Reply to Is private school REALLY different than public school??

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Reply to "Is private school REALLY different than public school??"

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[quote=Anonymous]We live in MCPS territory.  Our local school is highly regarded, but we are dealing with seriously overcrowded classrooms/school overcrowding, and no good solutions in sight.  We opted for private because DC#1 had some fine motor issues and was ahead in some areas and need help with fine motor and I felt the large class sizes would pose a challenge to getting the help we needed.  We had met with the school/principal before Kindergarten, and were extremely unhappy with the lack of support we were getting during the IEP process.  We were headed for years of fighting with the school before we even got started.  DC#2 goes to the same private so both of my children could be in the same place and on the same schedule.  We have small class sizes (15-16 children/2 teachers).  The children have a lot more hands-on/interactive learning (progressive curriculum), more play time, a lot of individualized time and attention.  For my older child, we had much better interaction and communication with the school, and were able to work with the teachers to help my child really grow.  3 years later, I feel strongly I made the right choice for both of my children.  The extra attention has been amazing, and the ability to have a relationship with the teachers has been a huge plus.  They have both been thriving, and I think the gains my older child has made are because of the environment we have been in, and I've been thrilled to see how well my younger child has really blossomed in this environment as well.  I'm not sure that we will stay in private permanently.  I think MCPS has great options in middle and high school, and I definitely think the diversity of class options and instruction improve in middle and high school, and I think class size/overcrowding become less of a concern for me at that point.  I am hoping that the foundation skills my children are learning now will serve them well as they grow older, and the special needs issues will lessen as they become better able to advocate for themselves, but I also intend to keep reassessing each year, and for each child.  I am certain that we are committed to at least another 2 school years in private, and then we will explore the county options again at that time.

I think for those that say don't waste your time when they are young, they may not see great high school options available - that is often true for DCPS parents.  For those who say the money is better spent on the younger years, those are often the parents who are focused on the notion that matching a developmentally appropriate curriculum to the child is the highest concern (avoiding the need to do too many worksheets, sit still and be quiet, etc.) to minimize behavior problems and promote a love of learning.  Neither viewpoint is more right or wrong - they are just different priorities.  I opted for the latter because I felt my child's needs were better met through that philosophy.  I also feel that the MCPS framework in our current school was just not ideal in the younger grades.[/quote]

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