If you ask my parents what I was like as a child they will tell you this: she was in the “terrible twos” from the age of 18 months till she was about 5 or 6 years old. Controlling a child that was wild, bratty, and extremely over chatty was not an easy task to handle. There was no way they were going to raise me under these same circumstances. With much brainstorming they came to the conclusion that private catholic school may be the best option for me, and if it was not what harm would it do?

My first year in private school was still a struggle for my parents but now also affected my teachers. Nevertheless, even through the struggles they saw progress in my behaviors. With my development, grew my strength in understanding and love for God as well as the love I had for my family and friends.

It was clear in reading my report cards that my most troublesome behavior came from my inability to stop talking. To this day people continue to say that this struggle has never changed, I remain incapable of shutting up. Though it remains an outgoing issue I would argue I have gotten better with age and maturity thanks to my private school.

There were so many benefits to growing up in a private catholic school. For one, I learned that without God pain would be unbearable and love would be nonexistent. Ultimately everything and everyone we have around us we can thank Him for. Secondly, due to the small population of students (in most private catholic schools) there was a lot of one one one attention from. We built relationships that were not only on a teacher-student level but we established a family. There are relationships that I built 10+ years ago that continue to grow in love and friendship. Thirdly, the academic standards are much higher. Students are taught to balance the values of a good education, a healthy lifestyle (athletics, self-defense, eating habits, etc.), and relationships (family, friends, God, elders). Encouraging value in a good education and preparing them for the future is a large priority for private catholic schools. Fourth, private catholic schools motivate students to be different and unique. Individuality is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated and praised. In situations where discipline needs to be practiced, the schools does not post blame on students or look down on them for a bad decision but remind them of their potential to be good.

While there are times where my curiosity sparks and I wonder how my life would have been different if I had grown up in public school, I would not change my path for the world. I am a proud graduate of both a private elementary/middle school as well as my high school. I learned so much in my experiences and continue to learn from my peers and my teachers. My morals and values have stemmed from those who taught me what is good and bad. I am forever thankful for all that my teachers did for me and for my parents who encouraged my education path. Private catholic school was not just routine it was a lifestyle and something I looked forward to in the morning.