Interview with Brian Minott

                After interviewing Brian Minott, administrator at Decatur Christian School in Forsyth, Illinois, I had a much better understanding of private schools and the way they work. He has been with the school for 22 years, and has held the positions of assistant principal, middle school principal, dean of boys, and guidance counselor, as well as teaching multiple history, Greek, and Hebrew classes. He also leads a group of students to London each spring.

                Brian grew up attending Decatur Public Schools, and taught in a public school for two years after college, making him a perfect interviewee when writing a paper about private and public schools. He says the biggest difference between the two schools is “in the atmosphere of the school and the way discipline is administered and for what infractions”.

                Minott says his favorite part about teaching in a private school is having the chance to get in-depth into topics because most of the class period is not taken up with classroom management issues, and enjoys getting to know his students individually. If he could change one thing about private schools, it would be to not having to worry about money, a problem most private schools face every year.

                Lastly, Brian describes how some private schools help public school students adjust when transferring. “For most transfer students DCS is a little bit of a culture shock. We do not have the classroom issues that most public schools have and they try to understand how that could be. For some doing homework and turning it in on time is a new concept. Having teachers that care is at times a new experience for them as well,” he says.

                After speaking with Mr. Minott, who was one of my high school teachers, I began to understand the struggles teachers go through just because of choosing to teach at a private school. Most are forced to accept a low salary, and spend a large amount of time helping students one-on-one with their work. I also had never thought about where the money for private schools come from, and that if tuition numbers are down, it can significantly change the way the school runs for that year.