If you lived in our area and went to our parish school, you would like the answers you receive to these questions- not to mention the homily papers every week, and the homey atmosphere. We did not have this kind of Catholic school where we lived when our kids were growing up. We now have it and our granddaughters attend.
Given that you have the right to your opinion, of course- Having been in the Pensacola area, I would be cautious with that statement in regards to a certain Christian school producing a certain curriculum. The school itself is virulently anti-Catholic, and makes it goal the conversion of all Cahtolics it allows to attend, provided they sign their Statement of Faith. To place a child in such an environment could very well backfire, particularly since their Faith is not fully formed, and they could very well be placed in the position where they do not have the apologetic skills to defend it.My personal thought is to put kids into Christian schools. Here’s my reasoning:
Kids usually lean to one personality type or another. You know, the conformist, the rebel, etc. A Christian school works for the conformist because the kids are likely to share common Christian values, especially in regards to morality (something definitely not enforced in public schools).
A Christian school can also work for the rebel because as a Catholic in a Christian school, the rebel can focus on what differentiates him from the rest of the kids, i.e. his Catholic faith. True, the public school might be the most conducive to the rebel (I am that type, so going to a Godless secular college was the best thing for my growth.) However, since kids sway back, forth and mix up the two, a public school is too much of a gamble for my taste.
I am sure there are Catholic schools that could work for both, however, I have never seen such a school. They don’t have a stereotype for “Catholic school girls” for nothing.
Exactly. It is important to know especially what is taught in religion. I for one think that the Catholic Schools are better in academics, but unfortunately many are extremely weak in their religion. Simply because a nun or a brother is teaching religion is no guarantee that they will be orthodox. I know this from experience with my son. A couple of weeks into first grade he came home very upset because his teacher, a nun, would say that God was both father and mother and it was OK to refer to God as her. Also his religion book was filled with inclusive language. Example: it stated “God wants us to love God” instead of “God wants us to love Him”. That can be very confusing to a first grader if God wants us to love God. So what other God is God talking about? I complained to the nun and she told me to teach him my way. I took him out of that school after his first year and enrolled him in another brand new parochial school where they attended daily mass and ALL the teachers were practicing Catholics.
I also think this is a fallacy. I know many home schoolers in my parish and they all belong to homeschool groups and they get together for many activities. Also in some school districts, if I’m not mistaken, they are allowed to participate in band, and even athletics in the area schools.
Very true, too. Children do not have to socialize for so many hours. They can socialize for an hour or two by taking them to the neighborhood park where other children go as well. There are many things that can be done for them to socialize and it is better for there to be a variety of people that they can socialize with (adults, elderly, and so forth).It is a fallacy that homeschooled children do not “socialize”. If that were true, I would have not have put all that mileage on my cars!Seriously, if you mean hang out with kids their own age for 6-7 hours a day, that’s highly overrated. Home ed. kids socialize with a variety of people of all sizes and ages, from tiny babies to the elderly, and all ages in between. Theirs is a true socialization, as they are not confined to a classroom “learning” but out in the world, because they do not have the bureaucracy of a school of 200 or more people. Finally, they have as constant role models their parents.
That homeschooled children are not socialized is a debunked myth.
It is very valid, has always been valid. Someplace there’s a list out there of people who at one time or another in their lives received home ed., whether with a tutor, or good old mom and dad. Thomas Edison and Einstein made that list. British children for centuries did not attend school at a school until they were older teenagers, but studied at home. Australians had to home school out of necessity, sometimes using short-wave and ham radio to communicate to their schools.
Haha, very true. Of course, we’re not planning on having school aged children until we move back North again.