Public School Vs. Private School Vs Home Schooling. Pros and Cons

[mrdee 1]

It is nice to read various opinions on the different kinds of schooling, and they seem to be very varied too.However, I would like to add my own opinion to it too, but not before I have said that my opinions go about Public and Private education in the UK, where I work as a teacher, and I have worked in both kinds of schools.I will not say much about Home Schooling, since I do not have a lot of experience in that field, but, I think it should definitely have its merits, as one-to-one tuition allows you to give your undivided time and attention to one pupil only.Now, for the matter of public versus private schools:(I may be a bit biased, because, I might have chosen the wrong private school to work in, however, I will try to take away that bias with some examples).a) Discipline:It is a fact that (in this country anyway) discipline of pupils has gone down a lot, compared to the days that I went to school (and, I admit, I was no angel ), mainly because education has been 'politicised' too much (ie, politicians have (once again) interfered in something they know nothing or very little about, and now we see the results), and of course, b implementing all that 'political correct' idiocy, and giving the pupils certain 'way over the top' rights, which will be difficult to take away from them now.I remember, when I came home from school with a punishment, I got another one on top of it from my parents, nowadays, you punish a pupil (even while you are totally within your rights), and by the day the school days end, the parents are in the principal's office to complain.Now, that happens in public schools, but, the private school where I was working worked on the following principles: the first thing that mattered was money, then came how things looked, and finally, there was education.As for discipline: there were quite a few pupils there (not all of them, thank goodness, some parents still know the difference between right and wrong) who were the typical 'rich man's kids', the kind that, being 8 or 9 years old, changed ?20 notes when buying a sandwich at lunch time, and having had the typical upbringing that many rich people tend to give, ie. "You've got money, so you are so much better than everyone else", or "You've got money, so you are untouchable and can get away with whatever you like". (Like I said, there were exceptions to that too, but lots of kids were from snobby parents and they were not much better).Now, as for the school itself: you had indeed to be very careful (being a teacher) when you punished children, as one of the principles of that school seemed to be (see what I said about the three main principles earlier) that, because the parents put a lot of money on the table every month, you had to let the children get away with murder.This is of course not the only example (in case you think I am tarring everyone with the same brush), because, a private student of mine was working at a cinema at weekends to pay for her studies, and she told me, on Saturday afternoons, the students from a "very reputable" private school (costing about ?20,000 a year per child of yours that studies there) and where the children of the Royals used to study too, used to come to the cinema in group on Saturdays (ie. the children of "very" rich people), now, according to my student, a herd of pigs were bvetter behaved than them.Then about education: first of all, I must admit that education in the UK (mostly in England) is atrocious, I honestly have not seen a worse educated lot in the whole of Europe than the English.If you want some examples, name me one civilised Western European country where the majority of people only speak one language (and don't come with the usual thing "Yes, but they speak English, which is the number one language in the world, as that is ENTIRELY beside the point), I have also worked at Grammar schools, where the majority of pupils could not even spell properly, so, in comprehensive schools, things are even worse, I have even seen teachers who cannot spell properly.Anyway, in private schools, the classes are usually somewhat smaller in size, so, the individual students can get a bit more attention by the teacher, but that is a minimal comparison.Also, for teaching in a private school here, you don't even have to have any formal qualifications, so, if the management of the school want to employ an unqualified friend, they are completely entitled to do so.Someone wrote earlier that teachers get paid a bit better in private schools, well, here it is just the opposite, in spite of all the money a private school makes, you get paid less than in a mainstream school.And, to come back to the education, the results I have seen in that private school were not one bit better than they are at mainstream schools.The principal's son even went on to that 'high-class' private school that I mentioned earlier, not even able to spell properly to save his life.Now, my conclusion: Even if I could afford to send my children private (which I can't, and my children have left secondary education for some time now, anyway), I would NEVER send my children to a private school.It might look good on a CV that you went to a school with a flashy uniform and a posh Latin motto, but I REALLY fail to see where private education (except for the fact that it is a lot more expensive) from mainstream education (and even there you still have to try and be selective, as one mainstream school can be a lot better/worse than another.So, certainly no private schooling for me, but let me re-iterate, I am speaking about private schooling in England and about some personal experiences from some of them.

[JohnMarsh1234 0]

I think choices from these three type of schools are different in various countries. I think in USA Public schools, there are lot of students and mostly from bad families. but in private schools the environment is good. Students learn a lot. In Home schooling system there may be good and bad both, depend on the tutor and environment.

[anwiii 17]

in my opinion, the two major differences is in the quality of education you can get in a private school, and the quality of diverse cultures you can find in the public school system. for the most part, i am against sending children to private schools. although the children may get a better education through books, it's not the real world. some of it is just too fake too me as mrdee points out. i am not a teacher, but i am not blind either.in a public school, the quality of education suffers, but the kids get to interact in a more real world environment to prepare the average person in their future endevours. they get to interact with people from different cultures and ways of life(some bad, some good) and it's a learning experience in it's own right to be able to take that and be able to get a long with all sorts of people down the road which i believe is more beneficial for personal growth and unbias and prejudice. there are exceptions though depending on the private school.my neice went to private school in grade school and high school. nothing wrong with it. they prepare you better for college and some universities do prefer certain private schools over public schools so getting in after applying is much easier. i think the private high school though put too much pressure on her. she wouldn't say it, but i felt it given her true nature. she gave it her best and survived it and came out pretty good making a lot of friends and even friends with different cultures, backgraounds and traditions. some of the public school system ARE bad though but not bad enough to sacrifice a real life learning environment(in my opinion). the students will still study or not study and get whatever grades they woulda gotten(whether in public or private school)and will still have the same advantage of getting in to a university even if it's a 2-year community college with the ability to transfer to a larger university if the grades dictate the transfer.one other thing i don't like about private schools is that it puts pressure on the kids. the parents are paying thousands of dollars so the child feels pressure to perform in school which will be harder for a kid to just be a kid while they still have a chance.the best scenario is to go to public school for a couple years or private school for a couple years, and then switch to get the best of both worlds. the only problem with that is that once you switch schools, you have to leave all the friends you made and start all over again at a band new school where nobody knows you and would be harder to adapt.so given all the scenarios i can run through my head, if the kid isn't going to be some hot shot attorney or doctor or find some place in government where you would need top level education and strict discipline in order to achieve success in certain fields, i say public school is the way to go. there is no doubt in my mind about it...even if the level of education suffers because it's not going to suffer THAT much to where the kid can't get a higher learning education by attending a university after graduation. what is high school? math, english, science, etc.... most of which you only need a basic level of knowledge. it's just supposed to make a person more well rounded. you hardly use the english and the math and the science you were taught in every day life. just the basics. who uses chemestry and physics after they graduate? hardly ANYONE except those pursuing a field that requires those classes(not many).anyway, that is my opinion and i am sticking to it....EDIT: i forgot to talk about home schooling. it has it's place for some people. some people cannot adapt to regular schools so the proper alternative would be to home school. it's not for everyone however and there are disadvantages. it's for those with disabilities and people who have a hard time adapting or keeping up with the average student. the disadvantages would be that the kid doesn't interact with kids his own age and doesn't get to befriend people they would normaly do if in a regular classroom envirmonment. i think part of everyone's nature is to interact with people in their own way so depriving children of that is not good. it can leave an empty feeling in a child. the other disadvantage is that a child would not normally get a well rounded education if home schooled and the quality would be less. so it's my opinion that nobody should be home schooled unless a child is disabled or a child is having trouble keeping up with the average students. to force them to attend that type of environment can do more harm than good. it can promote low self esteem and depression and anxiety. the best solution would be to home school. it's a better environment for the child in the long run. the non interaction with other children can be made up for by signing up the child to youth groups and camps and summer programs.

Edited June 20, 2011 by anwiii (see edit history)

[sheepdog 10]

I will dissagree with you on one point.

- Your child learns right from wrong. You hardly get this in private school.

I think since many private schools are relgion based, this is probably one thing the private schools really have going for them. I also think that in private schools, the parents may have more input into the childs education, since they are directly paying for it and certainly have the right to complain if they do not like the studies or any aspect of the teachings, or a paticular teacher. In public school, if you don't like it, tough. Government regulates what public schools can and cannot do, limiting parents rights considerably.

There is a lot to be said for home schooling. Parents have a direct and active part in their childs education. They control exactly what the child learns. They can taylor the education programs to fit their childs needs and levels much better and pay extra attention to anything the child needs more help with. My only real problem with home schooling is the lack of socialization home school kids seem to suffer from. There are some other considerations, like, is the parent capable of teaching? Not all parents are.

[dannysong 0]

In addition, some parents may be dissuaded by the cost of a private boarding high school. But there are some scholarships and there certainly are loans and payment plans. And on top of that there is the saving in not having a food-hungry teenager always under your feet at home. Boarding high schools have a lot going for them and their students.

Edited September 20, 2011 by velma (see edit history)

[ritu 1]

Undoubtedly a good student would learn from anywhere, but the earliest stages require intensive care which a family member or more specifically a mother can provide best. She is well aware of the child's slightest developments, his shyness, if it is that way, or his social behavioural approach, he can be introduced to the other forms, whichever is suitable depending on the traits of the chid besides the monetary issue.