Mike's NEW podcast and get the 365 day reading plan! There also needs to be a sense that decisions are made based off of what is true and right, not off of large checkbooks from individual families. The login page will open in a new tab. Jesus calls us to make disciples. Smaller class size means more individualized attention and your child won’t be just another kid. Private School vs Public School - How Do The Students Compare? Public schools are able to afford park-like play structures and state-of-the-art gymnasiums. School districts are staffed with psychologists and special education experts who work with classroom teachers in developing individualized education plans for kids. Just because the school is Catholic and the kids go to Mass, doesn’t mean they’re any more saintly than the public-schoolers; and the difficulties attracting and retaining quality staff can make it more difficult to address behavioral problems in the classroom. Private school teachers generally earn less than their public school counterparts, with teachers at parochial schools at the lowest end of the salary range. Public schools invest in identifying at-risk students and provide behavioral and academic support. Also, the smaller class and school size can help foster a … There are tangible social, structural, and curriculum differences that could help your child succeed with these comparison points. It’s a personal and often emotional decision but not a permanent one. I have been in public schools my whole life. For more:  Thoughtco.com and Public School Review. Classroom size can get larger as the kids move to higher grades and some kids have trouble finding their niche. All rights reserved. Private School Parents and Professionals share their experiences and perspective on the pros and cons of Public School vs. Sometimes, this may get a bit too much and leave you wanting some space.  School districts and schools within those districts can vary wildly; a school in rural North Dakota is going to be very different from one in inner city Chicago or suburban New York. Pro: Uniforms! catholic school will probably give a more rigorous traditional eddication. . I’m sure every school id different, but our Catholic Schools are not what I remember. Another more detrimental con of attending a Catholic school was how I was more or less forced to believe something that I didn’t fully understand. . I myself have not attended the Catholic or Public, I have only had to deal with private schools and public schools, but from observation the biggest difference between public and Catholic is the religious aspect of it. Copyright © 2020 Ascension Press. Schools may compensate for this by having fundraisers which means buying huge candy bars, wrapping paper, and magazine subscriptions. Still, sending your kids to Catholic school usually costs a lot of money and it means you probably won’t have much left over for college. This article will go through the pros and cons of the two school systems. . My parents were shocked at the amount of bad words, sexual jokes, and other undesirable information that I heard from my peers at a Catholic elementary school. The difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers probably also played into this situation- one illustrative example of lackluster staff engagement occurred when my mother tried to get me moved to a seating assignment away from kids who bullied me. However,  bigger classes mean less individualized attention or your child getting lost in the shuffle. Why do I have to pay 40 per cent of the tuition when my grandchild no longer wants to go to catholic school. This met our expectations for grades K-5, but really dropped for middle School (Grades 6-8) when it is most needed. Feel like I’m wasting my money. [Public schools embrace gender fluid ideology and those who agree with the Catholic Church’s stance on homosexuality are labeled bigots. Most Catholic schools are small, private schools. Ex - Spanish. Sign up for Fr. 6. I know in Catholic schools they have some sort of Mass or ceremony, where a priests come and bless the children on a regular basis. Advent Meditations with the Holy Family. So, unless things get better, we are looking at either homeschooling our daughter or sending her to one of the better public schools in the area. Barely half of the children are Catholic, fewer than that are from families that are practicing their faith and half of our parish is Spanish speaking. The cultural immersion could be great for your child, but if his or her conscience isn’t well-formed at home that immersion can have undesired results. This makes it harder to find friends. My earlier article “Going to a Catholic School: Some Pros and Cons” offered some things to think about. - Ascension Press Media, Rejoice! For some, Catholic school conjures up images of nuns in habits, rulers in hand, ready to whack the knuckles of disobedient youths. Stay tuned for a pros and cons list of public schools. Regular education kids learn through experience, for example, that a child with Down Syndrome will bring richness to the classroom and they learn compassion for differences. I've sent my daughter to both. This was one of my arguments when I laid down the “my children will attend Catholic school” ultimatum prior to getting married. Catholic Schools Vs Public Schools Shacourtney Zimmer. Selecting a school for your children can be a challenging process. All in all, sending your children to public school can be both a risk and an opportunity. This is great news for the adults since they can book dental or doctor appointments for the children in the afternoon without having to wait for the weekends. However, this means sending them to parish religious education classes and as a family, you may be an island. The bad news is that many families cannot afford it without having two working parents which then means daycare costs if there are younger siblings. This article also reviews the pros and cons of private boarding schools. Half the kids aren’t CATHOLIC… Which means 50% of the families just don’t get it. … If you live in these areas, I think it is a no-brainer to send your kids to public school. We have seen the pros and cons of public school, homeschooling and Catholic school when it comes to curriculum development, pedagogical instruction, moral foundation and so on. But sometimes, you need time for yourself, away from the kids which a public school can give. However, it also means there may be a disruptive student in your child’s class who demands more teacher attention, taking it away from the rest of the class. I am Catholic and i was thinking about trying Catholic Schools. It seems that I was one of the few parents who made these feelings known . Con: Kids are kids. I wanted my children to understand that God is not just something we do on Sunday. She was told it was /my/ responsibility to learn to get along with the other students, and her request was dismissed. Your family can provide witness to living a Christ-centered life. Once children have graduated from diapers and baby food, the next big decision for parents becomes where to send their precious tots to school. What a catholic thing to say. Well that applies to schools where the principal has the guts to enforce the dress code. Please log in again. OURS DOES NOT. Public School Pros and Cons. The trick is to balance what you think is best for your child with what you can afford. […] can’t expect public schools to uphold our values. Con: Cliquishness. Has Ascension's free media strengthened your faith? We are hopeful that things get better . Here I address the pros and cons of public school. Furthermore, most such schools also offer full day kindergarten programs. catholic school grads tend to have much better basic grammar, punctuation, writing and arithmetic skills. but all catholic schools are not created equally. My son currently attends a public high school because we could not find a Catholic High School we could afford or find worth the value of the high cost, spiritually or academically. Teachers can tailor their lessons to their class more effectively and offer more one-on-one support. In public schools, it is more likely to be about thirty students. . Growing up in Catholic school meant praying with my friends was normal. According to the National Center for Education Statistics , private school teachers earn an average of $10,000 – $15,000 less than comparable public school positions. Also the factor of trying to gain more students using “snob appeal” and marketing the school as an elitist option steers the school in a direction that is motivated by many other things none of which are imparting the catholic faith and the love of Christ to our kids. Con- Sometimes there may be poor leadership from the principal. This creates a more dangerous atmosphere in public school where the lines are blurred and students who do take a truly catholic stance are ostracized and bullied. There is almost a complete lack of religious orders teaching in the elementary schools and the ratio illustrated in this article are about half of what my kids are experiencing. The result is that a lot of trash had entered our schools out of the Church’s desperation. We take a closer look at the pros and cons of three of the most popular education choices today – public, private and charter schools. It gives parents another choice. Federal and state laws mandate that public schools serve all children, including those with emotional, mental, and physical challenges. If I ever slept over at a friend’s house on Saturday night, I knew to pack my church clothes because the next morning, we’d be going to Mass. We continue to reinforce his strength by practicing our own and discussing Faith-based issues. She went to private/Catholic school through 8th grade. Blame those limited financial resources again. Private Schools vs. Public Schools: Pros & Cons Parents all over the country ar e at some point faced with the question: public school or private school? “Teachers in Catholic schools are more likely to leave their positions than teachers in public schools,” he said. He also has begun his Confirmation classes. It is part of the job. Rather than continuing to teach Catechism, Scripture and Apologetics (not to mention the rich history of the Catholic Church) . A Catholic school education is so much more than high test scores and graduation rates — although those are certainly remarkable parts of it. Private Schools Pros and Cons Private schools and public schools have advantages and disadvantages. Let’s hope your children don’t have your disgusting attitude. choosing to have the kids reflect upon their thought on some parts of what the text offered . However, higher quality schools are often located in more expensive neighborhoods, so housing and food costs will be greater. There atr pros and cons about both. Unfortunately, it seems to be more of the same ideology that I found problematic in his Junior High School Religion classes. Her experience in the Washington public school system had been remarkably good, ... a private Roman Catholic school in Bladensburg, Md. Advent Meditations with the Holy Family. As with all major decisions regarding your children, get them involved in the conversation. A study by Walter F. Przygocki discusses teacher retention and the challenges for Catholic schools. Parents can forget that teachers and principals are professionals. Teachers can tailor their lessons to their class more effectively and offer more one-on-one support. If my children were still at home, I would send them to public school. When comparing public school vs. private school weigh the pros and cons of both. It has a lot of benefits that other people mentioned and frankly the Catholic part didn’t bother me too much, as I wouldn’t be teaching a religion class. However, public school teachers are granted tenure so it is hard to get rid of an ineffective one. As a Catholic family living your faith, you are a walking evangelization team. We are living in troubled times. It’s good to know that enrolling my daughter in a Catholic junior high school will teach her the inherent value of all mankind since we are all children of God. Kids will talk readily about their feelings, but they really need strong Catechesis to help them keep their Faith in this godless day and age. Your kids won’t be too sheltered—but as parents you’re going to need to know your stuff. Based on my own experience and advice I’ve received from other parents, here are some good and some not so good things about giving your children an education through Catholic schools. In fact, Catholic schools have higher graduation rate of 99% when compared to public schools. What matters most is the parents’ attention to what their children are learning in public school, and the parents’ understanding that they are still their children’s primary educators (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1653). It’s not a bad idea to talk to people and research the schools in your area. The good news is that many schools offer assistance. Since I want her to realize the most important values in the present society, it might really be a good idea to introduce her to a Catholic environment. 15 minutes detention for everything no matter what it is and every piece of garbage who walks through the door gets accepted. However, this means sending them to parish religious education class… Private schools also have less financial resources so they rely on parents to help out. If you are trying to decide between a public and private school for your child, one of the biggest differencesyou will find between these choices is the class size. Again, this one is both a pro and a con. Some catholic schools truly have a surface sheen but a truly toxic and faith smothering undercurrent. Careful consideration and appropriate discernment are tantamount when formulating the best direction to educate children, especially within the Church. Latest Content from Jackie Angel, Fr. Also, 86% of the students graduating from Catholic schools go to colleges. Being exposed to a variety of beliefs can make for some interesting family dinner conversations as parents respond to what kids hear in school. Your kids won’t be too sheltered—but as parents you’re going to need to know your stuff. You will discover that there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” answer here. There are, however, some Montessori charter schools that are more accessible. We can’t hunker down and live in a bubble. Public schools teach our society’s cultural values. When talking about it with my mom recently, she said she figured she’d provide me with a religious background and when I was older I could choose whether or not I’d continue to practice it. So I recently have moved to a new neighborhood, which means I am switching schools once this school year ends, but it seems I am going to a catholic high school in grade 10 (In grade 9 now) and this would be my first, I have always been in public schools so I want to know the difference between the two, or what is good about catholic vs what is not (Pros and cons). In a Catholic or other private school, the average class size is twenty students. However, I am in a same-sex relationship. The login page will open in a new tab. When my Snow Bowl team in high school was about to compete, we prayed to Mary, Queen of Victory. The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector reports that out of the 5,000 Montessori schools in the U.S., there are about 500 public programs. But on the positive side, it also gives you an almost automatic group of prayer warriors who will hold you in prayer without even asking! President Clinton provided momentum to the school uniform movement when he said in his 1996 State of the Union speech, “If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.” The pros and cons of school uniforms