Cold hallways. Passing bodies. The smell of sweat. Everyone knows what school is like to them. But what if it was different? Not like a Disney public school, with the bully and the cliques, but something quieter. Calmer. Peaceful and serene. For many, this is how an expensive private school sounds. But is it really so great? What is private school like, and what is it like to transition to a public school?
“Even the thought of changing schools was difficult,” Stephanie on allmomdoes.com, a blog giving advice to mothers from mothers, admits in her entry.
“I was worried about things like larger classroom sizes and an education that would not prepare and challenge them like the private school curriculum did,” she comments. Being in a class with more kids and more diverse groups of people is a big adjustment. All parents and teens are worried about how their child (or themselves) will adjust to being around people who may not share their religion or culture. Not only that, but seven hundred kids who might not share the same ideals. It can be extremely overwhelming for a new student who is not used to being in crowded hallways or with so many people at once.
Not only that, but private school kids may also be used to a schedule by the time they get into public school. Most private schools are based in the Christian faith, making things like worship, prayer, and Chappel a big thing in their daily routines. It could be hard to adjust to a school where those activities may be seen as weird or nontraditional.
Although there are challenges in changing from private school to public school, Stephanie makes a few good points. Stephanie asks herself, “was I really doing my kids a service by putting them in somewhat of a bubble when they didn’t have to step too far out of their comfort zone and didn’t have a huge diversity of peers to interact with?” This is a good point when it comes to private school.
When children step out and into the real world, they will be around a lot of different cultures and people, a lot of whom will not share their ideals. They have to know how to deal with these people, how to get along with those who are different than them. They cannot get that experience if they are surrounded by other people who look, act, and believe in the same things as them all the time.
“We ultimately decided to make the switch,” Stephanie informs the blog readers. And although there are many worries for those who are moving from private school, public school has some advantages. Stephanie notes the fact that although there was many students, the teachers still managed to give them all attention and were passionate about what they did.
Another thing is the funding. Private schools are less funded than the public schools, which do many fundraisers and tend to get more donations. This gives public schools access to more advanced technology like iPads and computers for the children to use, along with proper supplies for those who can’t afford it. Even though public school is free, they manage to have more access to things than private school.
When attending public school, kids also don’t have to dress in a uniform every day. That is fun for the kids, who get to choose their clothes and dress comfortably. It is definitely a happy change for kids who used to wear uniforms to school every day.
Stephanie tells readers that while some families may want to stay in private school, the switch for them ultimately “turned out to be extremely positive.” Though her kids and anybody else coming into a public school will have hard times, so will kids at private school.
No matter what school someone goes to, there will be hard times. People differ, so while some may like private school, others may like public school. It all depends on the person.
