Private Vs. Public School ?

My suggestion is to send them to public school for a year, then when they go to private school they'll be happy and grateful. And if they ever complain you can say, "so do you want to go back to public school?" and that will be the end of that!

HI,
I have a lot of experience in this area. I am a teacher in a balt. county public elementary school. However my own children are now attending private school. In my opinion, the content taught in public and private schools will be very much the same. It's the atmoshere of the private schools that I wanted for my own children. I attended private schools for the first 8 yrs of my education, and then went to public high school. My oldest child started out going to our local public school ( which is in Harford county) and she learned a lot, but the atmosphere was not what we liked. There were a lot of kids that knew things about life that we didn't want our Kindergartener knowing about yet. We also wanted the religious training for our children. I would suggest that you visit the public school a few times. Not just once. Go when they have "Back to school" nights and other events.

Michelle

Hi K., Yes, there is a different . You as the parent would have to research . (Private varies ,public) My oldest son start private school in the very beginning. Which is very vital to your child . My son started reading fluently at the age of 5. I mean really big word. My son started public school in the 3 grade , which was a bad mistake. The school did not have anything to offer advance kids. And everything his class when over , he learned in the private school. So , I took him out of that school and put back in the private school .

I went to Private/Catholic school K through 12th Grade in Baltimore City and my husband went to Public school in Baltimore County. We sent our daughter to Private/Catholic school K & 1st Grade in Baltimore City. We switched her to public school in the 2nd grade after we moved to Baltimore County. The decision to switch to public school was not made overnight. We visited the school, toured it and had our list of questions ready for the administrators. We were very pleased with the facility and the responses to our questions. It was a huge adjustment for me because all I knew was Catholic school, but by the end of the first year, I was completely comfortable. Our daughter now attends a public middle school and she's doing wonderfully. All public school teachers she has had have been very educated. She has been in Gifted and Talented classes from the start. It has been a tough curriculum, especially now that she's in middle school.

I understand your concerns as I had the same. In my experience so far, I have found that horror stories will happen in both private and public schools. Fortunately, we have experienced very few horror stories. I was (and still am sometimes) nervous about the middle school years. My saving grace is that most of my daughters classes are GT. In those classes, they need to work and work hard. There's no time for fooling around.

As far as education goes, in my experience with my daughter, public school has it all over private school. However, it could be the opposite depending on where you live. If we still lived in the city, my daughter would most definitely be in private school.

Overall, I think you should visit all the schools your considering, request tours of the schools and have questions ready. Tell the administrators your concerns. The feedback you receive will weigh heavily on your decision - I know it did for us.

Hello K.,

I am also a SAHM of 2 boys in Baltimore County. My 5yr old started Kindergaten this year & I think his elementary school is fantastic, but schools after elementary are definitely questionable! It really depends on which area of Baltimore County you live in. Westchester & Hillcrest are excellent!! From there Catonsville Middle & Catonsville High are excellent. Halethorpe Elementary is also a very good school, but afterwards is where you get into trouble. You can go on bcps.com & look at test scores. That way you can get an idea of the education & you can also get an idea of the behavior. Kids with bad behavior usually don't do well on tests. As I said it depends on where you live whether you want public or private.

N.

K.,
I, too, went to public schools (with the exception of college, which was a private Catholic university). I stay home with my 2-year old now, but I know we are lucky enough to live in an area where the public schools are top notch. I have heard testimony from friends who went to private schools in the area 15-20 years ago, and they don't feel better off! This is at the high school level. I also have friends with daughters attending private middle and high schools in the area. Unfortunately, I think the things you worry about, are happening there, as well. One child asked her mother to be removed from the high school, because of harassment! The choice is ultimately yours. But it may just come down to teaching your children good values, and encourage them to have friends that also share a good value system. Then hopefully, all those scary things we see on the news, won't happen to our kids.

Hi K.,
I have the experience of having taught in both Baltimore County public schools and two private schools. I would say I am able to be a better teacher in the private school setting. I have more resources available to me, and my class sizes are better. That being said, there are some really good elementary schools in the county, (sadly) it just depends on the the socioeconomic status of the community. The area that I taught in was a poorer section of the county, and I do believe that factored into things. What part of the county do you live in?

Hey K.,

I too live in Baltimore but I live in Baltimore city which the school system may be a little different from the county. I also have 2 boys, 7 and 4. My husband and I have battled with this decision from the time our kids were born. The first thing you should do is check the test scores for the schools in your area. Then visit the schools and see what you think about the staff, the environment, and the kids. I would also look at the class size and ask about the parent involvement in the school. Also think about your own child, do you think he would feel comfortable in a smaller class or will he be find in a large class setting. I know some kids may not do well with a class size of 24 or more. Also is this the first time he will be attending a school setting? I have heard from some teachers before, that they spend the first few months of school teaching Kindergartner students, which are attending a school for the first time, the basic ABC’s, how to follow order, and how to share with others. Also I know Baltimore County has some magnet schools so that could be another option. I know some of them work on a lottery system but I have heard great things about the elementary magnet schools.

I have to say for myself I took all of that into consideration and decided to put my sons in private school. I like the smaller class size, Christian environment, new books and supplies, additional teacher assistants in pre-k thru 1st grade, and the strong feeling of parent involvement. And keep in mine, even though you and your husband may be teaching your boys good values and how to make good decisions, that doesn't mean other kids are learning the same thing. This means more of chance of your boys learning the wrong thing. And yes that same thing can happen in private school, but at least in private most schools will not tolerate the bad behavior. Just make sure you research the schools and decide what's important to you and your husband when looking for a school.

Good Luck on whatever decision you make.

Hi K.!

I am a former public school teacher and worked at a wonderful elementary school. In the area where I live, I would never waste my money on private schools because the public schools here are top notch. I think what you need to do is visit the public school that your child would attend and make decisions afterwards. Unfortunately, not all public schools are created equal and it really depends on your local school. Set up a meeting with the principal, tour the school and talk to other parents. I really think you will be able to get a good feeling of the school after your visit. Also, I can tell you first hand that the PARENTS make the biggest difference in a child's education. If you work cooperatively with the teachers and take an active interest in your son's education, he is going to do great. Good luck!

I went to Catholic school for grages K-5 and then public school. I can tell you that I had a better foundation than the kids who had solely been in public school. I wasn't challenged in public school and there wasn't anyone to take a personal interest in me so I became lazy and ended up with C's as grades. The same thing happened to my step-daughter when she moved from a private Baltimore school to a public Tennessee school until her mother put her in boarding school which she loves and is an honor roll student. I know private and parochial school makes a difference in kids as long as the parents don't intend for the school to do all the work.

Hi Kelly,
I have been a nanny for the same two girls for 10 years. Both of them go to a private school in Baltimore. I myself went to Public Schools. I think there is a remarkable difference between the two. First, the class size in a private school will be much smaller. I think this is important because many times students go "unnoticed" when there are so many in a class. A large class size can prevent a student from developing a healthy relationship with their teacher. Secondly, I have noticed that the cirriculum is a little more advanced than that of public school. This has been my experience working with 2 girls in a private school compared with my school experiences. I believe more is expected of a child in private school. A child attending a private school cannot perform consistently below par and continue at the same school. Whereas, a child in public school can perform at any level and continue at any pace they choose (assuming parents just don't care).

By the way, I am mostly talking about children in middle to upper school levels. It doesn't hurt to send them to private school if you have the money. I am not at all against public school. My daughter will be attending a public school. If we had the money I would choose a good private school for her. I hope I have helped you and not confused you. Good Luck.