Private vs Public Schooling.

myonetruelove · February 2010

Which one did DH and yourself go to?

Both of us did public Schooling.

What do you plan on doing for LO?

We would prefer him to go to public schooling, but the systems around us are not so great. If we can move or get him into another district he will be doing public. If not, we will be looking into a private school that is not completely focused on religion.

lenaerickson · February 2010

DH was home school for a couple years then went to private elementary and public high school. I was public school my whole life. We plan on sending DD to a private school because we live in an area where I don't like the school systems. I'm a teacher and do not want my kid going to the school I teach at. I personally loved my school experience and went to one of the best high schools but have since moved and now am in an area where the schools systems aren't that great. And we would like our kid to go to a religious private school.

Fuzzy8252 · February 2010

DH and I both went to public schools in a not so great district (we're talking where if you scored over 1000 on the SAT, you got your name up in the front of the school). Frankly, we turned out decently. I have a BS and he has an MBA. My bff went to private schools and turned out the same.

I think it really comes down to what you make of it, as well as parental involvment.

AshlynsMom · February 2010

Public for both of us. Him in Chicago Public Schools. Me all over, since I'm a military brat. I went to amazing public schools and public schools that sucked in ways you wouldn't believe.

Now I teach in a public school.

My kids will be public school kids. Partly it's a cost thing, partly it's an "I don't want to be a hypocrite" thing. Part of it is my kids will value school and those are the kind of kids public schools need more of. But mostly it's a "you get out what you put into it" thing and even bright, hard-working kids can get good educations from less-than stellar schools.

cdc1982 · February 2010

We both went to public schools Elem - HS. We plan on doing the same for our kids. Even if we move down the road, we'd wouldn't go too far & all schools around us are pretty good, guess we lucked out!

Nov5Mrs. · February 2010

I went to public, DH went to private Catholic. But we've moved away from home and the schools here are not as good (I was a teacher in a public school here and I would never send my child to public school here), so we're planning on sending the kids to a local Catholic school.

LaNegrita · February 2010

DH went to a very rough, poorly mismanaged public school. i went to a very well funded public school in a great area.

DS is at a private school (that i teach at). they have a nursery all the way through high school, so we essentially take them from 6weeks to 12th grade.

i'm not sure where you're located, but there are plenty of options near me that are private schools (religion based) as well as charter schools (non-religion based but do have a particular focus, ie. science academy, environmental studies, theatre arts prep, etc). the main things that you need to research about a private/charter school is the accreditation of the school (does a governing body come in and check to make sure the school is operating properly?), credentialing of the teachers (they should have credentialed/competent teachers), classroom sizes (teacher to student ratio). hope that helps.

homebird · February 2010

I was in public school until 5th grade and then transferred to a private, (religious) school. I loved both for different reasons, I see the positivies and negatives in both. H and I aren't going to make a decision right now, we want to see what our child is like before deciding what will work for them.

Madison789 · February 2010

Me and DH both went to public schools. LO will be going to private school.

I despise what the No Child Left Behind rules have done to public schools, with the emphasis on all that standardized testing, teaching to the tests, etc. That is our reasoning for choosing private. And we currently live in an excellent school district. We may move in a few years to save money on property taxes, since the school district won't matter to us.

Bhobbsdz · February 2010

I went to public school and dh went private

I went to a private college, so I understand the meaning behind private.

Right now, we live in a great school district, so as long as the system does not re-district, our children will attend public.

If changes are made that we are not happy with, we will re-evaluate the situation then, but we still have 3.5 years before dd starts school and ds isn't even here yet.

There are plenty of great private schools around here, so I would not be opposed to a private education as long as we can continue to afford it. I would hate to start our children out in a school and then have to pull them out because of finances. It's not fair to them to be uprooted that way in my opinion.

MrsWindyCity · February 2010

DH and I both went to public schools.

IF we are still in the city when LO is school-aged (which is very, very doubtful) then LO will go to a private school. I am not against public schools at all, but our public system here is absolutely terrifying (and, I work with the PS system and have been for 6 years so unfortunately I see it first-hand). We'll probably move to a suburb in a good school district and LO will go to public school.

laurel_howeth · February 2010

Weirdly enough DH and I both experienced public, private (christian based), and homeschooling. For us homeschooling is absolutely NOT an option. I feel ok with public schools, we live in a decent area with pretty good school districts. I however feel like the education is better in private school (not necc. the enviroment). I left private school (due to money) and was a full grade ahead of the public school, and I went to the best in the district. I feel if we put LO in public school I would be more inclined to doing more education at home also. Our decision will be based soley on finances.

IrishBrideND · February 2010

I went to private, DH went to public and then private for the end of HS.

I am a public school teacher.

LO will likely go to private. (non religious).

But that private school will be diverse in all forms (which people seem to htink doesn't happen in private schools).

ABColeslaw · February 2010

DH went to public school his whole life. I started out in private and then went on to public, changed schools a million times and finished up in Private school for highschool.

I like that I have taught in both public and private schools as well as attended them. What I think as far as Asher is concerned, is that if we live in a great school district, then we try public school...if we live in a bad school district, then we try private school.

Keep in mind that there isn't one answer for every child. Kids can excel is schools that aren't rated in the top ten because they are really super motivated. Kids can do poorly in amazing schools, because they need a different approach to instruction of environment.

I pay for my little sister to fo to private school because she didn't do well in public school....she does amazing at her small private school...its made such a difference for her. My brothers on the hand do well in public school.

myonetruelove · February 2010

AshlynsMom:

But mostly it's a "you get out what you put into it" thing and even bright, hard-working kids can get good educations from less-than stellar schools.

I completely agree with this. The schools DH and I went to were horrible. We both are doing great now and that is why we want to send him to public. My only downside is that most public schools in the Los Angeles area are poor. We never had any books, computers...etc. I know it is what you put into it, but it makes it a little harder when you are only getting half.

pandagirl15 · February 2010

DH did public, I did private Catholic. We both scored very well on the SATs & have a BS (DH) and a MS (me). I don't think it necessarily had anything to do with the schools we went to, but our parents & what we made of our time in school. That said, we will be sending LO to a public school. I am a public school teacher now & I see the differences/advantages kids in the public school have. There are many more programs and interventions for children, whether they are above the norm or below.

StrawberryAlarmClock · February 2010

DH did public til 10th grade & dropped out, got his diploma on home schooling in 4 months and started career training. I did private until middle school, then public.

Honestly, I was not any more "educated" at a private school and the kids there got into just as much trouble - they just had more money for faster cars, better drugs and their parents left town more - so bigger parties.

The biggest influence on how we grew up and the decisions we made was the kids who we hung out with. Keep your eye on LO's friends and you'll be able to predict his path. Kids who get together to do homework and hang out at extracurriculars are (obviously) a better choice than kids who always seem to be available to hang out and never have HW to do. LOL

adamstodrake · February 2010

I went to a parochial school from k-5 and then we moved and I went to public schools. DH attended public schools k-12. I'm an elementary school teacher, and the schools in our area are fantastic. Our children will definitely be going to the public schools here.

dib · February 2010

I went all private, DH went all public (except undergrad). If we could afford private, we'd do it for LO, but that doesn't seem in the cards. The public grade schools are really good by us. But the high school isn't so great now - so we're hoping to be able to save and get financial aid to send LO to a private college prep.

butterbeansmama · February 2010

DH went to public

I went to private up through 9th grade and then went to public for the remainder. I wished would have stayed in private though (I did have a choice). I feel I would have done much better and had a different feeling about schooling altogether.

If we can afford it, our kids will go to private.

Flowr4246 · February 2010

I went to public kindergarten and then I was a solid "Catholic school girl" from the time I was in first grade all through high school. (I even attended a Catholic college, though that was more coincidence than belief systems.)

DH went to a combination of public and Catholic school through elementary and then attended a Catholic high school in his area.

As for our LO, I think we both tend to believe that it would be ideal if a private/Catholic school could be attended because of the added moral/discipline factors that come into play. However, we also fully realize that public schools are often better equipped to deal with special needs and/or gifted students, so if we determine our child to be in either one of those groups, we'll do what we can to get him/her the best out there.

I also lean towards a private/Catholic high school because the public one in our town is HORRID. Financially, if I can save with the public systems through high school and then afford to pay for private HS, I'd be happy.

KristinKD · February 2010

DH and I both went to private schools, but since we live in one of the top school districts in our state, we will send our kids to public school. We may consider private high schools when the time comes, though.

aegrimm · February 2010

We both went to public school. The kids wil probably go to a school that is considered public school, but there are some free charter schools around here that are a little better than the actual public school system and we'll send them there. (That was confusing, wasn't it?) The Arizona school system is TERRIBLE, though, so that means a lot of extra-curricular work on the part of mom/dad to make sure they are where they need to be.

urbanwifey · February 2010

DH and I: Public

DS1 & DS2: Will go Public

The public schools in our area are phenominally great! We're very lucky. Sending DSs to private school would be a waste of $ because they are just as highly ranked as public but they aren't free.

haleymay18 · February 2010

Public schools. I pay taxes and I would be paying twice if I send her to private.

kelcat · February 2010

We both were public schooled. I actually taught in the county that I graduated from. I knew, even as a student that this county did not care about their teachers, which in turn reflected on my education. As a teacher I was given a lot of crap that no one should have to deal with because I was new to teaching (this county gave the parents the run of everything). Based on this, I would love to have my child in a private school (my mother even agrees with me, she know's she doesn't have to worry about my niece because she will be in the same school my sister teaches at in a different county. But said she would feel more comfortable seeing my daughter in private school). But, somehow I think she will be in public school and I will be so involved it will probably drive the teacher crazy (i'm not talking about those overbearing parents who think you do everything wrong). Unfortunatly I do not teach any more. This county is more interested in hiring someone without a teaching degree then someone who has one.

Kie310 · February 2010

I went to private schools from 1-12 grade.

My husband private high school.

Our children will most likely be sent to private schools.

xtencornfield · February 2010

I went to private school through 4th grade and then public all the way through HS after we moved. DH was in public schools the whole way.

LO will be going to public schools. We moved in June and specifically looked at certain towns partly based on their public school systems (among other factors). The town we live in currenlty was our #1.

goldenjes · February 2010

1. Me--public & 3 years private (HS) but graduated public. Him--public.

2. We have Charter schools here, which are public but run more like private. Our 3 boys (6, 4, 2 grades) go to one now and I love it. I started DS1 out in a public school which was pretty good, but soon got frustrated with all of the rules from above.

Some of my concerns could not be addressed because the teacher and principal had to follow some kind of stupid plan from the school board. I like how our school's principal has more freedom to adapt to what kids need. They still report up into the county school board, but directly report to a board of parents & educators AT the school. We also do the Core Knowledge program which is very different from the elementary schools here, and I am thrilled with how much the boys have learned so far.

I think that all schools are different and that's why I am totally for school choice. Two neighboring public schools can be different, just like two similar private schools. Different education methodologies (i.e. Montessori) also work better for some kids (or families) than others. DS1 would be fine in a Montessori environment, while DS2 would have been a holy terror.

Shell24 · February 2010

My DH went to private Catholic schools through college (Marquette), as did his 3 brothers.

I went to Catholic school through 6th grade then went to public jr. high and high school.

My DD will go to private Catholic preschool, and when we go to the suburbs we'll put our kids in public school. The Northwest suburbs of Chicago have excellent school systems...that's where I grew up, and where we're looking to buy a house.

NELCORP · February 2010

Both DH and I went to public school. Our son goes to public school and LO will too. We live in an awesome school district.

Luv2dnce81 · February 2010

I was in public school my whole life. DH went from a private school to a public school.

I am a teacher and I truly believe in the public school systems. The teachers are highly trained, and (in California at least) MUST be credentialed. In addition, in California, all teachers must continue their education in 5 year increments in order to renew their teaching credential.

There are private schools out there that do maintain high standards and training for teachers, so if you prefer private school I urge you to really research what kind of education the teachers are required to have. NOT ALL private schools require teachers to be credentialed, some ONLY require a college degree.

Hope this helps!

grapeape73 · February 2010

I did k-8 private parochial and public high school. I did undergrad at a private all womens college. Both of my grad degrees are from public universities. DH did K-12 public and a public university for undergrad. His grad degree is from a private university.

I teach in a public inner-city school where 100% of my students are on the free breakfast/free lunch program. DH works for on of the top Jesuit high schools in the country.

DS is 14 and did k-4 public. We moved him in the 5th grade to a private (Catholic) school to hlep him get ready to attend the high school at which DH works. HOwever he has since decided to go to the public HS down the street from where I happened to have graduated.

I think it is more about the teachers than the school. DS went to school with me for 4 years, and it was fine. He received an excellent education. The only reason we moved him was to give him a better chance at being accepted into the HS when DH works.

BBachmann · February 2010

Both DH and I went to public schools. We will put LO in public school for the first few years and then hopefully we can move out of the state before he goes into junior high and he can still get a good education from another public school district.

amykins1283 · February 2010

DH and I both went to public school and turned out very well and had no problems even though he moved every two years and went to different schools all the time (army brat). We are both now working professionals with college degrees and are doing well for ourselves (I'm a teacher and he is an engineer).

I work in the public sector and there are definitely some schools that are better for some students than others. You have to make sure that you research your school system and all your options before deciding on anything. For example, I work in a high Hispanic population school with 90% of the students living at or below the poverty line. A lot of the stuff we do at this school is beneficial for the students we serve but would not necessarily be helpful for a child from another background. It's not to say that our school is worse in any way than another but we have to do things differently in order to best help the population we serve.

My child will be going to public school. The school district we are currently living in is very good and I feel comfortable sending my child through these schools, all the way up to high school. If we end up having to move I will make sure I find a home in a school district I feel good about.

lpstl · February 2010

H & I both went to private schools for all but one year.

Over my dead body will any of my children spend a single day in a public school classroom. I went to a "good" public school for a year of highschool, and it was horrifying. H feels the same way. Maybe we both just had unusually awful experiences, but I'm not taking the chance with our son or any other children we have down the road.

foreignroyalty · February 2010

DH went to Jesuit Catholic school all his life.

I went to public school

It will depend on where we live and the quality of the schooling.

IrishBrideND · February 2010

I'm a teacher, but the idea that certification = good teachers makes me laugh hysterically.

Ciconrad · February 2010

I went to public K-12. DH went to private K-9 and switched to public for high school. If we stay where we are we will send DS to public as we purposely bought a home in a very good school district. If I lived someplace like DC or NYC where public schools aren't that great, I would definitely do private.