41% of parents think a private school education is best for their children. Whether they can afford it or not, many parents know that the benefits of private school education often outweigh the drawbacks.
Childhood education can set the path for a child’s entire life. Education teaches them the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. But it also teaches them persistence, resilience, mental agility, and the love of learning.
Whether your child loves learning or not can be the single greatest determiner of their success. And don’t confuse love of learning with loving a traditional school environment!
Experiments, class trips, travel, new languages, activities like theater or hobbies like sports … all of these things foster a sense of curiosity in children. THat’s a true love of learning–wanting to know everything.
Our children want to know everything when they’re little. As loving parents, you want to give them the best education to foster that sense of curiosity and keep it intact through adulthood.
THat’s what the best education can do for you at a private school. But there are lots of private school myths floating around parental circles. We’ve done our best to bust some of those myths for you, so you can feel comfortable with giving your child the best education possible.
Private Schools Are for the Wealthy
Say the words ‘private school’, and what does your brain conjure up? Depending on your own childhood, you might think of a Catholic school, or possibly a collection of the elite like in Gossip Girl.
Private school is not a breeding ground for snobby, entitled children. Nor is it a conclave of the wealthy. While many rich parents do send their children to private school, it’s because those institutions tend to provide the best education.
How? Because they have the funding to do so. They can provide rich resources, extracurricular activities, smaller class sizes, and top-notch educators because they have the money to do so English-tuition-Singapore.
Many children in private schools don’t have wealthy parents. Instead, they are there because of scholarships or financial aid packages.
Private Schools Are for Catholics
Back in the day, over half of the private schools in the nation were Catholic. As the Catholic population in the United States declined, this trend has changed.
Many private schools don’t claim any religious denomination at all. Of course, there isn’t a rule that excludes non-religious students from Catholic institutions.
But with rules like mandatory theology classes or morning mass, your student or your family may feel uncomfortable in such an institution. If that’s the case with you, look for one of the many private schools that has no religious affiliation at all.
This will also help avoid much church vs. state issues of discrimination that have arisen at school, particularly when it comes to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth.
Private Schools Are for Brilliant Kids
Some kids will turn out to be the next Albert Einstein or the next Simone Biles. But what if your child is just an average kid—with likes and dislikes similar to any other student in any school in America?
Or, what if your kid faces learning challenges, as presented by ADHD, autism, and more? Of course, loving parents want their children to fit in and thrive in their learning environment.
And because of the stereotype that private school is only for geniuses, future Olympians, and the next Shakespeare, many families will feel intimidated. That’s no longer the case!
Many private schools cater to students with learning disabilities, alternative interests, and behavioral issues. These schools provide top-notch, individualized education that many public schools simply don’t have the funding to provide.
Some families will pay for a private tutor to help their children over academic humps. Why not turn their education over to the best private school instead?
Private Schools Have No Standards
Some parents worry that a private school won’t provide the best education. Of course, it’s natural to be worried about childhood education. Your child may spend more waking hours at school than they do at home, so it makes sense that school will be a huge influence upon them.
It’s true that private schools don’t have the same amount of red tape that public schools do. And they may not be accredited in exactly the same ways, either.
One of the primary benefits of private school education is that diversity. Not every teacher will bring the same things to the table.
Of course, whether you’re paying for tuition or your student is riding on a scholarship, you aren’t sending your child to private school so they can receive a subpar education.
Here’s the thing: in public schools, there are not many things parents can do. They can protest, talk to faculty, and band together with other parents. If something illegal or discriminatory occurs, parents can even make a lawsuit.
But the old proverb, ‘you get what you pay for’, holds true here. Parents are paying out the nose for private school tuition, in many cases. The school is acutely aware.
With this type of tuition model, school faculty aren’t just educators. They are also customer service representatives and often deal with entitled, loud parents on a daily basis.
While this is often another untrue private school stereotype, it’s important to note that there will be entitled parents in any educational institution, whether it’s public or private.
This knowledge prompts private schools to provide the type of top-notch education that many public schools can only dream of. After all, if they don’t, the school will hear about it from many hardworking, tuition-paying parents.
Giving Your Child a Private School Education
When considering a private school education for your child, it’s important to consider all the facts. If you have the resources to give them a diverse, well-rounded experience in one of the best educational environments that our country has to offer, go for it!
It can make a huge difference in their college applications, internships, and future jobs. That’s a great gift for any loving parent to give to their child.
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