Christians called to a mass exodus from public schools

[stbruno]

Christians called to mass exodus from public schools
onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=370350
Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 1/2/2009
http://www.onenewsnow.com/uploadedImages/Media/Images/schoolexit.jpgCritics of America’s public school system have launched a new effort highlighting the need for Christians to exit the system.

The initiative – dubbed The Call to Dunkirk (video link) – was launched by Dr. Bruce Shortt, author of The Harsh Truth About Public Schools; Rev. Voddie Baucham, author of Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God; and the founder and director of the Exodus Mandate Project, retired U.S. Army Chaplain Lt. Col. E. Ray Moore.

Moore explains the proposal. “The Call to Dunkirk is a special emergency effort to try to get other ministries, churches, pastors, and the major Christian right and pro-family movement to join with us and the other K-12 home-school ministries in rescuing the children from the public schools during the year 2009,” he says.

Do you think this has any basis and will catch on?
Personally, all of our kids attended Catholic schools K-12th but attended state universities. The till was dry for Catholic colleges.

 

[BamaRider]

Been goin on here for a while.

There are numerous Christian School popping up all over the city. Publics schools in the big cities are a complete failure, and now we have as the education secretary a man who headed up one of the worst systems in the country! (Chicago) Now that oughta boost your confidence.

 

[RobbyS]

Been goin on here for a while.

There are numerous Christian School popping up all over the city. Publics schools in the big cities are a complete failure, and now we have as the education secretary a man who headed up one of the worst systems in the country! (Chicago) Now that oughta boost your confidence.

Some of the suburban districts have so much money that they build virtual palaces.The luxurious surrounding only mask the mediocre instruction they provide. The costs of collages and universities keep going up because they invest in similar luxuries and by bidding for “names” who hardly ever step into a classroom.

 

[sanctamaria17]

I do not think this will catch on. Not in my state anyways. But I’m from a fairly liberal area. The wealthier families send their kids to Catholic school, but that’s about it.

I don’t know. I know a lot of very devout Christians who came from public schools and nominal Christians who went to Christian schools or who were homeschooled. I don’t really think it’s a matter of public vs. parochial but on how well you instill the values in your kids. I also think it depends on what works best for your family. Some families can’t afford anything but public schools.

 

[Sina]

I have always been of the belief that if you want to get along in " the real world " then you should learn in public school. There shouldn’t ever be a tiered system where less privileged kids get a lower level of education. How about the government steps up the quality of education? Obviously the system will have to be secular as not everyone is going to be a Christian.

We should strive for the best not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

 

[PaulinVA]

Some of you know that I am a public school advocate. It works for our situation. I also believe that if we are to be the leaven in the world, we have to be, well, in the world.

I am not sure it is the proper time for Christians to make their last stand. This is a divisive act, to pull all Christian kids out of public schools.

If things really are as bad as these bozos suppose, wouldn’t it be negligent of us to allow the non_christian children to be subjected to the secular humanist indoctrination?

If the problem really is what they suppose, then we should all work as hard as we can to change the public schools, so that this doesn’t happen to ANY children.

However, I don’t buy into the whole secular humanist conspiracy.

 

[psr13]

I have always been of the belief that if you want to get along in " the real world " then you should learn in public school. There shouldn’t ever be a tiered system where less privileged kids get a lower level of education. How about the government steps up the quality of education? Obviously the system will have to be secular as not everyone is going to be a Christian.

We should strive for the best not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

How about this isn’t Canada. Every time the government steps in to “make it better” education in this country gets worse.

 

[KCtheMommy]

One of the GREATEST gifts my children or I ever received at this forum was the knowledge that scholarships and funding IS available at Catholic Schools.

Not only Knights of Columbus but the Archdiocese, as well as private donators and other funds. The thing is they aren’t really “advertised” so you have to ask around. If your Parish has a school you should not be turned away.

So thanks guys, my kids are getting a stellar education because of your help and advice. Viva CAF!

(OH and as far as the hierarchy goes, not an issue with my kids, I supersede it with so much volunteering… )

 

[psr13]

Also, a lot of low income kids do go to private schools. Most of those go to Catholic schools. They have the parents who are proactive and do things in order for their kids to get a head start in the world. I’m sorry, but I grew up in a low income area. Most of the parents simply didn’t care enough to research other options. I’m not saying that all low income parents are like that, but that’s how it was where I lived.

 

[Bellek]

I think it is a great idea - after going to my first “WINTER PARTY” I realized that we, as christians, are being persecuted in our classrooms. And, I researched and read what the “Mix it up” day is teaching our 10 year old children. The exercises are chockful of sexual identity issues. No wonder our children are confused after 14,000 hours of social teaching indoctrination. Phillis Schafly said it eloquently and it went something like this; schools are teaching social justice not right and wrong.

Look these documents up and read Phyllis’ letters, they make sense. It is only going to get worse in the next four years.

 

[mike14620]

I have always been of the belief that if you want to get along in " the real world " then you should learn in public school. There shouldn’t ever be a tiered system where less privileged kids get a lower level of education. How about the government steps up the quality of education? Obviously the system will have to be secular as not everyone is going to be a Christian.

We should strive for the best not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

I really don’t think the government can step up the quality of education in many public schools. When I was attending a Catholic high school, we had to go spend time in the inner city elementary schools to help the kids and teachers. What I saw wasn’t bad teachers. In some cases, it wasn’t bad school buildings. It was that the kids had no family structure. They could have the greatest building with the greatest teachers and the greatest books, but it really doesn’t matter if there is no structure at home. I don’t know how the government can force people to qualitatively be “good parents.”

When you live with one parent who either works 2 minimum wage jobs or is gone all the time for less noble reasons(drugs, alcohol, prostitution, etc), in a zipcode with a per capita income under $10K, and all of your friends have similar circumstances, kids can’t dream. Nobody will force them to learn or achieve.

If all of the Catholic School kids had gone to public schools, it would make little difference for the public schools that are failing. Most of us lived in the suburbs (or our parents would have moved to the suburbs if that was necessary for good schools). The concept of school integration remains largely a farce. While schools now aren’t segregated by race, they are definitely segregated by socioeconomics. By their nature, neighborhoods don’t integrate. You will not have a public housing complex next door to mansions. So involved parents (which are often wealthier, more educated, and are more likely to have stay at home moms or even retired parents with more time) won’t ever exist in many of the failing schools.

The average public school in my area has taxpayer costs that are about twice that of the Catholic school tuitions. Granted, the special needs children are often not accommodated at the Catholic schools, and so one would expect some elevated cost for the public schools. But the point is that more money often fails to improve results.

So when you are as pessimistic as I am about public schools, the concept of sending my children there to improve quality for everyone really is completely unconvincing. I think society is better served by sending my children to schools that will instill values and provide an education that will prepare them for college and beyond.

I should say that the Catholic school I attended provided me with an incredibly exceptional high school experience. It was a school where we were taught to solve problems with words and intellect rather than violence - fights almost never happened (the one time I heard about one, it was a student who broke it up before faculty could get there). It was a school where service was taught, with every student required to complete a certain number of service hours each year, with many students exceeding the requirement by leaps and bounds. Parents were a constant presence at extra-curricular events. Regardless of your socioeconomic background, the question to ask seniors was “Where are you going to college?” not “Are you going to college?” or “What are your plans after graduation?” After 4 and 1/2 years of college, I can say for certain that my best friends in the world are still my high school friends - if I got married tomorrow, my entire wedding party would be my brothers and my high school friends.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Been goin on here for a while.

There are numerous Christian School popping up all over the city. Publics schools in the big cities are a complete failure, and now we have as the education secretary a man who headed up one of the worst systems in the country! (Chicago) Now that oughta boost your confidence.

And in Chicago, most public school teachers send their kids to a private school, and 2/3 of them send them to Catholic schools, whether or not they are Catholic. It has been this way for decades. The Secretary of Education was a token player of his mayor, and now he is a token of his president.

I have always been of the belief that if you want to get along in " the real world " then you should learn in public school. There shouldn’t ever be a tiered system where less privileged kids get a lower level of education. How about the government steps up the quality of education? Obviously the system will have to be secular as not everyone is going to be a Christian.

We should strive for the best not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

American public school are hardly the “real world” particularly in Chicago.

Some of you know that I am a public school advocate. It works for our situation. I also believe that if we are to be the leaven in the world, we have to be, well, in the world.

I am not sure it is the proper time for Christians to make their last stand. This is a divisive act, to pull all Christian kids out of public schools.

If things really are as bad as these bozos suppose, wouldn’t it be negligent of us to allow the non_christian children to be subjected to the secular humanist indoctrination?

If the problem really is what they suppose, then we should all work as hard as we can to change the public schools, so that this doesn’t happen to ANY children.

However, I don’t buy into the whole secular humanist conspiracy.

And I don’t buy that I have to sacrfice my children for the sake of the public school system by sending them to public school. It is not noble, it will not help the public school system, and it certainly won’t help my children. But you know I believe the best school for the individual child, including a good public school, and that not all public schools are dens of iniquity. DH and I are in fact considering sending our younger children to a public high school, which will involve a move. This public school is that good. And surprise Chicagoans- It’s not in Naperville but rather in the Chain O’Lakes.

 

[KCT]

I’m a product of public schools, a former homeschooling mom and currently a teacher in a Catholic school.

Parents need to pray about how and where their kids will be educated. The answer will not the same for everyone.

 

[pamnbam]

I went to public schools in DC as a kid, and I don’t know if they were worse than some of today’s suburban schools. I had the privilege of teaching in both Catholic schools and suburban public schools, and I have to say that the Catholic schools were wayyy better. That’s not to say that they didn’t have their share of problems, too, but overall, the Catholic schools were much more family-oriented and had more participating parents and family members than most of the public schools I’ve taught in.

It was the sad state of today’s public schools that helped me decide to leave teaching altogether. If I could afford to go back to Catholic schools and teach in today’s economy, I would in a heartbeat.

Parents are a child’s first educators. Once they’ve quit that job, society starts to go down the toilet, as witnessed in the media, the fashions of today’s youth, behavior in today’s schools, etc. It doesn’t matter how families participate in educating the child–through homeschooling, Catholic/private schools or public schools–they just need to be there for the child.

 

[KCT]

It was the sad state of today’s public schools that helped me decide to leave teaching altogether. If I could afford to go back to Catholic schools and teach in today’s economy, I would in a heartbeat.

This makes me grateful that my husband has a good job, so I can teach in a Catholic school for less $$.

 

[bella_mama]

I have always been of the belief that if you want to get along in " the real world " then you should learn in public school. There shouldn’t ever be a tiered system where less privileged kids get a lower level of education. How about the government steps up the quality of education? Obviously the system will have to be secular as not everyone is going to be a Christian.

We should strive for the best not just for ourselves, but for everyone.

If they are “getting along” in the real world, they have become “of the world”. If they see the world as a place that needs redemption, you can bet the farm they didn’t learn those values in public school. Children are far, far too vunerable to instill some values in them and send them to the “wolves” that are in sheep’s clothing in MOST public schools. Whether you have the blatant poverty and dispair that so often abounds in the inner-city areas, the materialism and arrogance that abounds in the suburbs, or the anti-Catholic prejudice that seems to show itself quite well in the rural areas, there is always something ready to challenge your precious child’s faith. You had better make sure they are well-catechized and you are living the True Faith before you send your kids out the door onto the public school bus!

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

sigh actually this is very old news…

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aside from that, I feel the public schools are academic failures. As I also feel that academics is supposed to be the primary purpose of the schools, if they are not fullfilling their primary purpose, then I would not send my child there for any secondary purpose (sports, evangelization, “socialization” or whatever).

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**however I homeschool for many reasons related more to the positives of homeschooling than the negatives of public schools. so the condition of public schools isn’t even on the top 10 reasons of why I homeschool anymore. **

 

[pamnbam]

This makes me grateful that my husband has a good job, so I can teach in a Catholic school for less $$.

Yeah, you’re pretty lucky. I thought we were very well off, but things would be totally different if we didn’t live in such an expensive area. I don’t know what part of MD you’re in, but we’re half an hour out from DC, so the cost of living is just awful! I really miss my fellow Catholic school teachers, the other staff and students.

Nevertheless, there’s no question that our son will be going to Catholic school when he is old enough. I’ve had it with public schools.

 

[KCT]

Yeah, you’re pretty lucky. I thought we were very well off, but things would be totally different if we didn’t live in such an expensive area. I don’t know what part of MD you’re in, but we’re half an hour out from DC, so the cost of living is just awful! I really miss my fellow Catholic school teachers, the other staff and students.

We live in AA Co. My husband is an engineer and we lived pretty frugally so I could be home w/ the kids (and homeschool).

I, too, love the fellowship I have at work. My break ends Monday and I am looking forward to going back .

 

[kj373]

I have five children–three are in a public school–and I pray everyday that perhaps someday I can put them in a Catholic school or homeschool them through Seton. The school they attend is reputable for its test scores, but this is primarily because of the affluence. So if my kids stay there, they will acquire, as they have already, good academic habits and skills. I pray for their attendance to a Catholic school so that in addition to acquiring these skills, their souls are nourished and their consiences are formed by the Church, reinforcing what we teach at home.