The Public vs Private argument holds no weight.

You don’t need a private school to get a good education. It keeps getting parroted by people looking for an excuse rather than wanting to take accountability. I know this because I went to public school, everyone I know went to public school, and so did almost every successful person in modern society.
What isn’t guaranteed is a love of learning. That’s something that’s not really instilled within us in Western countries; school is treated like something you’re forced to do, not something you’re encouraged to take pride in and enjoy. On the contrary, many people are bullied for striving for academic excellence. 

I saw it growing up. It wasn’t the cool thing to get A’s, so many students just go through the motions, not because they weren’t capable, genetics (outside very specific cases) has absolutely nothing to do with learning capability, but because they didn’t care or didn’t feel it mattered. “When are we ever going to use this in real life?” Is something I know we’ve all heard in class. I’m seeing the same thing now with my cousins, and it’s frustrating because I know the opportunity is there.

When you look at many Eastern Societies as an example, the difference that stands out isn’t the schools themselves but the attitude around them. Doing well academically is expected. Students go from regular school to cram school to studying at home. It's not always healthy, and by no means am I saying it's the perfect mold, but it sends a clear message. Effort matters.
Everyone who struggles is not lazy, and circumstances do play a role. Truly, they do. But that’s not the point I’m trying to address. In most developed countries, public vs private is a stupid argument because they’re teaching the same core material, which is what matters. The biggest difference in outcomes usually comes down to whether students are encouraged, but more importantly, choose to apply themselves. 

That's what bothers me when people talk about private school as if it’s some deciding factor. For most people, it isn’t. We all have the opportunity to be diligent in our studies, take AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment classes. Many just don’t seek them out. 

 The harder question is how we help people and see that it's worth taking seriously. In wealthy families, it's the pedigree and keeping up appearances. If you’re a Harvard family, you can’t be the only one who goes to FAU. In more middle/lower-class families, the belief that you’ve started disadvantaged is a dangerous sentiment that I’ve seen so many people get trapped by, who end up trying to apply themselves way too late in the cycle. Now they’re working to dig themselves out of a deficit that they themselves created. 

Submitted December 13, 2025 at 12:56PM by Double-Raise2154 https://ift.tt/Vn0wEKq