From the time my eldest child was subjected to what passes for public education in a well-heeled NYC suburb, I’ve been appalled at the state of public education (err, indoctrination).
Despite earning below the median income in my area, my wife and I immediately pulled our child out of public school and have sacrificed significantly to send our children to private schools. Whilst being forced to contribute to public education tax-levies, which provide around $15K per year, per-student, to public education, we decided we would not allow our children to wallow in the sea of public education mediocrity. Instead, despite my atheism, I accepted my spouse’s proposal and enrolled our children in Catholic private school. This has been the most profitable investment I have ever made. My sons are well educated, well behaved, well spoken, and have the ability to think critically, seek truth and persuade others of their positions. Both are leaders of the debate team, and mock trial, at their respective schools.
I am convinced that the underfunded Catholic schools in our diocese, and underpaid Catholic school teachers, evidence a much stronger commitment to student achievement than the overly unionized, and politicized, public school teachers and administrators of the US 21st century.
In my opinion the important differences between public, and private, primary schools is quite apparent:
1) Parents who send their children to private schools are more invested in, involved in, their children’s education than those parents who settle for public primary education.
2) Teachers accepting lower paying positions in private vs. public schools care more about the success of their students than their “tenure”.
3) There are far fewer administrators at private schools than at public schools. Public schools could offer $250K a year positions to teachers if they were allowed to cut the administration by 75% … how many vice-principals of diversity does a public high school need?
4) Private schools can be selective and expel students that are disruptive, public schools have a mandate to teach (indoctrinate) all students.
5) In my experience private schools achieve success by having high expectations and holding students to those high expectations … public schools are more committed to “feel good” policies that convince students that they are worthy in spite of their lack of achievement. I have no problem with that if their aspirations are to become a cashier, or a sales person in a department store, but to push an agenda that a lack of achievement counts for something has more to do with a school’s desire to not be accountable, than any possible motivation for the students.
Sorry for the length of this comment. I guess my public school education didn’t prepare me to be concise.
