Home School vs. Public school vs. Private school

[sparks19]

I can see the benefits of all three.

how do you feel about it?

Frankly, I am least fond of public school just because it's so scary these days. What with kids killing other kids, teachers having sex with students... etc etc. while I am sure these things have always happened to some degree... it seems to be on the rise.

My little brother goes to a private school but it is VERY expensive.

As for home schooling... i don't know anyone personally that has been homeschooled but it is something I have looked into.

I got curious because I saw a bumper sticker today that said "love+nurturing+caring= homeschooling" I thought that was a little wierd.. like people who don't homeschool don't love, nurture or care for their kids. Seemed kinda silly.... but I have heard from people on other forums who have been homeschooled and love it.

What is your take on the three? what would you prefer?

[carole]

Both my children have never been to anything else but public school, infact none of my extended family have entered private schooling, even though some of them could well afford it, even my doctor sent his children to public school,i do believe there are alot my options available at private schools here in NZ,but whether the actual education is any better i seriously doubt it,of course things are not nearly as scarey down under in schools yet, but you do have to pick your schools,although we have zoning and that is not always possible.

So far i am more than satisfied with the public system,as for home schooling well i have nothing against it, if you can handle it,personally i could not,and for my daughter who is miss social butterfly it would be a serious disadvantage to her,anyhow just my thoughts on the subject.

[Karen]

I think it truly depends on the quality of public school where you live, and the needs of your child. Homeschooling, when done right, can be great, but it can aslo be a disaster for the child if not done well.

[Vela]

I homeschooled my kids until my oldest was in 5th grade, my next in 4th, and my youngest in 2nd. I started when they were 4 and 5. I ended up sending them to public schooll because I work now and also because as they get to higher grades they have the ability to have a broader range of subjects, etc. I know I couldn't really teach arts, dance, foreign language, etc, but I gave them a good base, made sure they know how to read, spell, etc etc. So I think that helps them out.

Honestly, it doesn't matter if a kid is homeschooled or public schooled, parents have to teach their kids morals. With good morals it can really help them fend off peer pressure, at least a lot, and eventually they will encounter kids and people of the world, and I wanted mine to be able to have an understanding of how to deal with them. Depending on how much the parent does or doesn't try to work on socialization with homeschooled kids, some are very backwards when dealing with others as they get older because they didn't learn how to develop social skills. That's easily compensated for by making sure to take them places where they can interact with other kids.

[Miss Z]

I go to a private school and am very happy there. We do so much more outside the curriculum and have more educational opportunities than I believe the state schools receive. The whole atmosphere is different ; everyone there is intelligent (to some degree ) and people actually want to learn and do well, which is much more than can be said for a lot of other schools.

Also, private schools have excellent reputations and top universities will be very interested in a pupil from a top private school, as are potential employers.

Yes, private schools are very expensive. I was fortunate to win a scholarship for my school which knocks off a third of the fees, but my family is currently paying £7000 a year and it goes up a couple of £100 each year. It can be tough for some people to find the money, but I can say from my experiences it is worth it.

[cmayer31]

Well here are my experiences:

I was in private school K-2nd and then public 3rd-12th. I was too young to notice the difference between private and public, but according to my mom my second grade teacher just about ruined the entire year for me. She was a terrible person and teacher and that's why I was moved to a public school. I did fine through public school and have had no issues with colleges or careers due to my base education.

I've had a few friends do home school and I personally wasn't too impressed with the work they had to do. It seemed more of a joke to them than anything else. I think for K-6 home school would be fine, or with the proper parent. However, what I saw from my three friends was that the parents didn't really teach and the students didn't really learn. They're doing fine now, but had to work a bit harder at junior college than I did to keep up.

My brother went to private school from K-6th and then public school from 7th-12th. He was offered scholarships in multiple fields from many different colleges. He has earned many degrees including his PhD. He teaches at the university level and receives grants on a regular basis for his research and written journals. He's only 29.

So I guess the best way to sum up the examples is that it depends more on the school and staff than on the actual category that it falls into. I'm sure home schooling is the right answer for some. For others private school might be the best, but in my situation it almost set me behind a year because of a bad teacher (edit - I wasn't the only student that had issues due to this specific teacher ) For others public school is just as good if not better than the other options. Who knows, maybe a mix of all or some is the right way to go.

There is good and bad in everything, and I think it is up to the parents to do the research and determine what the best option is for their children.

[ramanth]

I went to a private Catholic school from grades K-3 because my mom didn't like the public school in the area (inner city). When we moved, my parents enrolled my sisters and I in public school. I loved it a lot more. More people to connect with, more flexible (I hated uniforms), more subjects and lots of extra curricular activites (I was on the swim team and golf team).

I have nothing against private or home schooling, but like Karen said, if the area is nice, then I'd rather go for a public school.

[sparks19]

HMMMM a mixture... that is interesting and something I never even thought of.

My little brother goes to a private school. He went to public during elementary school and then his mother decided that she did not want him in a public highschool so she actually FIRST sent him to military school for grade 9. He learned A LOt there. Most importantly he learned a lot of discipline and structure but the teachers were fantastic. and there was always a teacher available for after school study help and participation in school sports was promoted heavily... even if you were not good at the sport you were still on the team if you wanted to be.... they thought that teaching kids how to work and play as a team and other things they can learn from a sports team was much more important than winning... I agree. it was a good school for his first year.

After his first year she transferred him to a private school (this school costs over $30,000 a year :Eek he has REALLY thrived at this school. His marks are excellent... the teachers are great... and he has done some things through the school that he probably would have never experienced otherwise. They went on a trip to Kenya last year and climbed mount kenya... they were supposed to go to Napal this year to climb Everest but the guide in Napal had to give up climbing for a while becuase of a very bad lung infection. Just a lot of really neat experiences that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise. he is now preparing to head off to university for either sports medicine or sports management.... he isn't sure which one he wants to major in yet.

I am not totally confident that he would have achieved all this through public school.... he needed that more personal attention to keep him focused.

My neice goes to public school. she is in 5th grade. she goes to a French immersion school. she is VERY bright but she doesn't really like school too much anymore. BUT if there is anyone that would benefit from homeschooling I really think it would be her. Her mother is WONDERFUL and if she didn't have to work I have no doubt that she would successfully make use of the homeschooling system. My neice is so bright and most of the stuff she knows she learned at home. their favourite past time is watching the bird feeders in their backyard and finding the birds in their bird book and reading up on them. all of those kids are very smart and I REALLY attribute it to their great family life and the wonderful teachings of their parents.

I went to public school myself and back then (lol like it was so long ago) it was OK. I also lived in a vry small town at the time. but now it seems to be getting worse and worse (depending where you live I suppose) there are just too many kids and not enough teachers... there is no personal attention what so ever. Kids seem to spend more time trying to avoid fights than they do learning. Public school seems to be on a slippery downhill slope. But there are plenty of public schools that are excellently run as well.

I really like the idea of multiple schoolings throughout their school "career" that is an interesting idea and I never would have thought of that, really.

I really understand what others are saying about homeschooling though. it can REALLY be done incorrectly. I think if it is done properly it can be very beneficial... but you're right it is A LOT of work.

I have heard that there are often homeschoolers societies in some towns... where groups of parents that do homeschooling get togther with other homeschoolers and they do field trips and the kids get to socialize etc etc. and there are always community sports... which I am sure our child/children would be into if they are anything like us LOL... especially hockey hahahaha. I think sports outside of school are also a good way to mix and mingle with other children from different backgrounds that they might not meet at school. I have heard those can be VERY helpful. WOW I am glad I have a few years to think about this before a decision HAS to be made LOL.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I didn't read any of the other responses yet so I may end up saying something others have said.

This is something I've been thinking about a lot too. I really don't want my kids to go to public school. I've been thinking a lot about which would be better for us- private school or home schooling. I know I can't really make a decision now, I need to wait until I know my kids are older (at least born!). I think it'll depend a great deal on their individual personalities and needs as well as our family as a whole.

I personally am not at all a fan of public schooling. I feel that most teacher (at least around here) end up being more of a babysitter than a teacher. I only attended public school and I feel like I missed out.

As far as private schools go I think it depends on the individual school, but the ones I've seen have done a much better job of actually educating the kids. Parents also seem to be more involved in private schools (from my experience). My sister, my husband, and both my sisters-in-law attended both private school and public school. They all liked private school better. My dad as well as my husband and I were all quite involved with my sister's private school. We really liked the family involvement and the wonderful relationships between everyone there.

I think that it depends on the parents wether or not home schooling should be an option. It's much more demanding for the parent, but I also feel it's more rewarding for the whole family. Socialization is also an issue here, the kids need to have a way to meet and play with other kids their own age. If a parents can't accomplish that that I don't think they should even consider home schooling.

[Cataholic]

Education is what you make of it.

Case in point: I attended public education all the way through (well, college was 'private' in that it was a Quaker based school, but, if you know the Quaker faith...well, the religious views just aren't forced on you).

Lady I worked with was privately educated, all the way through.

We both ended up at the same place, same pay, job, status, etc.

[Whisk_Luva]

I live in England and the public schools here are very good.

[cyber-sibes]

All three have their strong & weak points. As mentioned, the best school for any child is one that works well with their learning style. mIne went to private and public schools. I have to say that while I liked the Montessori school they went to , the school had a large number of students who were "kicked out" of public schools. They caused a lot of problems there. My son was stabbed in the ear and nearly thrown off a balcony by one of the little dears that public school had the good sense to ban. I was very very upset - especially because we weren't rich - it was a real stretch to have 2 kids in that private school. I guess I expected more for that kind of money. I love the Montessori approach, but a safe enviornment is really important. Kids don't learn well when they feel uneasy & threatened all day long, whether its a public or private school.

I know a lot of people who home school, but I didn't feel it was the right choice for me. I'm their "Parent", I don't think it's helthy to also be "the teacher" for all their subjects. I wanted them to interact with other adults, just like they will in the real world. I teach them many things as their parent, but I'm not interested in being their only influence. They deserve to hear different perspectives on subjects other than just mine.

[dogzr#1]

Me, as a student, have been going to public school all my life. However, I have visited private schools in my area because my parents were going to switch me to one. The little while I was there, I just couldn't stand it! The kids seemed so much more baby-ish. And I don't know, I'm sure if I went there my entire life I wouldn't mind it, but since I'd been going to public school, I thought they were baby-ish. Plus, I hated the fact of wearing uniforms. One of my public schools made us wear uniforms and I absolutely hated it. We couldn't have an individuality, at least in my opinion. You show what kind of person you are, mostly by what you wear. Luckily, I only went to that school for half a year before going to the school I am now. The best switch of my life!

I now go to a public middle school were I get a feel of all the good, the bad and the ugly parts of life. ( ) Well, at least part of it because now we have so many varieties of kids. I've learned how to be liked by many and not have enemies, without changing the way I am. I'm sure that will be VERY useful in the future.

I guess that's just my biased opinion. I didn't give all of it though, as I'm sure it would offend people. You can PM me if you want to and I'll give you the entire thing, just as long as you don't get mad at me.

[Giselle]

Greyt information thus far, but I just wanted to comment on the importance of parent involvement. Honestly, if your kid is self-motivated, all you have to do is drive him to and from school I truly believe that your child will succeed in any environment if he/she is deeply and emotionally motivated. The only way you can do that is through at-home parenting. If you can give your child a sense of strong motivation and humility from his early years, what school he goes to will not make a vast difference. Once the emotional aspect is there, he will strive to succeed in any environment.

So back to the topic of parent involvement with the PTA and such...IMO, you don't need it =/ I've known many kids whose parents worked 10 hours jobs every day and *these* were the kids who were at the top of the class. Point is, involvement in the PTA is greyt, but I wouldn't stress it. Teach your kid the importance of education at an early age and you won't need to fret about PTA, teacher conferences, etc.