Home School vs. Public school vs. Private school

[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.

[sparks19]

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.

LOL it was the only example I could think of LOL. Do they still have PTA?

More than anything I mean .... if you can.... volunteer to be a helper on a field trip.... or help with school fundraisers and activities... special events... etc etc. That will give you a true feel for the school, it's teachers, rules, and other aspects you might not have known about. Now not so much in highschool but more in elementary school. The teachers can always use the extra help keeping an eye on kids during field trips... and I remember being in elementary school and we loved it when one of the parents got to come along. My mom wasn't able to do so because she worked during the day.... but she always came to the meet the teacher nights.... always came to our plays and musical productions. always came to the sports events. I wanted nothing more than to show my mom what I had accomplished. Having her set foot in MY school where I spend half of my day was awesome for me... it was always "Mom look at this... mom come see this.... mom come meet this person. MOM MOM MOM." lol I think i would have been crushed if she didn't show any interest in my activities or my school.

As for PTA... LOL I don't even really know what a PTA does. it was just the only thing with a specific name I could think of hahahaha. But I think a parent should be involved in the school if they can... and be aware of what the school wants to change... what they want to improve on... or just be there to give an opinion of what the school might need to improve on. I see some public schools these days that are banning TAG as a playground game.... I think that is ridiculous and if i was a parent of a child in that school I would definately want to find out why exactly they are banning childhood games. I mean... kids get hurt sometimes that's what being a kid is all about LOL the bruises... the scraped knees... the WAR wounds from our favourite games hahahaha.

[Miss Z]

The private school kids were incredibly far behind us in everything but math. It seems math is the only thing they could learn completely in a private school without any controversy. I would never send my own kids to private school.

Another thing, kids in private school are in more danger of messing up in the real world. They barely learn about drugs, much less how to avoid them. They believe myths about sex that could get them in bad situations. They just aren't prepared for the real world. Also, more kids in the private school in our town did drugs and drank than those in public school. Had they gone to public school, they'd have learned that we make fun of the kids who do drugs. Instead, they were sheltered and learned that those kinds of things are "rebellious and cool". Take something away from kids, and they'll want it more.

Wow, that is a real contrast to anything I've ever heard before, although I must say that all the opinions I hear of public and private schools are generally very biased. Of course, if you had the choice between a great public school and a failing private school, surely everyone would choose the public school, each to their own I suppose. As for drugs/sex education, my school provides just as much, if not more, than anything the state schools in the area provide, and the difference is, most private school kids don't fool around in class, and therefore take more in!

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

I guess I'll have to come and live in Wiltshire, because I've yet to come across what I would consider a 'good' public school, save for those that were former grammar schools. Honestly, a 40% GCSE A*-C grade pass rate is just an average round here! That in my view is appalling, I would not consider attending a school unless it was at LEAST an 85% pass rate, and seemingly only the private schools in my area can reach this standard.