Almost from their birth you begin to consider where your child will spend their school years. Knowing that their education is more than just filling their head with knowledge, you want to research all possible school routes. The school they attend will need to speak to them in their language, tap into how your student learns. It will need to discover how your student best responds in stressful situations and be able to walk them through it. Most importantly, the school selected must have the up-most values as it will shape your child’s character. There are many differences between private and public school. How do you know if a private school will be beneficial for your family?
Benefits of Private School
Classroom Size:
Public schools are often filled to capacity, the number of students far outnumbering the teacher. While this situation may not bother some students or parents, most children find themselves acting a certain way to attract attention from their teacher and peers. Whether the students seeks attention by pursuing good grades or through acting out for negative attention, children need positive affirmation and special attention to thrive in their school years, not just survive. A private school offers smaller class sizes, more individual attention, and a better understanding of how each student prefers to learn. This allows the teacher to take time and cater lessons to teach in a more personal way.
Higher Standards:
While there will always be conflict between students, private schools strive for conflict resolution early on, teaching the students respect for each other and for their teachers. Less conflicts arise due to the basic rule that students wear uniforms to place everyone on the same level. Peer pressure is reduced because fewer destructive influences surround your child while they receive character training in the classroom. The values taught in the classroom between teachers, students and peers reflect the values of the family. Because there is less conflict, there is less distraction. Your student can focus on what is important: their education and simply being a kid.
Success in Continuing Education:
Because of the smaller class sizes and more individual attention, private schools can offer better security when planning for college. “Children in private school score about 60-70 points higher than average on the SAT, and kids from private schools are much more likely than their public school peers to go to college (Continuing Education Schools).” When a student feels the support of their teachers and peers, or learns confidence from positive affirmation in the classroom, that student is more determined to pursue continuing education and approach the college admission process boldly. Private schools can also more readily offer tutoring and college prep for students, providing clarification during a time that is often confusing and stressful.
All parents want their children to succeed in life, and that begins with enrolling them in the right school environment. There are many factors that go into a positive education experience. The one deterrent of private schools is their cost. But even if there are decent public schools close by, consider your student. Will they survive being a number in a crowd or would they thrive with more individual attention? Will they receive the same level of wisdom and guidance a teacher of a smaller classroom can provide? Is your student going to develop a love of learning and respect for the classroom? Can their confidence and self-esteem flourish? Will they be motivated to pursue continuing education after they’ve graduated high school? If you are second guessing your answers to any of the above questions, visit us at The Tenney School to request more information. Please, feel free to schedule a tour of our school to see how our private experience can benefit your family.