Education has always been one of the most important and discussed topics of ancient and modern history. Parents want their children to be educated in the best facilities, with the best teachers and the best resources.
Nowadays almost every little town has one or more public schools. Public schools are seen as the “normal” education path for most of the children. However some parents prefer to have their kids educated in a private school.
Private vs. public schools have always been a hot and debated topic. Some people believe that public schools are better and others believe that private schools are.
Even though we can’t state the absolute predominance of one type of school over the other, we can present some valid reasons why we think public schools are better.
Public schools admit all children, no matter their culture, their income or how they look. This is a huge advantage for the kids attending public schools. The diversity of the students is something that is extremely important and at the same time extremely hard to find in a private school.
We believe that four to five year-old kids should be in contact with other students who don’t think, act or look like them. Being exposed to children who come from different backgrounds and income levels is a great opportunity to grow.
Diversity instills compassion, open-mindedness, kindness and empathy in the children. Those are incredibly important qualities that every human being should have. We believe it’s a parent’s duty to give their children the possibility to pursue those qualities.
In a public school, children are more likely to learn the importance of treating other people with respect regardless of their background. Embracing these differences can also improve their self-confidence.
Cost, we think, is the main difference between private and public education. To attend a private school, parents need to pay almost $20,000 on average in tuition. It’s definitely hard for a middle or low income family to afford that tuition, especially if they have more than one child.
In public schools, parents still need to pay fees for supplies and participation in sports teams. However the cost is not even close to the tuition of a private school. Then the school can waive part or all the fees, if the kid is part of a very low income family.
Not only the affordability but also the availability is a big advantage of public schools. In Kansas there are 1,305 public schools and only 233 private schools.
That is definitely an advantage for public schools because kids can attend their local school so parents don’t have to worry about driving them somewhere.
Lastly, every kid, whether they attended private or public schools, should master the same state standards. So, what’s the point of attending a private school if the kids will learn the same things? We believe that there is no point.
Then we think that a kid’s knowledge is not just what they know but also who they are as a person. Public schools offer way more opportunities, way more diversity and way more extracurricular activities to grow as a person.
Schools are like a gym, where kids train to become the best version of themselves. At the end of the day there is no right or wrong school. Sooner or later every kid will dive into the real world. The world is as beautiful as cruel and kids need to be prepared to live in it.
