Why invest in your child and their education?
First, let’s acknowledge that private school education is a choice. For many, having a car is not a choice. What car you’ll drive and how much you’re willing to spend are choices but to have a car or not is generally not a choice. Private school is a choice. No matter where you live, there is always a free public school option nearby.
So, why invest in a private school education? Or worded differently, why invest in your child and their education? For most, it comes down to family values and parent priorities. Few of us can afford everything and anything we want so considering a private school education is about prioritizing family resources; mostly financial resources but also time and effort from parents to join a private school community. Unlike public schools, in private schools, we are enrolling and welcoming the whole family into our community, not just the student.
So, what are some of the key benefits of this investment?
Your child is known. With smaller classes than public schools and many Catholic schools, and hand-selected teachers, students are known. They are known for their gifts and strengths, but also for their anxieties and for the areas where they need encouragement and development. And when students feel that they are known and valued, they feel safe, in the truest sense of the word. And students who are known, valued, and feel safe will flourish with confidence.
Your child is a person and a student. The backbone of any private school is its mission and understanding the mission is a key component for families in the school decision-making process. Private schools care as much about who their students will become as they care about what they will become. Private schools instill values, develop habits of heart and mind, encourage service and community engagement, and look to develop beyond the academic to include the social, and emotional growth of each child.
An unparalleled faculty. Private school teachers are typically strongly credentialed and well-experienced. Proven educators with an excellent record in the classroom, each teacher hired is ready to deliver the program and live out the mission of that unique school. Teachers who are not suited for one school are encouraged and supported as they find another school that better suits them. Being a private school means that the administrators have complete autonomy from bureaucracies, school boards or unions over who is in their classrooms.
A community for your family. Before your child even starts their first day of school, as a parent you already know that the other students in that school come from homes that share your values about education and prioritizing family resources. Each parent in the community shares your belief in the mission of the school and the direction of the program. And because they’re not limited by public school geographic boundaries, private schools are often much more diverse, bringing in a much more representative student and parent body from a greater distance.
In many ways, private schools are counter-cultural. We embrace and nurture values, a sense of community, diversity in its many manifestations, and the thoughtful development of each child as both a person and a student. And we do all that in close partnership with home and parents. While we strive to give our students the skills, knowledge and mindset to tackle the world and be successful in college and beyond, we take pride in an approach that differs from our public school and Catholic school colleagues. And our parents think it is worth the investment.