private vs. public

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Private School Teachers Chatboard

private vs. public

by Rose

Jun 16, 2009

Hello! This fall I will be starting my 3rd year of teaching. I taught in a public school my first two and will now be teaching in a K-8 Catholic school. For those of you who have taught in both, what did you find to be the biggest difference between the two? Any advice or guidance? Thanks so much!

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Jean Bullock That is a pretty broad questions considering that every school is different. In both public and Catholic, everything depends on the faculty, administration, parents and students.

However, the most outstanding thing is that God is allowed in the school and the teachers and administration are expected to support the formation of the Faith. ...See More

Jun 16, 2009

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former catholic school teacher On 6/16/09, Jean Bullock wrote: > That is a pretty broad questions considering that every school > is different. In both public and Catholic, everything > depends on the faculty, administration, parents and students. > > However, the most outstanding thing is that God is allowed in > the school and the teachers and administration ...See More

Jun 18, 2009

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Marie I want to hear more about this too! I'm actually in a very similar position. I did my student teaching in public, and have worked two years in public. Just recently I began teaching summer school in private (a job which will continue this fall). I feel like I am in culture shock (but I am too new still to share any helpful observations). (Perhaps i...See More

Jun 30, 2009

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Lynne Hi,

Well, coming out of both of these situations very recently, let me give you my two cents.

First of all, I am not Catholic and prior to last fall, I had no experience in teaching at a private school. I had completed all of my practicum experiences in public schools and had intended to student teach in another public school. ...See MoreHi,

Well, coming out of both of these situations very recently, let me give you my two cents.

First of all, I am not Catholic and prior to last fall, I had no experience in teaching at a private school. I had completed all of my practicum experiences in public schools and had intended to student teach in another public school. Yet last summer (right before going into student teaching), I worked with the most phenomenal inner-city Catholic summer school program. There I met two teachers who were amazing in every sense of the word and I couldn't turn down their invitation to come student teach with them that fall.

The reason why I am sharing the background information is that prior to working with this summer school program (and later student teaching with them), I had such a terrible prejudice against working in a Catholic school. All of my professors had warned us against working in one because of the typically atrocious pay, the lack of job security (at least in my hometown, where these schools close up left and right) and for the fact that the archdiocese has its own set of curriculum standards. But let me tell you this. Working at this particular school was THE best teaching experience I have ever had for several reasons.

First, there is something to be said about teaching in an environment where there is a moral code of conduct. Most parents, although they can sometimes be difficult, recognize that their child must fall into line with the teachings of the church. And I'm sure that sounds like really backward thinking but it really will make your life so much easier. Also, I don't know about your school, but at mine there was no such thing as an achievement test. I'm sure this sounds horrible, especially for a recent graduate to say, but I feel like there is WAY too much emphasis on THE test in most public schools. When I taught in the private school, I taught with hands-on activities every day and my students were so engaged. I could also give homework and know that it would be completed by 95% of the students. Without THE test present in my school, the entire atmosphere was also markedly different from many of the public schools where I have taught. I was able to take my students on trips and we did a lot of community outreach, which had really positive effects.

Okay, so those are all of the benefits (in my opinion) of working in a private school. Of course there are a few things to consider. If your school is anything like where I'm from, the pay is significantly less. I was really fortunate this spring in that I had two job offers- one from the private school where I student taught and one from a public school. I wish I could tell you that I took the private school job but when it came down to it, I couldn't turn down an extra $13,000 a year. In addition, our private schools here don't pay into the state teacher retirement system. If your school doesn't do this, you will want to look into your own retirement options. I'm not sure what your personal beliefs are, but you will also be expected to adhere to the teachings of the church. Even if you disagree with something that seems like a minor detail, you should not share your personal opinion with your students. Finally, and here's something that is probably universal in all small schools, be careful about what you say and who you say it to. At my school, the parents were awesome. They were also all best friends. You could bet that if you said something to one parent, it would spread to virtually all of them by the next day. Just remember that rumors are harder to prevent in small, tight-knit schools so be very aware of what you say and how you say it.

I hope this helps. Even though I turned a teaching position from it down, I loved my private school. If you have taught in public schools and are moving to a private school, I think it will be a much easier transition than doing it the other way around. One final tidbit- Remember that you will probably be expected to sign up for more activities at a private school than at your public schools because these schools are typically smaller with a smaller staff.

Good luck! :)

On 6/16/09, Rose wrote: > Hello! This fall I will be starting my 3rd year of > teaching. I taught in a public school my first two and > will now be teaching in a K-8 Catholic school. For those of > you who have taught in both, what did you find to be the > biggest difference between the two? Any advice or > guidance? Thanks so much!

Jul 6, 2009

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