It’s early in the morning, and students start filling in the school grounds. Adrianna Leos stands in front of a school where everyone is different, from their personality to the type of clothing that they wear. Lita Andrade stands in front of the same school remembering her time at private school; a completely different type of community where everyone is in the regular uniform of a polo, or a button up, and a skirt or pants. As both the students enter their designated destination, they don’t think twice of the limitations nor the privileges that they each have obtained.
“Private school was like I couldn’t even be myself,” sophomore Lita Andrade who’s been to private school since she was fifteen said. “I had to wear what they wanted me to wear and I couldn’t wear like pants if I wanted to. I could only wear them on like certain days, and even then I couldn’t wear shorts that were lower than my knee. What I really hated though was that, I had no way of expressing myself.”
When it comes to other students, it’s difficult to get close, and to get to know them all; especially in public school, but that’s where people think private schools have the advantage.
“[When] I was in private school,”Andrade said. “I was close to a certain amount of people but, I think that’s where the problem started. Everyone would always talk about each other, people would choose sides on who’s right about one thing and who’s wrong about another; it was just all very dramatic. In public school there still is drama I mean there’s drama everywhere, but the thing is you tend to not hear about it unless you know someone who is either involved in the drama or they just know about it.”
When it comes to limitations the stereotypical thing to think is that private school is just all about rules and is just all uniform. They’re almost right, but it’s not just about uniforms.
“Back when I was at St.Pius X for middle school,” Andrade said. “it wasn’t just about the uniforms, it was about having respect, not just for your school or the authorities, it was for yourself. It was about respecting your own body and proving that you were responsible, that you were reliable; that you were able to meet the demands of authorities.”
The different feelings from being in a public a school can range from excitement to unhappy. Individuals tend to expect students in public to always be upset, or hate the school and everything about it.
“It feels good to be in public school,” junior Adrianna Leos said. “you’re given more opportunities and more freedom in a public school.”
There are many privileges in both public and a private school. The difference is that in public school you are presented with these opportunities and you’re given options.
“My privilege is that i can have lunch with my friends,”said Leos. “see them in the hallways, choose what kind of class I want and still be able to get the credits I need to graduate.”
Even though public school seems amazing, and that it doesn’t have as many problems; it also has ups and downs in the wonderful life of a high school student.
“The ups about being in public school is that there are a lot of after school clubs such as,” Leos said. “criminal justice, fishing, languages, and sports. The downside is that there are a lot of tests that you have to take, like the staar test, and the tests during the week and the quizzes. sometimes it’s a little to much with all the other things you have to do for other classes.”
Having the experience of being in a private and a public, there are a lot of decisions for both of them and either one could be a great choice for anyone. The big contrast is the person making the decision and having to see which one is better for them.
“I’ve been to both public and private school now and have experienced two completely different environments,”Andrade said. “and the one that suits me better is the one that I’m at right now, and that’s public school, this is a place where I’m able to be as free as it allows me to be.”
