As a former principal, I get many questions about Public School vs. Private School. My answer is always the same, IT DOESN’T MATTER! In terms of attitude about school, work habits, and overall success, Mom & Dad, YOU are the missing link. My mother dropped out of school in the 9th grade to have me. So, while her educational experience and general knowledge were limited, school was important to her and that was the message she gave me. She took care of the parts of my school experience that she could. She made sure that my attendance was perfect. She made sure that I had breakfast every morning. She attended every Open House and School Play. She returned documents needing her signature in a timely manner. She sent treats for the holidays. She asked me about my day, every day. She asked me what I learned and insisted that I give her an appropriate response for each subject including PE. She established an after school routine (change your school clothes – eat a snack – complete your homework – place your homework on the coffee table for review). She checked all homework, questioning when necessary. She NEVER bad mouthed my teachers or the school.
There came a point when my mother could not provide homework assistance because my level of knowledge had surpassed hers. But, that was not a deterrent. Her favorite line was “Ask your Teacher; keep asking and don’t stop asking until you understand.” I did, and still do. I also passed that bit of information on to my children and I know they took it to heart because one day my oldest came home from High School and said that the teacher had put her on “Restrictive Communication.” WHAT!!!!!!!! The teacher told her that she had to limit her questions. WHAT!!!!!!!!! Parent/Teacher conference please.
By the way, my mother got her GED when she was 45 (sooooo proud of her), RIP Mom.
I understand that parents need to become more involved in the success of their children; however, the quality of education a child receives in school, whatever the school, is an important element. In addition, attending school is not one dimensional. The experiences a child has in school can be very influential. One environment may encourage learning and discussion whereas, the other may be very passive with the propensity to just push your child along. When I attended college, I wrote a paper entitled, “I Learned, I Just Didn’t Learn That.” Sadly, the “that” were the basic elements of English and Math. Teaching methods have evolved over the years, how do parents, most of whom are in survival mode, keep up to be able to help their children? In addition, some children do not want to be “the constant hand-raiser” to ask questions because of peer pressure and the teacher doesn’t have “office hours;” what are the alternatives for parents and their children?
Denise,
Everything that you mentioned rings true. My point is that you can get a good education or a bad education in a public or private school setting.
Parents MUST be involved at whatever level they can.
I guess I should have mentioned that one of the reasons my child was placed on “Restrictive Communication” is because other students asked her to ask questions for them. The solution may not be ideal, but it is an option.
Thank you for your feedback