< Return to Talk
06.06.08, 08:28 AM General Topics
49 replies
All you private school cheerleaders who believe the quality of the teachers at private shcool is so much better than public, realize that there is much lower educational standards, training and oversight required of private school teachers right? And that in the world of teaching, if you can't get a good job in public education you look for a private gig? You know that right? [ Reply | Watch | Flag ]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:28 AM Flag
 

Dear UrbanBaby community,

Thank you so much for being a valued member of the UrbanBaby community. We wanted to inform you that we are shutting down the site on July 6th. We are grateful for your participation and support that has helped make UrbanBaby such an important resource to parents for many years.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email us at urbanbaby-support@cbsinteractive.com.

Thanks so much,

UrbanBaby Support

»
This is true. All of my teacher friends who haven't been willing to go the proverbial distance required for public have gone private. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:29 AM Flag
»
really depends. Many public school are bad enough that they can't keep decent teachers no matter what they pay. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:30 AM Flag
»
op: I agree that public schools have there issues, (no resrouces, overcrowding, etc.) and privates do a way better job with that and programs, etc. I am simply just talking about the level and quality of the actual teachers and their credentials. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:32 AM Flag
»
Quality highly varies in both. Private schools have the advantage of being able to get rid of teachers that are dead weight, very hard to get rid of crappy teachers in public because of the union. Every school has a few of those. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:40 AM Flag
»
Us private school cheerleaders understand that the word private can and is used for any school that one pays to attend. Clearly we are not talking about just ANY school. And all that training you need to teach a public can be had at any sub standard community college. so STFU [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:31 AM Flag
»
sub-standard community college? well it is pretty clear that for you, unless it had a fancy and expensive label it must suck. I am not even going to name for you the number successful, brilliant and powerful people who were educated at these "sub-standard" public and community schools. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:34 AM Flag
»
Not all community colleges are created equal. Same for public schools, same for private schools. My point is more training does not always equal better training. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:36 AM Flag
»
And the number of education graduates that came out of my ivy league school that chose a spot in the public system over private options. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:49 AM Flag
»
np: You can get a masters at a "sub standard community college"? I thought the general rule was community colleges only offered Associate degrees. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:36 AM Flag
»
NP: DH has ivy undergrad and grad degrees, teaches public, would NEVER go private. Good publics have good teachers. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:38 AM Flag
»
For the most part, yes. There are a few crappy ones though. Not easy to get rid of them unfortunately. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:41 AM Flag
»
Principals have WAY more control now over hiring now, and though it is a lot of work to get rid of the crappy ones, there is a clear procedure for it. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:43 AM Flag
»
In some schools they do, but the crappy senior teachers still stay. You can get rid of teachers who have done something really out of whack, but principal won't even attempt it for just being a subpar teacher. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 09:43 AM Flag
»
But that is the principals' laziness. If you put U's (unsatisfactory) in a teacher's file and follow the procedure, it is really not that hard. It's just a lot of paperwork. Union will fight it, that's a union's job, but it's really not that hard to get rid of senior dead weight when warranted if principal takes time to do the paperwork. Principals will claim their hands are tied by union but it's not true. That's part of their job, though it may be unpleasant. Good principals hire good teachers and do the work to fire bad teachers. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:02 AM Flag
»
Mediocre teachers don't get U's though. My understanding is that you have to be really bad to get that. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:56 AM Flag
»
well then the principal's job is to mentor that teacher and help him or her do a better job. But these days, principals are "CEO's" and they don't do that very important part of their jobs! [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 12:46 PM Flag
»
Did you hear about the "good" teacher at Hommocks (public) in Mamaroneck who is charged with "inappropriately" touching his students? It can happen at public of private... [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:29 PM Flag
»
Isn't it "We private school cheerleaders"? And I only bring it up because yesterday, someone did the exact same thing to a public school poster - and was a lot snarkier. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 09:46 AM Flag
»
WE private school cheerleaders. I hope you're not an English teacher, too. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:33 PM Flag
»
We [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:40 PM Flag
»
Former teacher here and that varies a lot by private school. (In parochial school this is very often the case, imho.) I would also offer: some of the best teachers I ever worked with were among the least impressive on paper. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:34 AM Flag
»
op: I agree and that can be said of any profession. I am merely addressing some comments I read earlier about how certain posters choose private beucase the teachers were more "polished" i.e. smart and educated and that just is not the case overall. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:36 AM Flag
»
actually, I think it is the case. Most of the teachers at my child's private school are middle-class/upper-middle class. Many went to private school themselves. In the elementary school they have teaching degrees, but in middle and high school they have degrees in the subjects they teach and many of the teachers in HS have PHds. The highschool classes are taught like college seminars. And most of the teachers went to the best colleges in the country. At most NYC public school, a huge % of the teachers went to local schools, if they are career teachers they grew up working class, if they grew up with $$, they are only teaching until they have kids (kids who they will send to private school). [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 02:24 PM Flag
»
Having done both, I can say it is true overall. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:42 PM Flag
»
OR: (I couldn't reply to your ^^^ post...) How would anyone picking a K program (let's say) know how polished the teachers at several schools are. This is the kind of rationalization which makes discussions with posters like them futile. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:44 AM Flag
»
You are so right! I have lots of friends who would never have been admitted as public school teachers but went ahead and are teaching private! [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:34 AM Flag
»
Yep. Fab benefits for public teachers too. We get good cheap medical, plus great RX coverage from the union, and pension, early retirement. Pay is usually a bit higher than private but it's the benefits that rock (especially if you've been in the system a while, not as good for entering teachers). Those who go private either don't want to bother to get certified or don't need benefits, or they just really prefer to teach relatively well-heeled kids in nice facilities despite the downsides. Good, tenured public teachers still have their pick of good publics though, and that's what makes the good publics good - well-trained, seasoned, dedicated teachers. Principals now get to pick their teachers. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:35 AM Flag
»
Anyone with any sense doesn't enter into the public vs private debate. They recognize that all schools are different, all children are different and best only matters in the sense of what is best for your child and family. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:39 AM Flag
»
op: I agree. I posted this to address some really misinformed preceptions about private school teachers and some undeserved slams against public school teachers. I am not a teacher, and I believe a great education can be had at both. But the fact of the matter is it is way easier to become a private school teacher then a public school teacher. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:42 AM Flag
»
What's up with all these private versus public posts. You cannot compare in such general terms. Dalton vs. PS75 or Dalton vs. Hunter is a very different set of facts. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:40 AM Flag
»
op: as I said numerous times above, I was discussing the issue of the teachers themselves. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:43 AM Flag
»
i don't really agree. i think private schools have more flexibility about who they hire. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:44 AM Flag
»
of course, becuase they are not required to only hire teachers who actually have a license to teach. If you went to the same alma mater as the headmaster or some big donor --bam! you are the new History teacher. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:45 AM Flag
»
i think it depends on how well run the school is. private schools don't offer tenure. if a teacher is not performing, they don't have to rehire for the next year. they have a lot more flexibility. sometimes it's bad, but i find that when it comes to hiring, they have a plus. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 08:49 AM Flag
»
actually as a result of Bloomberg/Klein changes, principals (at least in good schools) now have total control over whom they hire. But sometimes they choose unwisely, and then they have to follow the procedures to get rid of that teacher, which involves a lot of paperwork. Privates on the other hand are quite beholden to funders, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Private may be pressured to hire niece of funder who is not qualified, and then can't fire niece without risk of angering $$$ funder uncle who's on the board of trustees. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 09:01 AM Flag
»
Our very good public has quite a huge turnover. Almost all of the new teachers hired are single women in their late 20s who are great but end up getting married and having a child within 2-5 years and then leave and don't come back. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 09:48 AM Flag
»
I think that's the profile for private school teachers too, perhaps even more so. Ivy grad girls teach at private for 2 years, marry IB, get pregnant and quit. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:06 AM Flag
»
that doesn't surprise me. public school teachers have hgher education requirements which coudl weed out those that know it isnt' a career. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:10 AM Flag
»
LOTS who try teaching at public or private, regardless of their qualifications, quite after a couple of years. Teaching is a HARD JOB! [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:50 AM Flag
»
I don't know, maybe at least some of them will come back eventually once their kids are in school. But so far none of the ones in our public school came back after maternity leave. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 10:59 AM Flag
»
Really? At my child's private school, most of the teachers have been their for at least 10 years. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 02:26 PM Flag
»
I teach in a NYC private school. Trustees cannot be related to any faculty members. That would be a conflict of interest, so the scenario above is silly. Head teachers are required to hold Masters degrees in my school. By the way, I used to teach in a NYC public school, but grew tired of being treated like a number. Imagine that the incompetent people who messed up pre-k and middle school admissions process this year are the ones in charge of your career and your paycheck. I had had enough. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:19 PM Flag
»
Your statement is just - worthless [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 01:01 PM Flag
»
Why all the arguing? I have one child in public school and it is working for her and one child in private school and it is working for him. There is no school (public or private) that is right for every child. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:27 PM Flag
»
It depends on the school. At some private schools teachers have PhDs. At others, teachers are just out of college and have no particular skills. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:30 PM Flag
»
LOL LOL LOL!!!!! I have done both and by and large the teachers who leave public to go private are the BEST teachers. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 04:35 PM Flag
»
I think we need to further define the term private. It you are talking about independent private schools (NAIS) then you certainly get a better quality of teacher at the NAIS schools than public school. No one is going to fork over 30k and put up with crap (myself included) If you are talking about small for profit schools in the outer boroughs or Catholic schools - then you are right - most teachers in those schools don't have the credentials needed for public schools. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.06.08, 05:32 PM Flag
»
There are fewer absolute educational standards, in part b/c private schools realize that a many ed degrees are a waste of time, particularly for middle and high school. They want highly educated (nom-ed MA, PhD.)They also realize that many teachers burn out after about 10 years. They don't want lifers....people who invested in the state-required ed cert. so they can grind out their 25 years and retire. You can't argue with the result: they get great teachers. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.07.08, 10:51 AM Flag
»
^^fwiw I will send my child to public b/c I can't afford private,and I think the difference is minimal in the elementary years. But I'm not deluding myself that the difference won't show in middle school. [ Reply | More
]
General Topics 06.07.08, 10:52 AM Flag
Refresh » New Post »
Select Category
close [X]

close [X]

Select a Category (only 1)

category
Stages
Regions