I had started my educational journey in private school, and although I was too young to thoroughly keep in mind all the memories I made there, I do remember how simple the transition from private to public school was. I had mainly frightened myself because I would be leaving my friends, but the shift between the two schools was so easy because so many characteristics were similar to each other. There's a picture of private schools that generalizes them as schools for stuck-up children who think too highly of themselves, but that's in no way true. In fact, here are five reasons why public and private school aren't that different!

1. Recess is still as hype as ever.

Recess was a necessity, but it was offered for grades Pre-K to eighth. There were different areas to play in, and I personally loved playing four square. Just like in public school, someone would take a piece of chalk to draw four lopsided squares on the concrete, and we'd create our own rules as the game went along. In public school, it was great to see that others also played four square on the sidewalk because then we had an interest in common. At that point, I felt like it wouldn't be too difficult to make friends in a new school.

2. Standardized Testing

Standardized testing was present in both schools that I went to, and I still dread it whenever I was forced to take tests. Although the tests themselves were different, I still did my best on both of them.

3. Classes divided by difficulty were still rigorous.

By this I mean that some classes were for more rigorous standards, and other classes were on-level. In private school, though, there were fewer classes than there were in public school. In second grade, there were only two separate classrooms: one for math and science and the other for language arts and social studies. The biggest difference in this category was the size of the schools because public school was much bigger.

4. Alternating between gym, art and music

Some days were for gym, others were for art, and the rest of the days were for music in both schools. At this point, it did seem pretty strange that public school and private school were this similar, even with their scheduling.

5. Lunchtime Choices

The cafeteria sizes were as different as could be. Public school's was huge, and the other was tiny because of how few classes there were. Either way, in both schools, I sat with my class, and we had the choice of buying food or bringing lunch from home. The major difference was that there was a small salad bar in the private school cafeteria.

In the end, there really isn't much different about public and private schools. They both provided me with some great memories that are both fuzzy and clear in my mind. Overall, both schools will have a special place in my heart.