As a teacher for these last 20 years I find it difficult to feel objective on this issue. I don't think it's just an issue of public vs. private education but an issue of what does public education mean? (ie. children of our society getting together in some orderly fashion) and becoming 'educated' - some kind of program or curriculum that educates them and prepares them for the adult world. With the world changing so fast, technology, the global village, globalization, populations rising and wealth rising and falling in different parts of the world, how could we possibly even know how to educate young people?
And the issue of public vs. private seems to be focused on standardized testing and who can achieve the higher numbers in this area. Yet, public and private has always been one of socio-economic status and not of quality of education- the rich get a smaller class sizes and better equipment, resources. It has little to do with educating, but more with training.
I believe that there is a curriculum that is possible to develop that is excellent and high quality and does not require mounds of money- but it does require highly developed individuals to connect in creative and deeper ways with young people- to inspire them and offer them their well thought out perspectives and young people can grow so much by being around these teachers who have a diversity of ideas, opinions, and approaches to education- and the only way to come close to this ideal is PUBLIC EDUCATION. Please respond at you leisure.
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