Visual Analysis- Public School Vs Private School

Madeline Allen

Megan Keaton

02/25/13

English

Public School Vs. Private School

I can always remember the on going conversations between my mom and my best friends mom jabbering about public and private schools and how much better or worse the other one was. The funny thing is, neither ever had anything good to say about the school me or logan went to. Logan went to a private school and I went to a public school. What I want to know, are the differences in teaching styles and techniques, interaction with other students and how differently students learn to think a private schools.

The first comic is two students talking about the differences in public school and private school. It’s is split up into two pictures. The first part shows the boy throwing all his papers, books and pencils in the air saying “WOOHOO! Summer 2012! And I don’t have to go back to school until October!” and a girl responds to say “How is it that private school kids have so little SCHOOL? Three-week vacations, five-month summers...” The second part of the picture is a zoomed in view of the boy who says “What did you think we were paying for?” 

Clearly this picture is belittling private schools. For many reasons, other than choice of diction and syntax, this picture makes private school seem easy. 

First: their clothing. The boy is dressed in a nice and neat uniform, his shirts untucked but he still has on a tie and his hair is gelled neatly. He has a knapsack, thats probably leather. The girl is in what looks like sweat pants which are her school colors of course, and a t-shirt with a paw print in the center or it. Her hair is pulled up into a pony-tail and she has a book bag on her back. Their clothing obviously depicts the difference between public school kids and private school kids. 

The choice of syntax the girl uses in this comic is so subtle that I didn't even catch it when I first read it. She says “so little SCHOOL,” suggesting that kids who go to private schools do very little school at school. After that the boys response says “What did you think we were paying for?”  So i’m a little confused, are they paying the school, to go to school less? His hand is extended out with his palm facing upward as if to motion “its no big deal.” 

The background of this comic is all red. I really am not sure why. My best guess is that red is vibrant, and catches the eye, making more people drawn to the comic so that they will read it.

The main idea of this comic is that private schools are very expensive, and do go to less school days than public schools. The comics purpose is to make you think: Is private school really the right choice for my child?

The Second comic leans to the other side of my paper. Public schools deal with a very important problem, lack of funding. In this picture it shows a man in a suit busting through a classroom door saying “Good morning! Due to state budget cuts your teacher has been removed. Who would like to teach class today?” The children are all looking around with huge and confused eyes. They look shocked.

The children are in desks and they are in rows facing the teachers desk. This is the most popular format of a class room. This makes it relatable to much more people. The desk at the front of the room shows the sad empty chair sitting at the front of the class. The very black blackboard is right behind it, this also makes it more relatable. It stands out against the very white floor. 

The man is dressed in a nice suit with a red tie, which is why I suggested that he was the principal. His face is all smiley, like what he is saying to these children isn’t terrible at all. The face that stands out most is the kid in the front of the classroom. His head is turned away from the principal, with his eyes and mouth wide open. I know the feeling cause I’ve done this before. Anytime you cannot hide your reaction, especially if its a reaction from someone of authority, you turn around. This poor boy, at the front of the room, most likely inferring that he’s the teachers pet, just found out his favorite person on this earth will no longer be teaching him. 

Even though this picture is fiction, and there would usually be a substitute, the words that the principal says, is whats meant to stand out. The key words being “State Budget.”  State budgets for education are often a popular topic come election time. That is because the majority of children are in public schools, and everyone, including parents whose children go to private school, pay for public school.

 I’m not positive the creator of this comic is someone who is for private schools, however those who look at it can easily be led to believe that if their child goes to a public school their education may not be properly funded. In a private school that will never be the case. Your paying what is usually a high amount to make sure your child gets everything he may need. 

It all comes down to what you want for your child, and how much money you are willing to spend to make sure their school lives up to your standards.