Reply to Is the obsession with private schools justified?

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[quote=Anonymous]First, most of us don’t start off by hiring consultants. We visit schools, talk to friends and neighbors about their experiences and go from there.  If you have to hire a consultant, I’m guessing you don’t have any knowledge or experience with private schools and, therefore, don’t understand why people attend in the first place.

Frankly, the admissions process is not all that opaque.  In the younger years, schools want polite kids who won’t be trouble makers and nice parents who won’t be a PITA. In the older years, they want a kid who can do the work and will be a good addition to their community.   They rely on references from schools that have consistently sent them these types of kids in the past.

The vast majority of us don’t send our kids to schools with the next destination in mind.  We send our kids to private schools bc it’s a nicer, more well-rounded overall experience.  Our teachers are there because they want to be there and it’s evident every day.  My kids feel known and loved.  Our whole family is part of the school community.

There are few worksheets and little rote memorization but lots of classroom discussions, respectful debates, tons of writing and presentation assignments and work that requires true critical thinking.  My kids have had PE every year and had several recesses a day when they were younger.  They’ve been able to participate in sports on a level that wouldn't have been accessible at public schools. They’ve been fed wholesome lunches and snacks.  While neither took to the arts, they’ve had lots of exposure and took classes like ceramics, acting, photography, stagecraft, etc. that they wouldn’t have taken in public schools.  While this wasn’t something we thought of when starting down the private path at PK, they have developed incredible networks of great families who can help them launch their careers one day.

My oldest is off to a SEC school next year that some at DCUM would scoff at. He’s super excited and will undoubtedly have a great college experience.  I don’t worry at all about his ability to land in a successful career one day.  DH and I didn’t go to Ivies and we managed to do just fine (perhaps due to our private school educations).  It was our goal for our kids to have an enjoyable, well-rounded education. They received that.  My son just said he’d rate his high school experience as an A+++.  To me, that’s as good of an outcome as I could want for my kid.[/quote]

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