Home School vs. Public school vs. Private school

[CagneyDog]

I am fortunate enough to go to a great public school that is typically farther ahead, or right on par with the private schools. From my experience, the private school system here has massive fall backs. It was very cliquey and you could pay for your marks. I never found the teachers to be any better than what I have now, and I always felt very sheltered and lacked street skills. Only the wealthy can typically get into private schools and because of that it gave a very unrealistic view of the real world.

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

I actually disagree. Around here, top universities are just as interested in the public school students as they are in private. If you have the marks for a top university than it doesn't matter where you came from.

In the end, there is no right answer. Education is what you make it and it various from person to person.

[Giselle]

In the end, there is no right answer. Education is what you make it and it various from person to person.

Words of wisdom!

If you aren't familiar with the dog food debate, this debate isn't too different The underlying denominator is that it all depends on the individual him/herself. Education is not a one-way road. If your kid likes public school, great! Keep him there. If he doesn't, consider homeschooling or private schools. If he hates it there, find alternatives. It truly depends on where you live, your own child's determination (self-motivated children have done fabulously in public schools), your financial situation, etc.

I spent K-8 in public schools and, while I hated it then, I ADORE it now. Now that I'm spending 9-12 in a Catholic school, I realize that my true friends were the ones from public school. I have to agree in part with IRescue. Many of the kids that came from private elementary and middle schools had very little life experience. In all honesty, I found it disturbing how sheltered they were. Additionally, my middle school's academics were far above par. The only kids who took accelerated math classes (meaning Alg 2/Trig in 9th grade) were from my public middle school.

In the end, *this all doesn't matter*. By the time your kid is beginning to read/write, you'll see very quickly what type of learner he is. If he is self-motivated (as I consider myself ), he can very well excel in public schools. If he requires a bit more attention to stay on task, attending a more structured private school may not be a bad idea. Lastly, I have a close friend who was homeschooled K-8, and, while I adore her, it's sad how little life experience she has. =/ Good luck choosing! I know it's mind-boggling!

[Pam]

I haven't read all of the replies because I have to be out of the house shortly, but I will just comment on my own. My husband and I chose to send our children to public school through 5th grade and then switch them to private (Christian) school from 6th to 12th grades. My kids, having had the benefit of both, said they much preferred their private school experience. They knew it was a financial sacrifice and thanked us for investing that money on their behalf. I do believe it has also helped shape the adults they are today.

[Sirrahsim]

I attended public school from k-7, private school from 8-11, and public school again for 12th. There are ups and downs for both but I really do think that having a combination of experiences with schooling is beneficial. I don't remember much about going to public grade school except that the whole focus seemed to be on getting us ready for exactly what was going to be on the statewide tests and nothing else. Schools get funding based on test results so as long as they educated us on the contents of the test they neglected most other things When I transferred to private school, two things became immediately apparent to me. A) The kids that had spent their lives in private school seemed very naive and younger than their age to me and B) They were also a heck of a lot smarter than me even though I had been a straight A student.
I believe that public school better prepared me for the big bad world. The quasi altruistic society that they try to teach you is out there in private school is a joke You can't be gracious and understanding all your life out in the real world. It just doesn't work like that! Sure, if EVERYONE in the outside world was a real Christian then it might work like that, but it just doesn't. The kids who had ALWAYS attended private school didn't seem to have any experience at all with mean bosses/mean teachers/mean anything. I don't feel that they are able to leave school with enough preparation for what is out there. You can't protect yourself if you don't know what there is to protect yourself from! Does that make sense?
On the flip side, the curriculum and quality of classes was VASTLY superior in the private school. I started out in the same classes as the rest of the 8th graders but I attribute that to being ahead of most of my public school peers. Despite being ahead of my public school peers, I still had to work harder to catch up to my private school school peers. The classes were based on TEACHING us things rather than getting us ready to take a standardized test. The teachers were all very intelligent, highly qualified, and willing to give of their free time to help us out if we asked for it. Most of the student body wanted to learn and those who went against the grain and disrupted classes were usually the ones that people looked down on. Been there, done that Even though I was one of those people for a while I still managed to keep and exceptional GPA
For my senior year, I transferred back to public school... There was a big element of "culture shock" because I was suddenly surrounded by C students who thought that having a C was OK and Average and also students with Ds and Fs who just didn't give a crap. When I compared the curriculum of the public school to my private school curriculum's it was kind of a joke... I remember looking over my senior syllabus' and pointing out how many years prior to that year I had learned that information. I don't think that I learned a single new thing my senior year but I guess the review of private school 9th and 10th grade classes was beneficial in some way
Again on the flip side of THAT was that I was able to take an AP class at my public school that wasn't available at my private school. Most of the same material was covered in private school but was considered basic rather than advanced. Because I was able to take the class labeled an "AP" class I was able to take the AP test (aced it) and was able to get several classes worth of college credit for it.

To sum it all up, there are definitely benefits to both but I definitely recommend a mix of both.

[sparks19]

LOL if our child is like ME.... I think he/she would definately benefit from a private or homeschool situation.... I was very smart.... but class was very boring to me and I really needed personal attention to keep me focused and interested.

If our child is like my husband (who claims he has ADD lol) public school WOULD be an acceptable choice if we can find one that has a good reputation. He was a very good student... liked class.... loved to learn and didn't need really close personal attention to keep him on task.

HAHAHAHA we were actually going through some of my old report cards one day from when I was in K-6. They all say the same thing. "Tanya is a very enthusiastic student and loves to read and participate in class. However, she does need to improve her organization and needs to talk less in class and pay closer attention to tasks." HAHAHAHA

See my thing with homeschooling... I hear lots of people say that those kids end up being sheltered and are never "toughened" up. I think that is REALLY where a sports team or outside of the home group really comes in handy. On a sports team (especially hockey lol) they do learn all those things if the parent isn't teaching them.... disappointment.... winning.... losing.... pain.... even fights sometimes, whether it is amongst team mates or with another team. I want a T shirt that says "everything I learned about life I learned in hockey" HAHAHAHA.

But I think no matter what kind of school the child goes to it is VERY important that the parents are active in the school. That the parents participate in school activities, PTA, whatever. but I do think it is important for the parent to be involved.