Information about CATHOLIC SCHOOLS!

[Jared123]

If a voucher system was in place the public schools would be the big losers. I substitute teach in private and public schools and can tell you there is a huge difference. If parents had the money to pay for private school or at least part of it, there would be a mass exodus from the public schools
You have to also realize that the NEA (National Education Association) huge, liberal teachers union which is very powerful would fight this. And of course the Democrats are now in power in Washighton, soon to win the White House and they are very much much against vouchers, pro NEA.

I still say if vouchers ever passed it would open a pandoras box and the government would not give billions of dollars away with no strings attached. Look at Canada…they can’t say the Rosary because it isn’t inclusive. Why wouldn’t they say, hey teach about contraception since every child has a right to know. Just recently the state of Nebraska had a state law that made every public school in the state provide each high school student with information on how to get an abortion without telling their parents. How sick is that. Two years ago the pro-life lobby headed up by the Diocese of Lincoln had this law taken off the books.

 

[mommyof4]

Hi Juli,

What I’ve seen in the public schools are ‘special classes’ where ‘those students’ are all tucked away, nice and tidy, out of sight, protected from all the ‘regular kids’. The ‘regular kids’ don’t get to know them, and they are clearly different. With that environment, I believe that socialization for both the ‘regular kids’ and the ‘gimps’ is thwarted. They’re kept apart and treated differently. The ‘special-ed’ kids at the local public school just don’t seem as happy.

As a special ed teacher, I really disagree with this. We mainstream children as much as possible, and the children with disabilities are included in the gen ed curriculum as much as humanly possible.

Also, a child with CP has very diffrent needs than a child with High Functioning Autism. Apples and oranges.

All of that being said, I have worked in both public and private schools with children with special needs. I have been impressed with the level of care and concern that the staff in both school settings have shown for these children.
Very few private schools are willing or able to make the accomodations needed for some of the children with special needs.

 

[genealogist]

Vouchers does not require statistical proof. The issue is philosophical. The interest of the state is that everyone have access to education. That ideally makes good citizens, capapble workers and economically self sufficient neighbors.

How to achieve that is up for grabs. If public schools are the answer why do private and home schools exist? This would solve a lot of education problems the government faces if they just collected the money and gave each child a check for education expenses. Some people will use non-credentialed teachers and they may be bad but the vast majority would not abuse the reformed system. Food stamps is not perfect but still a good program. I hear WIC is an even better program.

As far as non-credentialed teachers, does your teacher have a ready explanation why the Education majors have the lowest SATs when entering college and also the lowest GREs when they go to graduate school? I don’t have a source but Google it yourself, please. “Those who can do and those who can’t teach” is a nasty saying but sometimes there is truth in the critique, however, nasty.

Lastly, I received a Pell grant to go to a Jesuit college. That was the federal government paying a me money and leaving me alone to make my own educational choices. Why is that okay for me at 18 but not okay for me at 38 to decide for my child?

Both the Church and the State need to get a grip on education. Jesus founded a Church not a school system. Parochial schools are a means to an end. They are not the purpose in and of themselves.

Likewise, the State’s interest, as listed above is not, in running a school system but giving opportunity for kids to learn. Ther are multiple ways to achieve educating kids and neither a government monopolized school sytem nor a collection basket supported parochial school system should be the only options available to us. I am tired of parochials schools where 600 students have 85% of the parish budget spent on them. The 200 or so CCD kids and all the adults share the 15% that is left.

 

[Julianna]

As a special ed teacher, I really disagree with this. We mainstream children as much as possible, and the children with disabilities are included in the gen ed curriculum as much as humanly possible.

Also, a child with CP has very diffrent needs than a child with High Functioning Autism. Apples and oranges.

All of that being said, I have worked in both public and private schools with children with special needs. I have been impressed with the level of care and concern that the staff in both school settings have shown for these children.
Very few private schools are willing or able to make the accomodations needed for some of the children with special needs.

Thanks …you know the score. My son was mainstreamed and his high school grades were something to be desired and in college he soared. If you know anything about HFA…religion is a touchy subject.

I have yet to hear of any catholic school taking a child with HFA or other PDD. The poster with the daughter with CP is “functional”…she can socialize with her peers, she understands socialization. She understands that even though you can’t see Jesus, he is there. HFA, Aspergers folks do not think on that plain. How wonderful it would have been to have my son catechised in a school that could deal with his logic, his social and his spiritual. I did not send him to CCD when we moved and did not push confirmation. He would have been an outcast in CCD.

I agree with the poster about the catholic school funding and the CCD funding. I know, I taught confirmation classes for several years. (my son was very young then). I bought most of the supplies myself, and I arranged outings with a parent or two as most of the parents could care less. The only times the kids went to mass was with me at 6 o’clock after CCD on Sunday. Yeah, we all wore jeans…but I had 20 kids sitting with me, and some I drove home. I also worked at the Catholic school, and there were so many parent volunteers coming out of the woodwork. Mostly to get into everybody’s business and drive Sister (the principal) absolutely nuts. Most were K-2 parents. And trust me, some were not happy unless they pushing the teachers around.

The kids at the Catholic Schools on a positive note…were better catechised…obviously.