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We should do a bump edition of QOTD
Anyone should feel free to post them.
Today's Q:
Would you send your kids to private school if:
a. money was no object
b. you were rich (you made $1mil/yr)
3. you were ultra-rich (you made $10mil/yr)
This discussion has been closed.
Re: We should do a bump edition of QOTD
For me:
a. No - just b/c I have the money, does not mean I should spend it on something. We live in a good school district and I'd rather use that money for other education activities such as learning through travel.
b. Not sure but probably not.
c. Yes, b/c if I am that rich, it's probably somewhat known and I may feel my kids need extra security. I imagine that's how the super-rich roll
a. no
b. no
c. assuming if i'm this rich, i'm also fairly well known and like OP, celebrity status might entail security. however, this can be arranged in a public school setting as well. assuming also if i'm this rich, i probably live in an area with excellent schools.
i'm a big proponent of the public school system. i understand not all public schools are made equal, which is why DH and i sacrifice lifestyle choices in order to live in a great district.
ETA: disclosures: i went to public and DH went to private schools. he went to a fairly elite private school in DC for high school, which, at the time, was encouraging students to apply to UMD. they were more concerned with promoting that their grads got accepted to top choice schools than with challenging their grads to apply to top tier schools. DH and two others were the only to go on to ivy leagues. my public high school, on the other hand, sent more than a dozen to ivy schools and many more to top tiers. i definitely agree that the school experience is made or broken by parental involvement and that extra-curricular enrichment is key. i also believe that there is so much more to learn from being in school that is not taught by the teacher - diversified peer-to-peer learning is priceless.
a. yes
b. yes.
c. yes
I went to both private and public schools, growing up. The public school district I lived in was one of the best in the state and I still feel like I got a better education and was offered more opportunities when I was going the private school route, even though I did pretty well in public school. I'm not opposed to public school at all, but if money was no object, I would choose private school in a heartbeat.
I don't know the answer (for any income level). I went to boarding school for high school and I think from a college prep perspective it was awesome. Don't know if I could have gotten the same in public school (but I don't have anything to compare it to). So, yeah, I would send my kids to private school in theory (for many reasons I haven't listed). BUT I am a huge proponent of public schools and truly believe that scholastic success is largely dependent on parental involvement. I also think that diversity is really important and you have far less of it at private school.
Luckily for me I don't have to make a choice. Unless I want to keep up the daycare level of payment until they are 18, they will be attending Loudoun's finest, lol.
I love the idea of a QOTD (even though I don't get a chance to check every day):
Anyway, a) yes *see below
b) yes *
c) yes *
If money was no object or if we made a million or more, I would consider it seriously. Although we are in FFX county, our high school is one of the worst in the county. (Boo.) That's not to say it won't change in 12 years or so, but right now if DD was going into HS, I would be exploring my options. I feel pretty good about the elementary school she will be going to starting in pre-k , but if money was no object, I would not hesitate to check out my alternatives and send her (and DS when his time comes) to private school.
Full disclosure-I went to a private HS.
a. yes
b. yes
c. yes
My caveats to my "yes" answers: When I think about private school, I think Catholic school, which I think is a little different, at least at the elementary school level, than some of the nondenominational private schools (particularly when it comes to annual cost). I am a product of Catholic schools, with the exception of high school, and I think there are some benefits to that environment that you don't get elsewhere, public or private. I don't have anything against public schools and the schools in our district in FFX county are very good.
We are currently sending DD#1 to a Catholic school for kindergarten and are really happy with it...and are struggling with whether we should switch her to the local public elementary school (which is very good, MUCH closer and obviously less $$) or if we should keep her where she is. Ironically, DH who was skeptical that Catholic school was worth it, is now the one leaning towards keeping her where she is...
a and b - probably not. We live in a good school district and I don't know of any private schools that are as conveniently close by. I'm not schlepping into Georgetown to go to parents night. I did go to private school for my entire school career because I lived in a not-so-great school district, but I get the impression that our neighborhood schools are just as good as the schools I went to (though they're significantly larger).
c. I probably would, for the same issue of being publicly well-known others mentioned.
a. no
b. no
c. yes
We bought our current house so that our kids will go to an excellent public school. I can't imagine spending money to send them to private school when a great public school is an option. I attended both public and private schools, and feel there are plusses and minuses to both, but overall, as long as you are in an excellent school system and have good parental support, I think public school is the way to go.
Ultra rich -- sure, if I have that much money, I'd at least consider it.
a. no
b. no
c. Only if I was so rich that being that rich got in the way of them being "normal" kids/papparazi issues, etc.
I'm a public school teacher and a big proponent of all things public eductation. If I was very religious I think I would also feel differently. I went to private school K - 2nd grade, public the rest of the way.
All of this being said, there is always a slight possibility of us moving to a state in the south (due to DH's job) that is known for its terrible public schools. I would have to really do some thinking if that happened!
Would you send your kids to private school if:
a. money was no object
YES
b. you were rich (you made $1mil/yr)
YES
3. you were ultra-rich (you made $10mil/yr)
YES
This, exactly.
a. money was no object
Highly unlikely. When I go back to work I will be a public school teacher and it seems hypocritical to send your kids to a private school while teaching in the public school system. It's like you don't trust your colleagues.
b. you were rich (you made $1mil/yr)
No, because I'd still be working, and we also live in an area with really good schools.
3. you were ultra-rich (you made $10mil/yr)
I'm not sure about this one. It's unlikely that I'm working in the public school system at this point. :-P I think the experiences to be had in public schools are still potentially beneficial too, particularly if we're ultra-rich. What kind of people are DH and I like if we're that rich? Are we the same, or are we associating with other ultra-rich people? I'd like to think we'd be the same, but who knows. Public schools potentially could provide a way to experience diversity that can't be found in the private school setting.
The only time I see us sending kids to a private school is if their needs were not being met in public schools. However, with school choice and various magnet schools in the area, I find it unlikely. If they were still in elementary school, I'd consider homeschooling before private school.