[This is a guest post by James Radcliff.]
Choosing an education for your child is a critical decision given its impact on the long-term prospects and successes of your child in a personal and professional capacity. There is much debate about the type of education that merits the best results. The reason I think that comparing private to home school is interesting is because they are both options that generally cost money. In fact homeschooling can be more expensive than private school – since it usually requires a parent to give up working.
There are a number of considerations common to most parents, such as the value placed on education itself, the development of social skills and future opportunities in terms of getting into a good college or earning a decent income.
Here are some of the main pros and cons of home-school vs. private school that can get you thinking about what might be best for your child.
Homeschool
Advantages
– One-on-one tutorials provide a superior learning experience to sharing one teacher with multiple students of differing learning ability. The course content can be better tailored to individual needs as can the pace of teaching.
– Time is used more efficiently and more work completed during home-schooling as activities such as travelling to and from school or waiting in line in the cafeteria are excluded.
– With less time being wasted, children have more time to invest in non-academic activities such as sports or the pursuit of additional skills and talents.
– Parents can spend more quality time with their children in a relaxed and friendly environment
– The quality of education improves as parents have a vested interest in the betterment of their own children and can also assist with character development.
– Home-schooled children can settle in quickly when it comes to college as they are already used to studying independently and managing their own schedules.
Disadvantages
– Home-schooling can be a challenging task for parents and requires organising and committing your time in addition to other family and work responsibilities.
– Although it does save on private school fees, it can cause financial stress if it prevents the parent(s) from working or working sufficient hours to cover expenses.
– Children can get worn out in the same environment from morning to evening and do not get as much social exposure as they would in a standard classroom setting.
– The pace of learning may not be of the same standard as with others of a similar age group and requires a lot of self-organisation.
– Parents have a close relationship with their children and so they may find it hard to discipline their children which can cause a stressful relationship.
Private School
Advantages
– Private schools are known to have a greater abundance of resources and invest in the latest technology to ensure students are up to date in their learning.
– The ratio of teachers to pupils is generally quite low due to a small student body which means students get more attention and are more confident operating in smaller groups.
– There tends to be a higher level of parental involvement in private school settings.
– Private schools place a higher emphasis on discipline and usually have codes of conduct that incorporate a zero-tolerance policy on behaviours such as stealing, cheating or consuming alcohol and drugs.
– They have the freedom to design their own curriculum to include what is most recent, and suited to the needs of the student body.
– As parents are paying tuition they have a greater influence on the workings of the school including curriculum content and general welfare of their child.
Disadvantages:
– Students in private schools tend to come from similar backgrounds based on grounds such as education or religion, which can prevent students from being exposed to different cultures and experiences.
– The cost of private school education is very high which can be draining on college funds or simply providing your child with a better standard of living.
– Many private schools don’t provide transportation so parents are required to perform the additional task of dropping off and picking up their children from school, which can interfere with their work schedule.
– Teachers at private schools do not require the high credentials required by those applying to work at public schools due to a lack of government regulation in this area.
– If children are sent off to private boarding schools, they miss out on family life and growing up in an environment full of a more caring support network.
About the Author
Hi there, my name is James, I work for UK Tutors and am a tutor and an education expert, I specialise in Maths and Science. At UK Tutors we help parents and students to find suitable private tutors for their educational needs. Check out our website here.
photo credit: ourbethlehem