What if Our Catholic School Closes

[Lutheranteach]

Some families in our community established an independent Catholic school.

napcis.org/

Several of the parents volunteered as teachers, so the cost were low.

I’ve subbed at an independent Catholic School. Nice place. Some devout Catholics won’t like it. The one I was on felt like a secular private school with the exception of required mass attendance and religious classes. gilmour.org/page.cfm?p=1

 

[leonie]

I’ve subbed at an independent Catholic School. Nice place. Some devout Catholics won’t like it. The one I was on felt like a secular private school with the exception of required mass attendance and religious classes. gilmour.org/page.cfm?p=1

The nice thing about an independent school is that the parents can decide the curriculuma and culture of the school. The one in Indianapolis has daily Mass and religious teaching in it. The culture is conservative Catholic.

lumenchristischool.org/

 

[Phemie]

We haven’t had a Catholic school in 12 years and the Church was rebuffed by parents in her desire to help them teach their children. Only one family was willing to do what it takes to educate their children in the faith. All the others felt that it was up to the parish to come up with Catechism classes – a fine idea but who’s going to teach? Not one of the teachers from the former Catholic school would even volunteer to teach the sacramental preparation, let alone a full year process, and the parish is too poor to pay religious ed teachers. Since we have never had to pay for Catholic education before (our Catholic Schools, like our other denominational schools, were publicly funded) parents who would spend thousands per year to keep their kid in hockey or figure skating would balk at paying more than a few dollars for religious ed (to cover the cost of books).

Just for the record, I’ve never come across a paid parish religious ed teacher in Canada. They were always volunteers and the parish always took what they could get. I know that I taught for a year. I was neither cut out to be a teacher nor particularly well versed in our Catholic faith. What I’ve learned in the past 12 years has only served to teach me how little I knew before.

I was also appalled, in the short evening of training we were given, to be advised not to answer any questions about A, B & C because the kids would be learning that in two years. Remembering how frustrating it was to not have my questions answered as a kid, there is no way that if a kid asked me a question to which I knew the answer I would tell him/her, “You’ll learn about that next year.” Unfortunately, that meant that my students knew the ins and outs of leprosy (because they were fascinated by the disease, asked questions and I’m a former nurse) but I’m not sure that they learned much about the faith. Having since had the opportunity to look at different teaching programs I realize that the one we were using and teaching for an hour a week wasn’t rich and the parents reading the gospels to their children would have probably been more informative.

 

[tafan]

The nice thing about an independent school is that the parents can decide the curriculuma and culture of the school. The one in Indianapolis has daily Mass and religious teaching in it. The culture is conservative Catholic.

lumenchristischool.org/

Although quite understandable in this day and age, this is a problematic attitude. Yes, the church has failed us in unholding the Catholic integrity of many of our catholic schools. But, do you not think this can even be worse with a group of parents running a school. It is a touch problem. I actually like the idea of independant, catholic schools, but I have to wonder who will guard the integrity of the school over time. I do think that a small group of parents getting together and forming an independant school, with some type of formal oversite from a good priest, is a better approach than home schooling.
Its just a shame that the church does not live up to its obligation to provide good, affordable catholic schools. There are signs that this condition is slowly improving. As I have said, I am happy with the cathol character of the parish school my kids attend. The high school is more problematic.

 

[leonie]

Although quite understandable in this day and age, this is a problematic attitude. Yes, the church has failed us in unholding the Catholic integrity of many of our catholic schools. But, do you not think this can even be worse with a group of parents running a school. It is a touch problem. I actually like the idea of independant, catholic schools, but I have to wonder who will guard the integrity of the school over time. I do think that a small group of parents getting together and forming an independant school, with some type of formal oversite from a good priest, is a better approach than home schooling.
Its just a shame that the church does not live up to its obligation to provide good, affordable catholic schools. There are signs that this condition is slowly improving. As I have said, I am happy with the cathol character of the parish school my kids attend. The high school is more problematic.

We are the Church!!! Not just the priests and bishops.

Well, I think homeschooling is better than any formal school

But, as a second choice I’d go with the independent Catholic school. There is less regulation, true, but that is actually a strength, not a deficit.

Our parish schools accept state money, so we have all sorts of stupid stipulations we have to follow to get the state acceditation.

napcis.org/ does the accreditation to ensure quality.

The school is overseen by a board of trustees. In our city, the school has the support of the archdiocese and the vicar general has been instrumental in getting the school going.

 

[tafan]

leonie:

We are the Church!!! Not just the priests and bishops.

Well, I think homeschooling is better than any formal school

But the Bishop, with his priests as delegates, is supposed to be our primary teacher. I do not dispute that they have not always lived up to this responsibility in the last 30-40 years.

Homeschooling is better than many formal schools, but it is not the ideal. The ideal is a parish school, affordable to all, that provides a good catholic education. When it is available, the church law says that is what we should choose.

 

[Angels_Heart]

It’s that sticker price that would drive me away .Too me parents can educate their children at home and save the tuition fee.I wouild love to go to a catholic school but I will not take out any loans ;same with the school age .