Private School or Public School? I've Experienced Both

I am glad to get the chance to agree and expand on the article "Is Private School a Better Choice Over Public" published on October 25th. Unfortunately, I find the answer to the question is a definitive yes. I say "unfortunately" only because every child deserves to get the same education, but that probably isn't going to happen in my lifetime. I was raised in the public school system. I also have raised a child in the public school system and generally was not impressed from start to finish. I am now raising a child going to a private school, so I really can compare them. I am very impressed with the private school my grandchild is attending. The differences are amazing and so are the results. Yes, cost is a factor, but we have help from a loving and generous family member. The benefits and the education far outweigh the cost.

First of all, the author brings up an excellent point in her article. Public schools' classrooms are just so overcrowded. It is almost impossible for the teachers to give the students any real "one on one" time. This is my personal experiences and my personal opinion, but the difference in general attitudes I have seen from public school teachers to private school teachers are immense. I know this is not always the situation and I also know there are wonderful public school teachers. I did experience a few along the way. I must be honest at the risk of offending many public school teachers. I also experienced many public school teachers that did not seem to like their jobs at all. Many also especially seemed to like only the best and brightest students.

I also always assumed that private school teachers get paid more than public teachers. I can only speak for the private school teachers where my little one attends. The teachers get paid less than the public school system in the same city. They teach because they love it, and it shows in an awesome way. I am still amazed at the teachers in her private school and how much they care for the students. They have an open door policy with the parents. We can walk in the classroom on a daily basis if we so wish and touch base with the teachers on anything. The elementary classes only have about fifteen students per classroom.

Children with difficulties were often left behind in the public school system. I use past tense because it has been a while since I had a child in the public school system. Children with emotional difficulties were often just punished, because the teachers didn't have the time or the want (or both) to try to understand. As the author mentioned in her article, the teacher at the private school where her child attends realized there was possibly an issue and brought it to the parent's attention. Public school teachers are often overworked and under budgeted and there is simply no time to deal with a child's individual difficulties and needs.

I also personally like that the children in the private school where my second grader is attending can pray together. If you don't want your child to be allowed to pray in school, then a private Christian school may not be for you. I also really love the way the children are taught so much more than academics. It is a nondenominational Christian school, and they have Bible lessons, but far more important to me is they are taught how to treat one another in respectful ways. Being mean, rude and disrespectful to another child is not acceptable. They are taught it is not okay to hurt people's feelings. The staff at this school is just fantastic, I personally prefer the atmosphere and the attitudes over any church I've ever attended. The teachers and staff genuinely love children and it shows in the way they are treated and encouraged each and every day.

The education the children receive are reason enough to send a child to private school. The children were reading in kindergarten. My second grader is reading two grade levels ahead, as are most of the children in her class. Elementary students average Stanford Achievement Test scores at the 84 percentiles nationally. The students in high school have an average ACT score of 24.4 and the top 25 percent have an average ACT score of 28.8. More than 1.8 million dollars in scholarships are offered to seniors and 25 percent of seniors earn college credits through advanced placement or dual enrollment courses.

The public high school my child attended several years ago had a full-time police officer on duty every day. The students could walk in the front door of the school and walk right out the back door without ever attending a class if they chose. Of course many of the students made the correct choice and actually got educated in academics. The students gathered every day and smoked cigarettes and marijuana on the school campus. It was rather well known by the police officer, I was later told. I wish I had known more at the time. That seemed to not be deemed serious enough to deal with, there were so many other problems to contend with. It was a large and over crowded high school. I have heard some progress and a new faculty exists today at that particular high school. I certainly hope so for the sake of the students and the parents.

Private school is absolutely the best choice for our family! I am thankful for it each and every day!