Anonymous
12/09/2014 12:20
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:Pro - Typical parent has a degree from Ivy or SLAC
A lot depends on the specific public and private schools. For DS1, there were two others in his grade in MCPS elementary who were in the same CLASS at Harvard as DH!
That said, we moved to private after ES for the smaller class size/more individual attention, as compared to public middle school.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 12:12
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Pro - Typical parent has a degree from Ivy or SLAC
Anonymous
12/09/2014 11:57
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:Cons - Cost
Pros - everything else
+1
Anonymous
12/09/2014 11:39
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering about those of you who are saying "more this, more that." Have you been in public also? Or are you going off hearsay?
One PP who has 9 years of MCPS experience and current year with one at private. Posted 10:03. If your kid is thriving in public, that is great. It is a lot more rigid than when we were kids.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 10:31
Subject: Re:Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:In our case -
Con:
cost
distance from friends
DC's now warped perception that being middle class is somehow "poor" because we don't winter in Vail, summer in Paris or drive a Range Rover
Pro:
no standardized testing
no teaching "down"
more and better quality reading and writing
more thinking, analyzing and discussion
more gym class - and real phys ed like weight lifting and sports skills, no Chicken Dance!
being surrounded by kids who are all highly motivated brings out the best in our DC and we found a school that selected ambitious, hard working kids
better quality lunches - real food cooked in a kitchen
an environment where manners are expected and enforced
teachers who approach their job as college professors do and are also available before and after school
no projects that are done 100% at home
teachers have more freedom to choose material from a variety of sources
the school can dismiss students with chronic behavior problems
biannual drug testing and breathalizers at dance exits
flexible aftercare (drop in)
uniforms
teaching study skills - how to study, how to take notes, how to "close read"
teaching responsibility and consequences - our public allowed late work all the time consequence free, our private accepts it under some circumstances but only with reduced credit
overall environment - a studious atmosphere and little things like having copies of famous works of art instead of "don't join gangs" posters on the wall
So no ERBs at your school?
Anonymous
12/09/2014 10:29
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Cons - Cost
Pros - everything else
Pros - everything else
Anonymous
12/09/2014 10:27
Subject: Re:Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
We chose it for my first DC who we thought needed small classes. We were right as DC was later diagnosed with various LDs and the private school was reasonably accommodating. Because we had the first in private school we sent the second to the same school. It was fine, but ultimately DC 2 moved to public and was much happier with a larger pool of kids, more differentiation, and in high school many advanced offerings.
Testing was not really different between the 2 since the private school did ERBs for a week in the spring.
Testing was not really different between the 2 since the private school did ERBs for a week in the spring.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 10:19
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Our zoned public fails to teach half its kids to read and do math at grade level, there is no open house where you can see the school, the principal dodges meetings with prospective parents, and teachers whisper to parents in the neighborhood "I if were you, I wouldn't send my kid here." So no, I won't send my kid there. So we stay in our small, cheap house and send our kid to a fabulous school we have to pay for, just like we'd have to pay out the nose for a house in a really good school district that also allows for a livable commute. Pros: awesome school, happy kid. Cons: friends not in neighborhood.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 10:05
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
I'm wondering about those of you who are saying "more this, more that." Have you been in public also? Or are you going off hearsay?
Anonymous
12/09/2014 10:03
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
I have one kid in MCPS and one in private. Here's the difference people aren't getting re art & recess.
1. Recess - generally in privates, recess is more frequent (sometimes more than once per day). Certainly there are more frequent breaks built into the schedule. When the kids go outside, it's generally to less crowded, nicer, better equipped facilities.
2. Art - although often once just once a week, there are generally performances / prizes that are incorporated. Better equipment. Ex: my 2nd grader in a "top" MCPS school got to play two notes on an instrument. At open house, the parents watched as the kids were told to imagine instruments. There were no pictures, no sounds. Likely this is just poor / lazy teaching as there are awesome art and music teachers too but they have too many kids in a class. It is zoo-like in some classes.
Generally, kids need to be much more driven and self-motivated with lots of external supplementing to get an equivalent or better education than at a private.
1. Recess - generally in privates, recess is more frequent (sometimes more than once per day). Certainly there are more frequent breaks built into the schedule. When the kids go outside, it's generally to less crowded, nicer, better equipped facilities.
2. Art - although often once just once a week, there are generally performances / prizes that are incorporated. Better equipment. Ex: my 2nd grader in a "top" MCPS school got to play two notes on an instrument. At open house, the parents watched as the kids were told to imagine instruments. There were no pictures, no sounds. Likely this is just poor / lazy teaching as there are awesome art and music teachers too but they have too many kids in a class. It is zoo-like in some classes.
Generally, kids need to be much more driven and self-motivated with lots of external supplementing to get an equivalent or better education than at a private.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 09:00
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
DCPS also has recess every day and many of the schools have an integrated arts curriculum. I know many privates have recess 2 or 3 times a day and PE 3 or 4 times a week, whereas public school normally has PE only once a week --- but that is another matter
Anonymous
12/09/2014 08:22
Subject: Re:Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:private pros:
recess every day (vs. once a week)
music and art part of the curriculum
aren't these things true at public schools??
They are true in MCPS.
True in Arlington too. What public schools give recess once a week??
Anonymous
12/09/2014 08:10
Subject: Re:Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:private pros:
recess every day (vs. once a week)
music and art part of the curriculum
aren't these things true at public schools??
They are true in MCPS.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 08:09
Subject: Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:For the pro-private column:
The day after Nelson Mandela died, the history teacher interrupted the unit to discuss who he was, what he did and what the students should know about him. Next day, back to the regularly scheduled programming.
+1 to everything that 21:29 said.
My child's class in public school did this.
Anonymous
12/09/2014 00:37
Subject: Re:Why did you choose private school over the local public school?
Anonymous wrote:private pros:
recess every day (vs. once a week)
music and art part of the curriculum
aren't these things true at public schools??