PRIVATE VS PUBLIC EDUCATION

So what are everyone's views on this one... I will be honest I go to a private ( or as we call them in the UK Public) school. I have had an amazing education which I doubt that I would have found elsewhere...but what are other peoples views on this? My school is in the top 10 in the UK and on the IB statistics for the world it has come top twice. If I had gone to my local State school, which is one of the worst in the country, then my education would have been ruined. This is not, however to say that all state schools are bad. The majority of my friends go to one and have no problems and indeed do just as well as me, it is only my local school about which I complain...

Well, first off I go to a public school.
I like public school, but I would like to experience a private school. I always thought they were a place where "Bad" kids went (I thought BOARDING meant they would be hit with a board). Although now I see that it wouldn't be so bad.
Of course I think I would miss my parents. But then again I could spend pretty much all my time with my friends.
I'm happy where I am, but I wouldn't mind exploring other alternatives, lets put it that way.

I certainly don't have a problem with either type though

Hmm... well, private schools I think are.. well, it depends. First, I hate dress codes, it does not help you be more professional in anyway. Also, same gender schools fail in my opinion.

Public schools seem to be more relaxed and you can still get a great education and do great things. I don't like the steriotype that "private schools are better." They are just more expensive and you can have the same outcome in the end if you are willing to work hard and graduate/get a degree.

I hate schools that babysit you and restrict you from making your own choices. I've heard a lot of private schools are like that. Course, not sure the difference between college and high schools when it comes to those, but I go to a private church college. They babysit you. >.< But eh, I guess I have to deal with it. I don't mind the spiritual atmosphered, but sometimes it gets old. We have a honor code (dress code and such), and its ok because we are all set around the same morals, so we don't really have a problem.

I went to a private school K-12. It has around 400ish students, and it's nice because our class stayed around 20 kids all 13 years. Because of this we all grew close as many of us went to school with each other our whole lives. It has its advantages and disadvantages. Disadvantages being if new people came, it was harder for them to fit in easily seeing how the rest of us were tight knit.

We had uniforms. They sucked at times, and they are very stricked about them. I got a strike for continuousley not wearing the right color shoes and having my shirt untucked (I admit I was a bit rebellious)

It's kinda cool though you make freinds with people in other grades. I was working at the pool one day and said hi to a girl who is a couple years yonger than I am and one of my co workers was like how do you know her ? i was like i went to school with her and he was so surprised i knew people from the grades below me. he said he knew lots from his class, maybe a handful from the grade below and thats it...

I'll take a public school over private any day. Public schools are more affordable, and most don't have school uniforms.

I've been in both, and much prefer Private school.

It's all a personal point of view, I think. Which school you go to and what you do there helps with the whole... conclusion of it all.

But yeah, my private school expereience has been much better than my public, and I've been in private for two years.

Originally Posted by AzaISaZELDALORD

So what are everyone's views on this one... I will be honest I go to a private ( or as we call them in the UK Public) school. I have had an amazing education which I doubt that I would have found elsewhere...but what are other peoples views on this? My school is in the top 10 in the UK and on the IB statistics for the world it has come top twice. If I had gone to my local State school, which is one of the worst in the country, then my education would have been ruined. This is not, however to say that all state schools are bad. The majority of my friends go to one and have no problems and indeed do just as well as me, it is only my local school about which I complain...

I have been to private and public schools, and can say there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

In private school, grade requirements are higher. There's more privacy in bathrooms, and you're less likely to walk into a cloud of smoke upon entering a bathroom in private school. Also, the students respect the teachers more.

In public school, the grade requirements are lower, so it's easier to graduate. There are more people, so indivduals like me got picked on by bullies less than in private schools. Unfortunately, there's little to no privacy in bathrooms. I've had people stare at me when I'm in there, and even throw stuff into the stall. Even though I got picked on less in public school, at least I was left alone while in the bathroom in private school.

I remember this one girl cussing a teacher out in public school the first day I went there. In private school she would have been expelled, but I don't know if she was even punished.

Like I said, there are differences. Some are good and some are bad.

I have never been to a public school; my state's public schools aren't really all that great, so my parents decided that they'd send me to private. There are a lot of advantages to private schools that most people don't seem to understand, and a lot of stereotypes that I would like to debunk.

A lot of people I have talked to seem to get the idea that private schools are exclusively for wealthy, snobby WASP types who snub out anyone different. This is entirely untrue. Many schools I know of offer significant scholarships to good students who can't completely afford the cost of the school. Additionally, I have never seen any racial discrimination of any sort in my school, which is mostly white- all the rumors that anyone who isn't a WASP in a WASP-y school (at least in this part of the country) won't fit in are ridiculous. All of the not-white students in my school are very intelligent, very athletic, and very popular.

Another advantage of private schools is the atmosphere of safety. I've never felt threatened by a violent atmosphere in any private school which I've attended. The quality of discussion is also better than that of public, at least it is on honors programs; or so I've heard. My mother who is training for her teacher certification had to observe the activities of the honors classes in an inner-city high school, and from what she described they were very different from my own personal experience. There's a lot of individual attention to the students because most private schools are small (with class sizes of no greater than 20, usually, and I've never heard of a private school with a graduating class of over 300) and the students know each other well.

A lot of people are hesitant to go to private school because of the uniforms, but I think that for all their tackiness they do a lot of good. For one thing, there's never any stress about what to wear for the day- everyone looks like a loser, really. The clothing thing also breaks down some social barriers. Kids who would normally be classified into stereotypical cliques by their sense of style aren't ostracized because of what they're wearing. And due to the smallness of the school, it's difficult to form tight stereotypical cliques some schools have.

Blagh... anyway, that's my opinion. My private school experience has not been perfect, but there are a lot of myths and rumors that just aint true or are exaggerated. Private education has been a positive experience for me, and I'd definitely suggest it to anyone who is considering it.

Originally Posted by sugarpoultry

Hmm... well, private schools I think are.. well, it depends. First, I hate dress codes, it does not help you be more professional in anyway. Also, same gender schools fail in my opinion.

Public schools seem to be more relaxed and you can still get a great education and do great things. I don't like the steriotype that "private schools are better." They are just more expensive and you can have the same outcome in the end if you are willing to work hard and graduate/get a degree.

I hate schools that babysit you and restrict you from making your own choices. I've heard a lot of private schools are like that. Course, not sure the difference between college and high schools when it comes to those, but I go to a private church college. They babysit you. >.< But eh, I guess I have to deal with it. I don't mind the spiritual atmosphered, but sometimes it gets old. We have a honor code (dress code and such), and its ok because we are all set around the same morals, so we don't really have a problem.

Bear in mind that all schools in the UK have uniform,

Furthermore on the stereotype that they are better you are right - it is a myth. However, as I said my school is better than most in the area. There are a wider range of subjects - not just because the school has more money, but because unlike the government schools, it did not stop doing them. - we are not 'babysat' I have a lot of freedom.

Finally, I see from your profile that you are American. I think that there is a major difference in understanding of Private school in America and in Britain. Here there are two classes of private schools - Private schools which are new, and often religiously based.

Then there what we call 'Public schools' although they are actually Private. These schools are the oldest in the country and the most prestigious. Some of them date back to the fifteenth century, although my own was founded in 1821. while the newer ones may conform to the stereotypes you suggested, the Public schools are each unique with their own history and traditions and are wonderful places to go to school.

I think we can all say that Harry Potter has glorified private schools a bit If I hadn't of read those books I probably wouldn't dream of going to one. The Catcher in the Rye also makes me not think they're so great.

I haven't gone to a private school but i think it all depends on the person. More intellectual people might flourish more in a more structured provate school, while abstract and creative people may prefer public. My school is probably looser than most though, so I might just have a sugarcoated view.

Well I'm at a private school. It's not the best or the worst. It's not got a high fee and it has a uniform, but...
I love the people there, maybe coz it's a christian school. But I love it.

I've been to both. At the private school, I did well. I mde friends, and enjoyed my time. At public school, I gambled, fought, and nearly got stabbed. And that was pretty normal.

Originally Posted by Potts_01

Well I'm at a private school. It's not the best or the worst. It's not got a high fee and it has a uniform, but...
I love the people there, maybe coz it's a christian school. But I love it.

Nothing wrong with school uniform!

I went to a private school until 6th grade, then I switched back to private for 7th and 8th grade. The whole school (Pre K-8th) was about 200 students. And we didn't have school uniforms. Lutherans wear what we like. The catholic private school on the other hand had the lamest uniforms ever. *laughs*

I now go to a public school. The freshmen class is over 900! Just the freshmen! We have almost 4000 students in a building for 3000! I hate public school. It sucks! I wanna burn the place to the ground it's sinking into. The kids there are so stupid, and the teachers are dumber. Atleast in a private school, every teacher knew what they were talking about.

Holy crap...and I thought my school was big (1600 students).

I've technically been to both and I prefered the private schools I went to. They were DoDDs schools or Department of Defense...I forget the rest of it. >.> They're basically schools for the kids of American soldiers living in Europe. Well, most of them. The one I attended in Belgium was international. These schools in general I don't think are very big. At least the ones I went to weren't.

SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) International School in Belgium had only 500 students in the American high school section alone. Heidelberg High in Heidelberg, Germany had only 700. Not sure about the middle school and elementary schools I went to, but they weren't big either.

I totally hate the school I'm in now. Terrible place. Too big, too many mean teenagers, too noisy.

I HATE private schools, and prefer public.

Well, I am in my 9th year of private school.(8th grade) What other people are saying is true about my school like having a small class and learning stuff more closely. There is about 250 students in the K-8 school.
I have grown to hate knowing everyone and being so close.(thats just me) Most of the kids in my class are rich jerks who would make fun of a cripple or a homeless guy. I hate how there are no other "groups" of kids to hang with, because there are only 14 guys in my class.

I know it sounds awfully harsh. and I go to a Catholic school! I like the school and the religion, but the people there are mean.
Well, I am going to a public high school next year and will start the IB program so hopefully things will get better.

Ooo....

Well, I go to public school. Personally, I would have wanted nothing different. I think there's a reason why public schools have the standards that they do, and I trust them.

But I really cant say anything about private schools, since I've never been to any.

Originally Posted by Jodd

I've been to both. At the private school, I did well. I mde friends, and enjoyed my time. At public school, I gambled, fought, and nearly got stabbed. And that was pretty normal.

Try going to a public school all your life.

I've been in public school all my life. Lot's of gangs, wanna-be's, plain idiots. And of course, there is pretty much no people at the school who aren't on of these.

I wish I could try a year in Private school. It sounds safer, and probably more suitable for me.