Reply to Families who have gone from public to private: what has been the biggest difference?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD went from a W feeder school in MoCo to private. I agree with many of the comments in this thread.

If you’re considering making a switch, look closely at they type of private school- they are not all created equal and the ones that everyone seems desperate for their kids to attend may not be best for your DC.

The biggest difference for DD:
-Smaller classes means more attention and ability for teachers to do more during the day (15 kids in a class instead of 25-35)

-Less chaotic environment- because the school isn’t bursting at the seams, the environment is less stressful (especially in the halls and in the lunch room).

-More hands-on instruction and practical application of concepts. Learning by doing is an everyday occurrence. In public school in was an unusual occurrence (great teachers but not nearly enough time or resources).

-More specialty instruction. Instead of having one PE teacher glossing over a few sports (again, great teachers but time a resources were lacking), DD has a swim instructor, volleyball instructors, etc. These are people who have years of experience teaching the sport to players at all levels. She gets a very good beginning level understanding of the sport (and has PE four days out of five instead of one day out of five).

-Environment of achievement. At the beginning of the year DD commented that one of the reasons she enjoys her school so much is because everyone wants to be there and work hard. HUGE difference from her public school. She doesn’t have to deal with always being seated next to the class clown because she was always on task and “balanced the group”.

Biggest difference for me and DH:
-Feedback- we have an hour for parent conferences and the feedback is thoughtful and meaningful. Her teachers are highly responsive to our questions and go above and beyond to help. DH and I were tired of attending conferences that lasted five minutes only to be told that DD was so fabulous and they had no practical feedback. Yes, she’s great it she’s not perfect and there is ALWAYS something that can be done better.

-Community- as strange as it may seem, DD’s private (that draws kids from all over DC, VA and MD) feels more like a community than DD’s public ES. That obviously won’t be the case at every private but DD’s school focuses on building community in ways that her public school didn’t (or couldn’t).

Our family is fortunate that DD was accepted to the school that we felt would be the best fit for her and we are relieved that the school has surpassed our expectations. I understand that it doesn’t work out so well for every student (and family) but these are the biggest differences we’ve experienced. Good luck to you, OP with whatever path you choose. [/quote]

+1--so well said.  We also went from "W" feeder to private and the above mirrors our experience exactly.[/quote]

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