Why is private education so taboo now?

[DoMyBest]

When I was younger I was privately educated as were most of my friends. Now we all have children and almost all of them have decided to send their children to state schools. Whilst for most of them it was a question of money, for others it really wasn't: they believe that every child should have the same educational opportunities and if parents like them start giving their kids exclusive treatment then the system won't work. Some of these parents chose local 'outstanding' state schools, but one couple with enough money to buy every private school in town admirably chose their worst local state school and work hard to improve it.

I listen to these stories with interest, sometimes admiration but mostly respect for their choices & views.

So it's with some alarm, now we have chosen a private school for our son, do discover the hatred this decision engenders. Private education has, it would seem, become taboo.

So here's my question: is it morally right for people to get angry with parents who privately educate their children?

All teachers do not teach the same DC (or mix of DC).

No but regardless of who they teach they are supposed to maintain the same high standards. A teacher can't say my class didn't do as well as the children in Hampshire because they don't have such supportive parents and they don't have a tutor while my class arrive in class tired and hungry ...

I think different teachers are certainly better in some contexts than others.

There are some great teachers at the challenging school where I'm a governor, that would fall flat on their arse my my DS school. And vice versa.

Same at tertiary level. I teach at two very different establishments and some certainly could do an adequate swap .

Interesting debate whose the "best" those who work in deprived areas or those who work in MC areas? I don't teach but I work with children, my best, most exciting, enjoyable, most satisfying work I do is when I work on the front line preferably in challenging situations, my performance is also judged in the same way whatever I do.
I am equally committed and equally diligent when I work with MC children I get plenty of positive feed back, and as I've got older the latter has become more attractive but still I hanker after the formers his us where my heart really lies.
But I have and have known over the 30 years I've done the job exceedingly capable colleagues who do an excellent job but who would rather boil their heads than work on the front line in challenging circumstances. They are not better or worse than me, or any more or less qualified at the job we just have different skill sets. I like many would make a crap manager, and would rather boil my head than have a senior management position. I am not good at or wish to be pen pusher, I have no interest in collating data, doing audits (shudder), attend pointless meetings (yawn), work out budgets, manage a whole variety of staff with varying levels of competences and strengths, weaknesses and personalities, including out spoken boat rockers like myself, but of course the buck stops with you. IME experience those that do this often come in for a lot of stick, but I know it's not as easy as it looks especially in the public sector where we are at the whims of government and have enormous financial constraints.

Hull and London GCSEs - I cannot find the original research which was published last year. I found one link www.londonspovertyprofile.org.uk/indicators/topics/low-educational-outcomes/

That's a different issue, mrz.

FWIW at my DD's school there are 5 parallel classes in each year group and the school is perfectly upfront about the fact that DC are "matched to the teacher" every year. This year there is one very fierce and shouty old-style French teacher that lots of French families like but who the non-French families cannot abide. DD's teacher is notoriously thorough at the expense of copious homework - again, matched to the right DC this is a recipe for success. Then there is a laissez-faire teacher who is great for DC who cannot deal with any sort of pressure. Etc

I worked with a brilliant teacher in a village school where he was adored by parents and kids and was very successful. When he married he moved to an inner city school where he was still a brilliant teacher adored by parents and kids and later when his own family arrived he moved to teach in a very middleclass school where he was still a brilliant teacher adored by parents and children. Same teacher 3 very, very different contexts.

Maybe, mrz, but it is not necessary to be a chameleon to be an excellent teacher. It is enough to be a great effective teacher in some circumstances.

It's got nothing to do with being a chameleon Bonsoir it's about being the "best" teacher as rabbitstew described.

mrz - there aren't enough people in the country like that to fill our schools. That doesn't mean we can't have lots of great teachers who know where they fit and where they get stressed and miserable. Most mere mortals have strengths and weaknesses and those who are good at their jobs know, if given the leeway to do things in the way that works for them, how to make the most of their strengths and how to deal with their weaknesses. If put into a situation where they are not enabled to do that, eg, because of poor management, they will appear weak. It is even, heaven forbid, possible that your brilliant teacher might have ended up somewhere where the burden put upon him was too great and the cracks started to show. If you fail to understand that some people are better in certain circumstances than others, or that nobody is actually, genuinely perfect, then you definitely shouldn't go near a leadership or management position.

there aren't enough people in the country like that to fill our schools how do you know rabbitstew?

Sometimes it does us all good to be taken out of our comfort zone and challenged

Maybe teaching is different from my profession mrz where we can choose to concentrate on often very different fields that interest us. But I know that for many years when I was younger and full of energy and enthusiasm, not jaded and cynical like I am now, I would not have been good at the mundane routine stuff that plenty of my exceedingly competent colleagues have always enjoyed.

mrz - I know that because we are all human, and because I am now old and jaded enough to have seen how many people are actually not brilliant at their jobs: people like the one you describe are rare in ALL walks of life, not just teaching.

"Sometimes it does us good to be taken out of our comfort zone and challenged"
Not IME of mine and other inter related professions. Some people definitely dont thrive on the front line, many people don't like being in stressful situations where you have to make lightening quick assessments and make decisions especially when it comes to children. They make the wrong decisions repeatedly and then burn out. It's horses for courses no one person can be good in every single area.

I have also seen the effect on some peoples' mental health of being taken right out of their comfort zone and challenged. There is a time and a place for being challenged and taken out of your comfort zone, and some people need that time to be one that fits with a reasonably stable and happy time in their private life and in a place where they feel supported, not left to sink.

The other problem is that teachers, SWs, nurses, doctors etc are under increasing pressure to be brilliant in all areas but we don't need more Jack of trades we need experts real in their fields if we are to maintain high standards.

rabbit in my profession I and others thrive on being constantly taken out of their comfort zones, we love it! But eventually after being constantly abused by our employers and Joe Public, drowning under the weight of more paperwork, expected competences, physically and mentally exhausted we run out energy of to continue (its reckoned after about 10-15 yrs) then we seek the quieter life.
Although when that phone rings ........

It's lucky that some people do enjoy it, happygardening! And understandable that even those who do, can't do it forever.

I think being an expert in your field is very different to being able to apply that expertise in different settings happygardening. We can't all be good at everything but what we are good at doesn't change because we moved from Hampshire to innercity London

Yes I agree mrz but your saying teachers should be equally competent in all fields I don't accept this.

What we are weak at doesn't always change, either, mrz, and living and working in inner city London bears exceptionally little resemblance to living and working in Hampshire. Some people prefer the former, others the latter. Only a fool would deliberately work somewhere that made them unhappy if they had a choice.

I don't think that is what I said happygardening

rabbitstew and of course as we grow older what makes us happy can change

I have been involved in recruiting at 3 very different schools-
and we were looking for very different people- none of them could have done the other's jobs. If you see what I mean- that is a rubbish sentence!

Well it's nice that we agree for a change martorana is this a first?

Of course you are right, Martorana. I've got a friend who teaches History to top sets at a highly selective independent school. He admits he wouldn't last ten minutes teaching less intelligent or motivated children. He would hate it and the children would know.