Jaime Andrés Pérez Vera

     

Teaching in private and public schools 

The education nowadays turns around in two type of systems; private and public education. I began teaching four years ago, and I had the opportunity to teach in both systems and I learned how to deal with some social and economic issues such as poverty and ways of behavior. During this process, I found that difficulties for teaching have limitations in terms of resources, in public schools, there is a lack of useful materials for student’s learning process. However, in comparison to private schools, it is remarkable the provision of English teaching materials for primary teachers.

I began teaching in public schools. I had to face different problems, especially these problems mentioned before (behavior and resources). However, I knew how to overcome those problems; for instance, in relation to behavior, the strategy of having good relationships with students especially with those who had vulnerable situations and a non-adequate behavior, but tried to deal with the regular bad behavior in my school with positivity and care.

In my second stage of teaching, I worked in a private school, which I am teaching right now. This was a system completely unknown to me because it was an independent system.  I had the chance to see the other side of education and compare both systems in some issues;

Budget is one of the differences between both. In private school budget typically comes from a combination of tuition and fundraising. It´s mean that the overall budget depends on how many students are enrolled. On the other hand, the budget of a public school is driven by local property taxes and state education aid.

Public schools require a bachelor´s degree and a teaching certification to teach. These requirements are set by the state. Whereas requirements for private schools are set by their individual governing boards. Most private schools typically follow the same requirements as public schools.

The Curriculum and Assessment for public schools are driven by the state-mandated objectives. In addition, state drives the standardized testing that all the public schools are required to give. Private schools can essentially develop and implement their own curriculum and assessments. One of the major differences is that private schools may incorporate religious curriculum. Therefore, this allows them to indoctrinate their students with their beliefs.

The old saying goes that "kids will be kids". This is true for both public and private schools. However, public schools tend to have more major discipline issues such as violence and drugs than private schools do. Public school administrators spend the majority of their time handling student discipline issues. Private schools tend to have more parental support, which usually fewer discipline issues. They also have more flexibility to punish them.

Public schools are much more diverse than private schools in many areas including ethnicity, socioeconomic status, student needs, and academic ranges. In private school, socioeconomic status is a factor that tends to limit diversity within a private school.

A surprising fact is that public school teachers are typically paid more than private school teachers. However, this depends on the individual school. Some private schools may also offer benefits that public schools do not include tuition for higher education, housing, or meals.  One reason that public school teachers are typically paid more is that most private schools do not have a teacher’s union; also, the government pays teachers in public schools.

In conclusion, we can find many pros and cons for a teacher must decide when it comes to choosing to teach in public or private school. Ultimately, it becomes down to individual preference and comfort level. Some teachers would prefer teaching in a private school with many resources to teach, a flexibility of curriculum and a behavior controlled by parents and teachers working in the same way.   Alternatively, would prefer the challenge of being a teacher in a public school and rural areas with lack of recourses, but with the motivation to change the way you think and carry out the education. The reality is that you can make an impact no matter where you teach.

  

 Bibliografía

Understanding the Difference Teaching at Private and Public Schools. (Melissa Kelly update 23, 2017)Principio del formulario https://www.thoughtco.com/teaching-in-public-vs-private-schools-3194634