If money wasnt an issue

[Visitor9]

If someone was to pay your childrens education ....to any school. Would you still be happy with what you thought was the right way to go? Public or private

[~clover~]

Where we live now I am really happy & wouldn't change it for the world. We are in a small town with a small school. There are only 13 kids. 4 in the infants class. I'm very happy as its more personal & I know DD is getting alot of the one on one & there is alot of family involvement in the school. Every parent is involved. Any family issues are very understood & if there is ever a problem it's never ignored or put off. We had a small issue of bullying & it was sorted straight away. The older kids all keep an eye on Jaz & make sure the little boy leaves her alone. It is an excellent public school.
BUT, being only 13 kids, we are facing closure. If this happens I'd prefer a private school. I don't know why, but I feel they are the next best option to a small school.

[Amity]

I'm a private girl all the way. I'd sell everything I owned and work three jobs to send my kids to private schools.

So, if money wasn't an issue, things would definitely not change.

JMHO.

[fionas]

Hmmm ... depends on the kid. Personally, I would abolish all private schools and make it a level playing ground so that having money can't buy you a better education. However, given that I'm living in the real world, I'd try to stick to my principles and send my child to a public school. I think smart kids make it through regardless. But if they weren't doing well and I thought their future would be adversely affected then yes I'd have to swallow my principles and send them to a private school.

[Rouge]

Yeah it probably would, sad but true. I LOVE the school Paris is at & I know Seth will be going there too. But I have friends with kids in inner city schools, and we would change if we could afford it purely because the education is a lot more thorough and involved IMO, classes are smaller and the opportunities for the kids are better. BUT I would also want to have the financial backing so that Paris was able to do all the things her peers could iykwim.

[Bathsheba]

We are really happy with our DD's school so we would continue sending her there I think. She has been going to private girls' schools since she was at pre-school level and she's aways loved school and thrived. There is no perfect school, you have to match the school to the child so expensive doesn't mean 'good'. I never thought, before I had children, that I would want to send them to private schools but now, like Divvy I am a strong advocate for them. Just my opinion that the Australian government does not fund education to the standard I believe that is necessary and I'm not prepared to have my children find themselves in the same position I was as a child. I was sent to public schools and always found myself in huge classes of usually 30+ children and overlooked because I a shy child. I loved learning but every bloody lesson was spent settling down the rowdy kids I just don't want my children's time wasted. As it is now it is a significant sacrifice paying my DD's fees (especially as I am a SAHM) but we are getting there. If money was no object I would also have her educated abroad. We plan to do this anyhow (work overseas with my DH's career). If money was truly no object I would, if it was agreeable to my DD who is now in grade 7 (high school) send her to several good schools throughout Europe... maybe completing her education at a Swiss finishing school! (it's not all about etiquette BTW LOL although yes you learn business etiquette according to all the cultures of the world but these days it's more educational than just learning social niceties).

I don't have problem paying for education. I agree that there should be a good basic standard of public education but if you have the money (and you are prepared to spend it) you should be able to buy the best with all the "extras". I have a bigger problem with buying "must haves" like plasma TVs to be honest (our TV is about 40cm square and that's fine by us!)... but that's just my opinion

[slimjadey]

Yeah i reckon it would be different for each child, we're expecting our 3rd and there is no way we could afford private for all 3 when they're all old enough but our oldest for example is so active that i think he would just get himself into trouble at a public school where the funding isn't there to give as much attention to individual needs. I really want for him to go to a private school. Its simply his personality that requires for him to have a bit more attention and to be in a very positive atmosphere. Our second child on the other hand is the sweetest little boy who i believe would be fine in a public school.
There are government 'special' schools for kids who are always in trouble, and when these kids go to these schools they have positive results because they are getting the extra attention and positive reinforcement they're personalities require. I want for #1 to get a positive start however and already be in that environment in a private school rather than wait for him to be labeled a troublemaker and be expelled from several public schools before getting the attention he needs.

[Phteven]

If money wasn't an issue I would definately send my children to a public school. If the local school didn't suit them then I'd transfer them to a differant one.

I don't think that schooling is just about what goes on in the classroom, it's also about what happens in the playground and after school.
I think it's important for children to socialise with a wide vatiety of people and that's more likely to happen in a public school. The area that we currently live in is one of the most multicultural in Australia I think my children can only benefit from mingling with people from such a wide variety of backgrounds.

TBH I don't think that educationally children benefit from private schools. Every year when the HSC lists come out in NSW public schools fare better than the private schools. Last year the split between public and private for distinguished achievers was 52/48 in favour of public schools and the top 3 schools were all public schools. Luckily for us 2 of them are not far from us.
If I thought that either of my boys would perform better in arts and humanities subjects in a single gender school I'm lucky that there are a few publicly funded ones around.

I would rather save my school fees so that we can afford to take the boys to places in Australia and abroad that will enrich and instruct them in ways that a classroom can't.

[Visitor9]

Thank you all for your insight....lol I still have no idea what to do. I wish there was a consultant that came and evaluated your child and suggested schools that would best suit them.

[Phteven]

That's a great idea Bec.
If I has a duaghter who was into maths and science I would definately send her to a girls only school. If I wasn't near one of the good public ones and couldn't move to near one I might consider private.
Same if one of my son's likes one of the subjects that boys excell if girls aren't around (English, humanities etc).

[New Dawn]

I have alway said that I would send my kid to public primary school but if they had a real intrest that would excel in private high school then if we could thats where I would sent them, but if they were more hands on kids then I would go public.

I was sent to private school but I think my parents would have been better off sending me to public as I was not academic and would have done much better plus enjoyed school more if I could have dont hands on things like home ecc and wood work.

[Bathsheba]

There is often the misconception that sending children to private schools limits their exposure to a wide variety of people. I'm not sure where this comes from but when I compare my public education to my daughter's private education she by FAR has mixed with more nationalities than i ever did. In her first year of private school she shared her class of 22 with children from China, India, New Caledonia, Turkey, Japan (3), and there were a few second generation Greeks and Italians. Anglo saxons were certainly not over represented. Three of these students had very limited English skills as well so she had to overcome the language barrier when playing and talking to them. Throughout her schooling there have been many many cultures represented in her classroom, and probably even of a wider representation than at the local primary school (by percentage). Many parents are working expats and send their children to private schools too. In her current year there are students from Switzerland, Mauritius Island and South Africa. So I would like to dispel that myth when applying it to my DD's school. I would be very concerned if the school population was predominantly Anglo here in Melbourne where the norm is multiculturalism. I agree wholeheartedly that diversity is a wonderful aspect of any school and it is for this reason that in an ideal world my DD will be attending an overseas International School in the near future Also in regard to exposure to people from a wide variety of people from different economic backgrounds there is also the misconception that all private schools are populated by wealthy and materialistic people who flaunt their lifestyles. Maybe that culture exists in some private schools but from my experience there are just as many Mr and Mrs Average incomes struggling to pay school fees at my DD's school as their are wealthy snobs sending their kids to the local public school. As in all aspects of society there are materialistic people and not all people who send their kids to private school afford it easily, like us. When I mix with other mums at school events, sure, there are the snobs and I chat with them for a while, suss them out, and if they have too high an opinion of themselves I move on. I don't feel intimidated by them... I know that appearances can be deceptive and all might not be as rosy as they are desperately trying to portray LOL My DD's best friends don't make her feel any less than equal because half the time their parents are struggling too! As in all areas of life, you choose who you mix with and I don't think public schools have the monopoly on decent, genuine and diverse people. Just my opinion

[slimjadey]

I have a similar personality to my son who i think would benefit better from a private school. I failed at school and not because i wasn't capable, i know i certainly could have done all of the work put in front of me. The problem was i had a bit of a short attention span and no one even came down and sat with me to make sure i was doing what i was supposed to be doing. I would rather sit there and chat with the other students who were exactly the same as me not doing their work, or make some excuse to leave the room to go elsewhere where i could get out of doing it. This is where i think a nice private school would be better for him, i believe he would get more attention and be with other students who's parents would be giving their kids more attention and making sure they do their work. I'm not saying of course that there aren't students with parents who care in public schools but the truth of the matter is occasionally you do get a family where the parents don't care and just send the kids to school because its the law and to get them out of their hair. Its these kinds of students who would unfortunately end up being a bad influence on others because the teachers aren't well funded enough to give these students the attention they should be getting from the parents. I also believe that you are far less likely to come across these types of disruptive influences in private schools as parents pay so much for their kids to go and its always because they want the best for their kids and they usually are willing to put in the time and effort as well as the money to see that their child gets what they need.
As i said before i also think it depends greatly on the child. I'm not ruling out public schools as any kind of lower education. My second child is a really sweet little boy and i believe he would do well at a public school. He's got a much mellower personality and i think it would be easier for him to do his work, work a little more independently and not get so easily distracted.
Its really more about the atmosphere of the school. A smaller school like ones you would get out further into the country i think would also be great for giving students the attention they need to achieve even though they might be a public school, unfortunately where i live though all the schools around here are the government funded over crowded ones where just about anything goes.

[Phteven]

I don't think that either school system has a monopoly on decent people and obviously there are awful private schools and awful public schools just as there are great schools in in both systems.

On the subject of diversity I can speak only from my own experiences. I went to private and public schools and whilst there was certainly diversity of cultures at my private schools at the public schools there was far more diversity amongst students, staff and parents. It wasn't just a matter of cultural diversity but also there was a far greater diversity of world views, sexuality, political views and economic diversity as well. At the public school I attended there were gay teachers and parents and as a result of this openly gay students as well. At my private schools I have no doubt that some students were gay but I have no idea which - they weren't out. Of course there was some diversity of world views at my private schools but to my knowledge none of the parents or teachers were leading such activley alternative lifestyles as some of the community involved in my public school - none of the private school teachers were goths and none of the parents lived in communes lol.

As far as the very rare families that don't care go, thier children leave school in year 10 unless they genuinley want to be there and there was just as many parents who were uninvolved in thier children's education at my private school. I noticed very little differance in the numbers of disruptive students in either system (I think I was one of them rofl) and TBH the teachers in the public school seemed more committed to our well-being than the teachers in the private system. A few of my public school teachers had successful careers in thier fields but chose to teach, none of my private school teachers had practical experience in the areas they taught.

My private schools did offer more extra-curricular activities but TBH if my children want to join a choir I can arrange that without the assistance of a school.

For a while we considered a private school for primary because of the extra possibilities of language instruction but I'm more a fan of immersion so I think my children will learn more from 3 weeks in a country than a year in a classroom

ETA - In terms of economic diversity even parents who are struggling to send thier children to a private school can be assumed to be somewhere near or above the average income - it's not likely that they will be far below it.
TBH I felt sorry for some the children who's parents were struggling to afford the school fees. It seemed like they felt the responsibility and they were carrying a bit of a burden, of course others didn't feel it and had no problem lightening up occasionally. One of the girls had never been on a holiday with her family!! That freaked me out.

[Roryrory]

If money wasn't an issue I would move to an area to ensure my children went to a good public school. We are just out of the catchment for the very good highschool that DH and I both attended - apparently kids from our area can get in if their grade 6 marks are up to scratch.

As for a private school - DH and I would be hard-pressed to find one which reflected our outlook on life. We are both not at all disposed towards religion and probably lean more to atheism, and our politics is quite left. So I would not like the idea of sending my kids to a private school which on the whole tend to be policitally conservative and religious. This stems from my own experience - I was at a private school til year 10 when I became quite politically aware and it was really hard for me to stand being at school at all (I switched to the public school I mentioned above and was much happier). So really my biggest reason for not sending our children to a private school is I don't see how we could easily find one which wouldn't be in total opposition to many of the things DH and I believe in. Kind of the same reason why many deeply religious people won't sent their kids to a public school I guess.

(I know there are private schools which are left leaning and secular, but they all tend to be "too far" left for DH's and my liking - ie: the kind of schools where the students decide if they go to class or not. So we are too fussy really LOL!)

[suse]

It's hypothetical - I can't see us ever having the money to pay for private schools, but even if we did, we would be in a very similar situation to RoryRory, in that some of the secular, liberal private school models seem to be lacking in structure in their curriculum.

Although, there could be a benefit in sending my child to one of the more progressive religious schools in the area, perhaps exposure to ideas that he will have little exposure to at home or at a secular school will help him to shape his own views on the subject?

Dachlostar, I had to giggle at your comment that there were no goth (for example) teachers in the private school that you attended, to your knowledge. My old housemate had been a teacher at one of Melbourne's most conservative private schools - he lived an incredibly alternative lifestyle and his personal political views certainly did not match those of the school! He had his 'teaching' alter-ego and his 'at home' personality, and never the twain did meet, although he did try to include alternate viewpoints in his lessons when he could sneak them in. So it's quite possible that under the Clark Kent exterior of many private school teachers lurks an alternative 'superhero'! (But your point that a conservative system may not encourage visibly alternative lifestyles and thus may impose a similar rigidity in the views it allows to be taught is well taken!!).

[fionas]

The biggest difference I noticed between public and private school kids was confidence. As a bit of background, I went to a public ie. state school in the UK and out of 300 kids in my year, I was one out of 5 who made it to university. That's not because I was with a bunch of dummies; just that the teaching wasn't great and more importantly kids from a working class background weren't expected to be able/want to go to uni. At that time 93% of UK kids were educated in state schools but only made up 50% of the university population. This was about 20 years ago though so I'm sure things have improved since then.

So having mixed with a lot of private school kids at uni, I was really amazed to find that they weren't any brighter than most of the kids I went to school with. They had just been better trained for exams and were full of confidence that their opinion mattered. When I got to Australia most of my XH's friends were from private school backgrounds and the same thing applied - they were filled with confidence. And confidence gets you a long way!

I must say I used to be a bit of a snob about people's education levels in the "well if I can get two degrees when my mum was a cleaner and my dad was a car sprayer then anyone can" mould. Now having had much more life experience, the people who fascinate me the most are the ones who are self-taught. I have, over the years, become very lazy about learning new things because I think my head basically got 'full' at uni; whereas my partner left (actually was expelled) from school at 16 and is much more knowledgeable about the world than I am with his head constantly in Noam Chomsky, The Economist or The Age.

[Phteven]

that's interesting fiona, about private school producing people with more confidence. I read recently in one of the education supplements that public school children who go on to university are more successful there so maybe having less confidence could have its advantages if it makes people work harder or maybe it's more applicible to the UK where the class system is more deeply entrenched.