Is your child shy? Are you thinking of enrolling your shy child to private school? Is private school or public school better for shy kids? I have an introvert daughter who is quiet and shy. We enrolled her in private school and it’s been great for her. Here are the reasons why I think private schools are better for shy kids.
Why is Private School Better for Shy Kids?
There are 5 main reasons why private schools are better for shy kids. Private schools are better for shy kids because the class size is smaller at private schools, there is better social dynamics at private schools, private schools can better protect your shy child from bullies, private school teachers can work with your child to overcome shyness and private schools are more inclusive.
Shy Kids Thrive Better in Small Classroom Environment
One of the main reasons why I enrolled my shy daughter to private school is that compared to public schools, the class size at private schools are smaller. The smaller class size makes the classroom less intimidating for my shy daughter. I noticed when she is in a big group setting, her shyness intensifies and she becomes more quiet, taking a back seat role as an observer rather than a participant. The smaller classroom environment at private schools is less intimidating for shy kids, making it a safer and more nurturing environment. Shy kids are more comfortable speaking up and being involved because they know their classmates will respect their thoughts and opinions. A good example of this is a smaller class size means less kids with big personalities to dominate the class discussion, giving shy kids more chance to have their voices heard.
Private Schools Pay Better Attention to Social Dynamics of the Classroom
Private schools are better for shy kids because the teachers and administrators are paying better attention to the social dynamics of the classroom. Private schools control who they admit to their school, that means they have control over class mix- the gender ratios and personality types in the class. If you have a shy child, chances are the mix of personalities in you child’s private school class will be thoughtfully planned out so it is a balanced class. Your shy child will thrive better in a balanced classroom environment. While in public schools, there is no control over enrollment so as a result your shy child’s class may be randomly mixed. Imagine if your shy child is placed in a classroom full of kids with big personalities? Or worst yet, imagine if your shy daughter is in a class full of high energy boys? Both classroom scenarios are not ideal for shy children to be in, the shy child will be ignored and not be heard. If you are seeking classes with a more balanced social dynamics then private schools will be a better choice for your shy child.
Private Schools Can Better Protect Your Shy Child from Bullies
As a mother of a shy child, bullying is a real worry for me. Because my child is shy and quiet, she is more susceptible to becoming a target of bullying. As a parent of a shy child, I will do anything to protect my shy daughter from mean kids and bullies! I think private schools can better protect shy children from bullies. In my daughter’s private school, the teachers pay attention to the developing friend groups. If they see any dominant cliques forming, they break up the friend group to prevent dominant groups from forming. This is done by reshuffling kids every year, mixing up class placements, breaking up dominant friend groups to prevent cliques from forming. I think this is important to start doing at elementary school because if you allow dominant cliques to form, as the kids get older, these more dominant kids may become bullies while if you diffuse these dominant friend groups you may prevent future bullies. Another thing that is done at my daughter’s private school to improve the social dynamics in the classroom is through friendship groups. Friendship groups is when the child psychologist at school comes to the classroom every few weeks and invites 4 kids to her office to play. The kids selected in the friendship groups are not necessarily friends, they could be from different friend groups but the child psychologist invites these kids to play together with the objective of making them better friends with each other. These are a few examples of how my daughter’s private school protects shy kids from bullies.
Teachers at Private Schools Will Work With Child to Overcome Shyness
Private school teachers have more time to focus on working with your child to overcome shyness. Teachers at private schools are teaching less kids so they have more time to give students personalized attention. For example, my daughter is often too shy to participate in class. She is quiet in class discussion, she never raises her hands but when the teacher calls on her she almost always knows the answer! I talked to the teacher about this and she set out to work with my shy daughter to improve her classroom participation by putting 3 post-its on her desk. Every time she raises her hands and participates in class discussions one post-it will be removed. The goal is to have no post-its by the end of the day. This really helped my daughter by giving her more confidence in participating in class. It’s the personalized attention that private school teachers can give to your child that makes private schools a better choice for shy children.
Private Schools Can be More Inclusive
I have one child in public school (my non-shy child) so I know first hand the difference between public school and private school. In my experience, private schools are more inclusive than public schools. In public school, the class size is bigger so the teachers don’t have the time to pay attention to make activities more inclusive. For example, at recess in public school, kids are let out to play freely which means if you have a shy child there is a chance he will be playing by himself. Because teachers are busy at public schools, no one will intervene to help your shy child find someone to play with. While in private school, the teachers have more time to make sure everyone is included in activities including recess. For example, at my daughter’s private school there is a “Be a Buddy” bench at the playground. At recess if you have no one to play with you can sit on the bench and someone will come play with you! The bench is a safe space for children at recess. Private school teachers will intervene at recess to make sure no one is being left out which is really reassuring for a parent of a shy child.
You May Also Be Interested In:
How to Do Well at Private School Parent Interviews
Is Private School Worth It for Elementary School?
