) Writing instruction was better in private. More focus on longer papers and better essay writing skills

3) whether you like private is really dependent on the kids that are in that class. Some classes are just better than others.

4) There were definitely kids in the private school that academically really did not cut it but go there because of family connections or alumni connections.

I completely agree with the PP (also have 1 "lifer" and 1 that chose to go public for MS). We chose private for ES for more recess/play time and extras (like foreign language). If your child is not a strong reader/writer, then private for MS is definitely the better option. Small class sizes allow teachers time to thoroughly read and critique every student's work.

Both of my kids went private for HS mainly for smaller class size and because #3 (above) is less of a factor. If we had a "do over" and our local DCPS was JKLM, I think private all the way for DC#1 was still the better choice and DC#2 would've been better off in public and then private for HS.

Evaluate the fit with your child each year and stay objective so you can change course if you need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Other than the class size, everything you describe is happening in my kindergartners public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on my experience, there is more time for fun in privates and generally more joy.

That has been my observation as well. Private school kids appear happier and more enthusiastic about school.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Other than the class size, everything you describe is happening in my kindergartners public school.

You know this after two Weeks?

[Anonymous]

My DS started at a private school this year in MS. Here are some differences I am noticing so far. 1) Teachers seem happier. I'm a public school teacher and the over reliance on data driven instruction and testing is out of control. We are exhausted already and it is only Sept. My son's teachers seem to be free from this and seem to enjoy their instruction. 2) Since the school handpicks its student body, there is teaching to the middle and upper. The students are bright enough that instruction can move along at a decent clip and enrichment happens. 3) There is time for more than just reading and math. My DS alternated with science and social studies in ES. Those "classes" were appr. 20ish mins per day "if time allowed." I don't want science, geography, history, etc to be considered extras "if time allows." Since the private school isn't a slave to PARCC, etc, they can actually teach real honest to goodness information. 4) My son gets recess every day. He is in middle school too. Not happening in a public MS. It's way too crowded and not enough supervision. That is what I've noticed so far. Obviously, he has smaller classes. There are 20 kids in his class and he has 3 teachers for core subjects (each teacher teaches 2 core subjects like math/ELA, science/religion, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on my experience, there is more time for fun in privates and generally more joy.

That has been my observation as well. Private school kids appear happier and more enthusiastic about school.

+1

Maybe it is just the kids I know, but I have seen the opposite. I'm sure there are happy/unhappy, stressed/fun kids at every school though. Generalizations never hold up to scrutiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS started at a private school this year in MS. Here are some differences I am noticing so far. 1) Teachers seem happier. I'm a public school teacher and the over reliance on data driven instruction and testing is out of control. We are exhausted already and it is only Sept. My son's teachers seem to be free from this and seem to enjoy their instruction. 2) Since the school handpicks its student body, there is teaching to the middle and upper. The students are bright enough that instruction can move along at a decent clip and enrichment happens. 3) There is time for more than just reading and math. My DS alternated with science and social studies in ES. Those "classes" were appr. 20ish mins per day "if time allowed." I don't want science, geography, history, etc to be considered extras "if time allows." Since the private school isn't a slave to PARCC, etc, they can actually teach real honest to goodness information. 4) My son gets recess every day. He is in middle school too. Not happening in a public MS. It's way too crowded and not enough supervision. That is what I've noticed so far. Obviously, he has smaller classes. There are 20 kids in his class and he has 3 teachers for core subjects (each teacher teaches 2 core subjects like math/ELA, science/religion, etc).

We also moved our child to a private middle school this year. I was very involved with our public school and what i have seen so far is that the private school is able to decide on changes and move on them super fast, just because they decide it is the best approach for the students. Our public school teachers and administrator knew what they wanted to change but they are hemmed in by state and school district requirements, not enough resources and logistical issues.
We are really happy at the school. The class sizes range from 6 to 20. The public school my child would have attended had class sizes of 30-33. There is so much more a teacher can do with a small class.