I was at a party recently, and when the person I was speaking with found out what I do, he said, “Oh, that’s that private school near Lincoln Park.”

And I said, “It’s an independent school, actually.”

“What’s the difference?”

Here’s a stab at a brief explanation.

Think of the connotations of private.

Exclusive. Elitist. Clubby. Privileged. Restricted.

I don’t know about you, but that’s not the kind of school that I want to be associated with.

Now think of the associations with independent.

Autonomous. Self-reliant. Open. Individual. Unconstrained. (Remember: we even have a holiday that celebrates our nation’s independence!)

The qualities above are the ones that lie near the heart of independent schools. Add in a tradition of academic excellence, a commitment to the education of the whole child, and a willingness to implement new ideas and technologies as appropriate, and you have an excellent picture of the fine schools that proudly call themselves independent.