Would you send your kids to private school?

[Zoachu]

So I used to go to public school for elementary school, 6th grade and half of 7th, and then my parents transferred me to private school. I didn't fit in or ANYTHING. I used to be a total scene kid and the school made me tone down my makeup, and dye my hair back to brown. And not to mention the uniforms. UGLY. Green polo with a tan skirt/pants. I always wore pants. We couldn't have leggings and I absolutely despise skirts without leggings. So I'm going into 8th grade this year, and I have no idea what school I'm going into because my private school kicked me out (LOL) for my attitude and language and stuff... for basically being a public school kid. So hopefully I will be going to public for 8th grade, but I'm gonna show you guys a picture of my change because of private school. I admit I look much better now. But what do you think of private school's restrictions on how the students can express themselves? Honestly I found no difference in the education, either. I was getting better grades in public school. Anyways, here's the picture-

Discuss!

 

[diab_low]

Umm I am in a private school now but a crappy one, I'll send them to one but not mine.

Private schools have their advantages as giving better education better dicipline etc
But it is expencive. But anything for a cool life for my kids lol I guess.

 

[Sydian]

You do look a lot better now, though I only say that because lol scene...can't stand it. That's not to say you looked awful then, of course.

Anyway, since I'll be a teacher, I can send my kids to any school in the county, though depending on what school I teach at, I'd probably send them there. But I doubt they'll be going to a private school, so I'll just throw that option out the window. I'd also like to point out that with your example, that's not the case for everyone. It doesn't drastically change us. I know people that were the opposite. And the school I wen to, which was public, didn't allow for the scene stuff or dying your hair unnatural colors or any of that. It was like a public school with private school dress code, basically, but without the uniform.

Basically, I just think you need to know which public schools are the right choices, because private schools...yeesh, that price lol. But yeah, there are great public schools. I went from a hum drum 2A school to a 6A school in 10th grade. Lots and lots of changes, boy I tell ya. And I can think of a lot of good public schools. So...yup.

 

[Zoachu]

Basically, I just think you need to know which public schools are the right choices, because private schools...yeesh, that price lol. But yeah, there are great public schools. I went from a hum drum 2A school to a 6A school in 10th grade. Lots and lots of changes, boy I tell ya. And I can think of a lot of good public schools. So...yup.

I agree. I mean most of the public schools in MD aren't great, I mean my old one was a blue ribbon school but it was horrible otherwise. The private school I went to was friggin pricey. $20,000 a year, and I was supposed to go for 2 years /: I was so mad at my parents for that because,

1. It wasn't even that good of a school
2. Why would you pay that much in the first place, EVER?

Ayeah. I hope I go to public school this year.

 

[Mana1]

Schools should be controlling appearance anyway, most public schools around here have relatively strict uniform, no makeup rules and regulations about hair colours, etc.

I don't think the private school atmosphere is good for all people, especially those schools that lean towards a lot of sport or have connections with the Army, etc. But the reasons you don't like Private school are seem to be more (a) coming from a very lax public school and (b) moving away from the friends/teachers/routine you were used to (which might account for your decline in grades too).

Just bare in mind that uniform rules aren't there to stop individuality necessarily, but more to stop students being singled out and bullied for being different. Whatever school you/children end up at it's best to keep an open mind.

 

[Zoachu]

Umm I am in a private school now but a crappy one, I'll send them to one but not mine.

Private schools have their advantages as giving better education better dicipline etc
But it is expencive. But anything for a cool life for my kids lol I guess.

My private school sucked butt too.
Yeah. Some are a little too strict though. The kids at mine hadn't even had "The Talk" yet because the school didn't want them to be sexual in any way. I on the other hand had "The Talk" in third grade and probably know more about it than my parents. .-.

Like... wtf? I was a total outcast xD It was horrible. I mean if you've gone to private school all your life I guess you'd be fine but switching in your teen years... no I don't think it's appropriate.

Schools should be controlling appearance anyway, most public schools around here have relatively strict uniform, no makeup rules and regulations about hair colours, etc.

I don't think the private school atmosphere is good for all people, especially those schools that lean towards a lot of sport or have connections with the Army, etc. But the reasons you don't like Private school are seem to be more (a) coming from a very lax public school and (b) moving away from the friends/teachers/routine you were used to (which might account for your decline in grades too).

Just bare in mind that uniform rules aren't there to stop individuality necessarily, but more to stop students being singled out and bullied for being different. Whatever school you/children end up at it's best to keep an open mind.

I guess but the thing is, everyone at the school was pretty much the same. They all had natural hair (weren't even allowed to curl/straighten it) no makeup, skinny as a stick, and PREPPY. All had the same attitude, everything. We figured out very early it was because the school also has rules about what goes on at home, too. Like diets to keep them in shape, they weren't allowed to know anything health class related (drugs, sex, etc) and they had to have like a set amount of sleep and shiz. It was horrible. Gah.

I'm not against private schools, I just think that public schools are... better... because you can develop more as a person and learn that everyone's different.

 

[NarutoActor]

Getting better grades doesn't mean better education, there standards could have been different. I for one used to go to private school, and I hated it. Manly because you could not have an opinion, outside of what the school, or the teachers told you is the correct one. Public school is the same way, but to a lesser degree. I used to hear them say things like, "You left your freedom, and your rights at the door"

I never really accepted that quote, so I became sort of a rebel. I also do not like arrogant people who are stuck up, combine that with my natural never back down from anyone or anything attitude, and I got into too many fights. Good thing I had big friends. :P

As for my children(when I have them), I want whats best for them, and if that means public, private, or homeschool, then so be it. Some people respond better in different environments.

PS. I think you look much more pretty after the change. My favorite pic being the bottom left.

 

[Livewire]

I didn't like the religious overtones of my private school, but the education there was superior and so were the teachers I had. If it was still a school I'd sent my children there.

 

[Tsutarja]

I have mixed views on public versus private education.

In private education, students generally get a higher-standard education. However, the students have to follow a really strict code of conduct, but in today's schools, I can probably accept that. However, privately-educated students also generally require uniforms, and in most private institutions, the grade levels are more jammed into one school with less students in attendance. Finally, most private educations have entry fees associated with admittance into the institution. Also (at least in my area, not sure about elsewhere), there's a type of private school called a charter school. Those schools are free to attend, but they generally serve children who are struggling in education.

Finally, as for public schools, I like them a tad more than private schools. They are more lenient with policy, especially dress code and uniform policies (although my elementary school, which was public, required mandatory uniforms my 5th grade year and still does to this day). The schools are also usually separated by grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. However, with the more lenient policy, this is where chaos could occur in school, such as drug dealings and violence. As for a public education, what gets taught is usually regulated by local and state legislature, while in private education, the curriculum is up to the school.

Overall, I would send my child(ren) to public schools. However, if I felt their education was slacking and not their fault, if I had the money, I would consider a private institution for my child(ren) to attend.

 

[Katie the Friendly Ghost]

I'm not saying I'm worried about my eventual family income, but I do legitimately think that private school is overpriced. Going to public schools my entire life, and in a quite decent area, I don't think the quality difference, whether it be quality of education, or like teachings of mannerisms is going to be worth $20K a year. Don't get me wrong, I am sure some private schools do a much better job at teaching, and have a better environment that is definitely worth paying the money, but from my own experiences, and seeing other students around me, there is the same potential for growth, at public schools as there is at private. Both produce responsible students/adults, that do become successful, and if I end up in an area with a decent public school system, I would not hesitate to send them there. I of course, want the best for my kids, but I think a public school environment could provide just as much as a private environment. Price does play a role, yes, but I do feel confident in the ability of the public school system to teach a child.

 

[Shadow Broker]

I would

I absolutely would. I went to a private school when I was younger, and then transferred. It was like going back 2 grades!

 

[Esper]

Private school always struck me as a "throw money at it" solution. Maybe some private schools are better than public ones, but if you're really concerned about your kid getting a good education and all that you should get involved in helping them learn. Like, study with them and all that.

On top of all that, lots of private schools are religious to some degree and I'm not down with supporting that. My hypothetical kids aren't gonna be taught by nuns and science teachers who don't believe in evolution.

 

[Nihilego]

Not if it was anything like the one I went to.

It would seem that private schools in the UK are... much more irritating than ones in the USA, lol. Not out of my own choice I was at one from the ages of 13-18 and, while it gave me a good education, I definitely came out of it unhappy. Maybe I'm just not a private school kid at heart but I really couldn't stand a huge number of the people there and I thought a lot of stuff going on there was really unnecessary and counter-productive in many cases.

I'll explain further - At private school everyone seemed so... idk. Fake, materialistic, uncaring? Idk what the word would be but the point is that I definitely noticed a difference between the people I was in my private school with and the people I used to be at state ("public" to you Americans) school with. And in 9 cases out of 10 I kinda deduced that this could be attributed to money. A lot of the people there basically had the world handed to them on a plate and, although not in every case, it had a tendency to make them a bit materialistic as I said earlier. Since I was kinda the total opposite, coming from a pretty poor background in comparison, it really got on my nerves that people could be so uninterested in showing their genuine selves and just the general posh, pretentious atmosphere was grinding on me the whole time. I really, really wouldn't want my children growing up in a place like that - maybe they'd get good grades but of it but I don't want to think about what would happen to their characters.

As for my second point, the unnecessary thing, I suppose I felt like since you paid a lot for a private school, the school felt like it had to be constantly justifying that payment. Which sounds good on the surface, but it really isn't - I found I was being surrounded by so many activities and extras which people at normal schools didn't have that I felt almost constantly controlled and distracted from what I really needed to be getting on with - my work. I guess I think that a private school should really be about providing a better quality of teaching, not about spamming people with opportunities until they're vomiting up rainbows of diversity. To put it eloquently, of course! I wouldn't want this for my kids either - it sounds great on paper, but it's awful in practice.

So yeah... for mainly those two reasons, I wouldn't choose private school for my kids. Maybe my background or just personal preference leaves me in the minority here, or maybe my school was just particularly bad for this stuff, idk. But yeah - that's my thoughts derived from my experience. On the upside, yes, private schools do tend to produce superior grades. I'm just concerned about the cost outside of the money.

 

[Algo Fonix]

Sorry if it seems a bit jumbled. :/

If I ever have children, I wouldn't send them to a private school. Partially due to the religion aspect I keep hearing about. Mostly, though, I don't think the cost would be really worth it. Sure the education may be slightly better, but I would just want them to have a normal childhood.

I have some younger cousins who have been going to a private school their whole school life and they're like 12-14 now. I dunno, but the religion aspect makes them hard to talk to. I don't want that sort of indoctrination for my hypothetical children.

 

[Bluerang1]

CUTE!

But yes, most definitely. I miss having to wear uniform, went to a Public school in London. I'd like my kids to be raised with some restrictions and order and if private school provides that, then yes. Plus it's preppy. If I have the money, I will, but if I want to spend it on Private school when a really good public school exists close by.

 

[Nina]

At this current moment, I would choose neither. It's the entire system that is messed up.

From my experiences in public schools, charter schools (basically gov-funded private schools), and people who have came from private schools, they all have huge downfalls. Public schools have huge downfalls on education and the way they treat children, and private schools have huge downfalls on the price of your education and the rules they are able to ignore so they also treat your children in a different horrible way. Charter schools have both problems as teachers don't have to be held to a state curriculum, but they only get their funding if they have high test scores so you get test based (crappy) education with the added bonus of stifling private school expression restrictions!

The only good things that came out of my education came from good teachers. Sadly, many of these teachers were so loved to the point that they were pretty much force promoted to ranks of high responsibility to the point they didn't have time to teach, or they were hated because they were real with their students and they got fired.
My wonderful art teachers in public high schools had to play a stressful dancing game of only being real with the students they trusted, not being too loud in controversial issues that made their blood boil, and getting to be good friends with the higher ups to be able to get us the things we need when all of our money was going to illiteracy reeducation and sports. But they played this game for us, and you can't pick out schools with those teachers, sadly.

If I didn't have the choice or time to homeschool or use online learning, I would do extensive research for the best school possible, and if it's private school, so be it.

 

[Jorah]

Well, I wouldn't choose the school I went to, it had abysmal records for GCSE results XD I would just pick the "best" school I could get my child into which was viably possible, whether it be private or state. Perhaps never having been to a private school, nor any other state school, I don't see any particular benefits or negatives to go to either socially. If two schools of both were of equal quality teaching-wise, I would want to get a feel of the atmosphere of both before deciding, rather than just picking private over state.

 

[Ω Ruby and α Sapphire]

Depends where you live really. In my area, Australia in general I guess, the public education system is very good.

I go to a public school, and it is great. Myself personally, wouldn't want to go to a school where there were set rules outside of school and having to wear preppy clothes. Public schools are cheaper, and you can meet a more diverse amount of people there.

From what I have found friends that have gone to private schools have a lot more difficulty sorting out problems with other people that don't have the same principles and thoughts as them.

But then again, when I for a trip to South Africa, I know that I would want to go to a private school if I lived there.

So I think it all boils down to your situation and where you live.

Zupplu

 

[Dakotah]

No I wouldn't. Mostly this is because all the private schools here are religious schools. As an atheist it would not be something I'd be in favour of. But I also wouldn't send my child to a Catholic school (which is publicly funded here) due to the Catholic school's anti-gay policies. And since me and my boyfriend are a gay couple, we certainly wouldn't be in favour of introducing our child to such an environment. To do so would only cause confusion for him, which would distract him from the education he should be receiving.

 

[pleb]

No way. They'd sue me (if I had any).