The Difference is Discipline

Many people remark that private schools tend to educate students better than public schools. That statement has always bothered me, so I decided to investigate if it were true. I wanted to know if the private schools had better educated teachers, gave more homework, or taught smarter students.

After visiting several schools in both systems and talking to teachers and students, I found that there isn’t much difference between the qualifications of the teachers; homework is homework whether given in small or large doses; and lastly, I concluded that students in both private and public schools are equally intelligent. So where is the difference, if any?

The difference between the two systems is their attitude towards discipline in the classroom.

In the private schools, little distraction is allowed during class studies. The bulk of the class hour is spent doing studies. Students are strictly reminded to concentrate. Class rules are observed. The only talking allowed is when the teacher calls upon the student to answer a question. Unnecessary books and backpacks are off the desk creating room for proper work habits. Whenever a student to goes to the blackboard or leaves the room, he quietly pushes his chair under his desk.

Little talking is allowed in the hallway during change of classes. And no student roams around them or the campus without express permission from a teacher or principal. Merit points are earned for proper conduct, and demerit points are accumulated for improper behavior. Once the student has earned them he is rewarded accordingly.

If the student is consistently being reprimanded, the parents are quickly called and told that if their son/daughter doesn’t conform, the child will be asked to leave the school. There is little room for negotiation about the matter. Discipline will be maintained.

To my disappointment, I found a slightly different attitude towards discipline in many of the public schools. While there is an expected code of conduct in the classroom, I found that in many classrooms it to be quite lackadaisical resulting in poor discipline. As a result, a great portion of class time is spent trying to corral live-wire students back into their seats or concerted efforts by the teacher to maintain concentration on studying.

The usual 45 minute or 50 minute period dwindles to several minutes of actual study because of the confusion. The bulk of the time is spent on discipline. Thus multiplied over an entire school year, the results can be easily seen in the quality and quantity of teaching and learning that goes on in both systems.

I found the teachers in both systems dedicated. The textbooks equally good and current. And most of the students in both systems equally intelligent. The difference between the two systems is the quality and level of discipline maintained by the teachers.

This is not an indictment of all public school teachers. I found the majority dedicated to teaching. In fact, many teachers spend extra hours working with their students. And many of them do maintain strict control in the classroom. But the ones that are weak affect the entire system and pull the good ones down.

The public schools are good, but their attitude towards discipline must be altered. If discipline were strictly enforced, there would be less discussion about voucher system, less disparaging remarks about the public school system.

Students deserve to learn and teachers deserve to teach in a wholesome and safe environment. Public schools must strive harder to restore better classroom discipline which will result in better education. Any school system is only as good as the people who teach in it. Children do only what adults allow them to do!