Reply to Top private (Sidwell, GDS) versus top public (JKLM) for early years: what are the differences?

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Reply to "Top private (Sidwell, GDS) versus top public (JKLM) for early years: what are the differences? "

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If money is not an impediment, you go with the top private school every time.  But whether money is an impediment depends on each family's finances.

I think of it as analogous to picking a car to drive.  My trusty Hyundai can get me to the same places an $80,000 Audi might get me.  The Audi will be more comfortable on my tush, will have more safety features, will have a better sound system for my music, will probably get me where I'm going faster, will make me generally happier.  If I can afford the extra cost, I'll take the Audi every time.  But since I don't have that kind of money lying around, I stick with my Hyundai and stare jealously at Audi drivers.[/quote]

Interesting analogy. I drive a $20k Hyundai and wouldn't be caught dead in an $80,000 car because I would find it a total violation of my values. You could say the same for private school. [/quote]

I don't understand this vaguely smug sounding comment by the violated values PP.   How did you arrive at the $20,000 figure?    A 2015 Nissan Sentra retails for $16,480 MSRP.  If I pulled up in your home in my 2015 Nissan Sentra, would you high-five me for sharing your "values"?  What if I won that car at a raffle?  Would you think I am [i]even more virtuous than you are[/i] because my Sentra costs less than your Hyundai?

What if I pulled up in the $34,000 Hyundai Azera model?   It's still a Hyundai, but I spent more to get increased comfort.   Do you not value comfort?  What in the hell are you saying? [/quote]

pp here. I am truly sorry if i offended you. I am honestly trying to be smug; to the contrary, this and other threads have me feeling down, not superior. I was picking up on the fact that the earlier poster said she drove a hyundai and that she would naturally rather drive an 80k audi than a hyundai. In response, I was saying, not if it cost four times more (as would be the cost differential in the case of my particular hyundai) there are other things I would do with the extra 60k, either for my family or someone else's.

I am bummed that the attitude throughout this thread and so many others here seems to be that public eduction doesn't have any intrinsic merits of its own. everyone talks like private school is something that anyone in their right mind would do if only everyone had the money. And that simply isn't true for some of us. I am not trying to get into some sort of "gotcha" debate where the fact that public schools vary in quality is used to undermine my commitment to public education and to suggest that i'm a hypocrite because I haven't chosen the worst possible public school to send my kid to.

So my point, to reiterate, is this: Before you assume that everyone would do private if they had the funds, keep in mind that some of us can afford to and don't-- because we think that public provides some important advantages, for our kids, for our communities, and for our democracy.

that's all. I think there may be good reasons for some families and some kids to go private, for the record. But please [b]don't forget that there are values that argue in the other direction[/b], even if people on here prefer to look the other way.[/quote]

*honestly NOT trying to be smug[/quote]
So what are those values? (serious question). And, on the same token, would you like that your children attend in the future a public university?[/quote]

Not the PP but I agree with her sentiment.  Even if we had the money for private I don't think we would do it.  My husband and I both grew up in modest, blue collar neighborhoods and attended public school.  We both excelled academically but we also learned important life lessons that I just don't think you get when surrounded by privilege.  If I truly felt that my kids were not getting a proper education I would consider other options, but for now they are getting a great education at their DCPS so we will stick with it, even if we won the lottery.[/quote]

Absolutely!

I want my kids to meet children from all walks of life and to learn how to be open to everyone.  I want them to understand that not everyone comes from a privileged background.  I want them to have friends in their neighborhood.  I want them to see diversity -- racially, ethnically, religiously and most importantly socio economically.  I want them to understand that education is a right, not a privilege.  And I want to support public schools by sending my kids to them, not have the higher SES kids with the most involved, educated parents creamed off to some stuck up private school that they drive half way across the city to attend.  Public schools are for everyone not just those who can't afford private school and we should ALL be supporting them for them to improve and meet our needs.

And beyond all that, I think you guys are crazy for wasting your money on something that you have already paid for through your tax dollars.  I am certain that my children's public charter school is as good as or better than any of your privates.  Truly.  You are kidding yourself if you think that the tens of thousands that you pay has any other impact but snob value and some networking.[/quote]

This is silly.  There are definitely differences between schools and each has its own set of pros and cons.  Different people evaluate them differently.  But to say all the privates have going is "snob appeal and networking" tells me you aren't interested in actually looking at the differences and have a huge chip on your shoulder.[/quote]

No chip on my shoulder, just zero interest in private schools, practically, financially or ideologically.  You may think that private is the ideal that everyone strives for, but it's not.[/quote]

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