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Debates about the value of public schools versus private ones are
constantly appear in the media and the society. However, diversity of opinions
are subjective, as each individual perceives the value of education whether
private or public differently. In my secondary school history, I had both
public and private schooling experiences and encountered some differences that
could affect personal and academic development of schoolchildren.
There were significant differences
in teachers and teaching approaches in public and private secondary schools. In
my private school teachers were more positive, open for dialogue and tried to design
interesting lessons in order to engage students and provide more comprehensive overview
and deeper understanding of the subject. Contrary, in my public school teachers
were very captious and strict, and we had little discussion and opportunity to
express our own ideas and thoughts. However, teachers in public school were
more experience and from my subjective point of view better qualified, than
those who taught in private school.
The obvious reason is
approach a difference is possibly hidden in the material side of the issue, as salaries
of public and private schools’ teachers are incomparable. Probably there were
some other reasons concerning professionalism, general attitude towards
teaching and personal characteristics, but what I encountered is that teachers
in private schools are more apprehensive about their positions, and try to do
their best to educate and engage students in the learning process.
As the focus of schools
were different (math&physics vs. humanities) it is hard to compare the
curriculum. The same time, I was quite surprised that public school offered
more additional courses than private one, where initially more electives should
be offered. I had “The history of art” and “Political science” lessons in public
school, while in private I had only specific focus oriented subjects.
To sum up, it should be
mentioned that there is no common opinion regarding the values of public and
private schools. From my experience, I am proponent of private type of
schooling, as it provided me with the opportunity to study in friendly and
supportive environment, focus on subjects that I really liked and develop not
only academically, but also personally. However, I cannot generalize my
experience to other Kazakhstani public and private schools, as each school is
unique and possesses its own advantages and disadvantages. Also, in the recent
years the emergence of alternative types of schooling such as international
schools and Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools can provide diversity of choices
for Kazakhstani schoolchildren.
Thank you for a possibility to think about this issue. Personally, I haven't had an experience of studying and teaching in a private school. But, honestly speaking, between two options where to work I would choose a private school, not public one. Salary and whole climate of the school is very important. When I remember my school days (I was studying in a public school), I immediately see my teachers' tired faces. I don't think that they were really happy to teach us. They just got accustomed to it. Of course, there are other examples of different public schools, but I don't know them. The experience you gained in your private school is remarkable! However, I think for development of the topic and finding the reasons why teachers in private school are more creative, future research is required! I see the sample as teachers who worked in both types of school, because they can better compare the system of schooling and argument for their choice!
ReplyDeleteThank you Aizhan for your post!
ReplyDeleteI have no teaching experience but I can reflect on this topic based on my observation from school years. I studied both in public and private schools and noticed those differences you mentioned in your post between teachers of two different types of school.
The main reason that teachers are not open to discussions and to express their ideas in public schools is low salary. Intensification and overloaded work often do not fit the amount of money teachers get. Imagine then, how can a person be happy and friendly if he has financial stringencies as well as problems at work?
The second reason is a big number of students studying in public schools. Teachers in these schools need to deal with at least 150 different students (5 hours with 30 students in one class) a day. Certainly, all of them have different academic achievements, some have behavioral problems unlike students in private schools where learners have almost the same academic achievements as a result of more focused interaction between students and teachers.
The third reason may be a building type of public schools, which are usually not comfortable. There are no sofas or tables where teachers would come together and have some kind of discussions. Moreover, the official color and decoration of walls (usually there are two or three portraits of famous people) probably make teachers be strict and captious.
These are some reasons which, in my opinion, may affect teachers' work and attitude in public schools.