Can I afford private school

[ScrimpAndSave]

What I don't understand is the fact that to teach in a private school, teachers do not need teaching certificates...but to teach in a public school, they do.

So many parents spend BIG BUCKS to have their kids taught by people without even a teaching degree.

Sick.

[hopefulfirefly]

What I don't understand is the fact that to teach in a private school, teachers do not need teaching certificates...but to teach in a public school, they do.

This is a BIG generalization! I went to private schools my entire life and my teachers were required to have a MASTER'S DEGREE.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

In my area it is rare for private schools to hire teachers without teaching degrees. However, back in my time it was quite common. Actually, my grade school transitioned to education degreed teachers while I was there. And you know what? The teachers that were let go were some of the best I had until I got to college. They were people who knew well the subjects they taught. The newer teachers, the ones whose education was in how to educate, often did not seem to know their subject well and were not very inspiring or excited about learning either. So I will never believe that what makes for the best teacher is to having a degree in education. I liked my math teachers who had degrees in --what?--- math, my reading and English teachers who had degrees in English, my social studies teachers who had degrees in history, a language, or perhaps in nothing at all, but who had an interest in the topics taught. And wasn't that art teacher I had from second through fourth grade great? She was an artist who liked teaching kids, not a degreed teacher....If you go back and read my previous response on this thread you will see that my grade school was considered very good non-certified teachers and all.

[gamecock43]

Thats a good point Joan. I guess the certification is an insurance policy for the schools to show that they are hiring qualified people. But it takes a happy medium of knowing your subject and knowing how to explain it. Not one or the other.

[disneysteve]

Thats a good point Joan. I guess the certification is an insurance policy for the schools to show that they are hiring qualified people. But it takes a happy medium of knowing your subject and knowing how to explain it. Not one or the other.

Certification is an issue in many fields. I'm a doctor and many insurance companies will only accept board-certified physicians onto their provider panels so they can advertise that all of their doctors are board-certified. It doesn't mean a darn thing. I actually failed the board exam the first time I took it and passed the second time. Did I suddenly become a better doctor after I passed the exam and got certified? Of course not. I was the exact same person with the exact same skills and knowledge. I just had a fancy certificate to hang on the wall.

[KatieNK]

Is private school absolutely necessary? Can you move to another community where the school district is better (if you current one is bad)? I am just thinking back to when I was a kid, I would have rather been in public school and lived in a real house than gone to private school and lived in a condo. I think that would suck as a kid! Close quarters, sharing a room (which I did do till 8th grade and didn't mind until then), no yard of my own, etc. What about when they are older? They might not want to invite friends over because they don't have a real house or they don't have their own room or you don't want them to have friends over because the place is too small. Is your school district terrible? I am a certified teacher and I do think that in some cases, public school is better than private. None of the prrivate schools in my area require the teachers to have education degrees or certifications. The best part is that (usually) they have less behavior problems.

[maat55]

I think there are good public schools everywhere. Private schools are ok for those who can afford them, but I think many people over sacrifice to put their children in them.

My kids went to public schools and are just fine. It's the parents that make the difference, IMO.

[disneysteve]

I think there are good public schools everywhere.

I'd have to disagree with that. I work in a poor area that is drug and crime-infested and those problems don't stop at the doors of the local public schools. There are often fights, race issues, crime, drug use, violence, etc. Plus, since there are very few involved parents, the teachers get very little support and are often doing little more than babysitting the kids for 6 hours/day. If kids aren't doing the work or are coming to school hungry or, in higher grades, under the influence, there is not much the schools can do no matter how dedicated the teachers may be. If, for some reason, I lived in this town and could afford to, I'd certainly send my kid to private school.