Adults who attended public school and CCD classes

[JerseyJanice]

I think there is a lot more than religious instruction to consider when making a choice between public and Catholic school.

I went to public school and attended CCD as a child, but what makes me a faithful Catholic now is the example I got from my parents. We went to Mass every weekend and received all of our sacraments. Being Catholic is as much as a tradition I want my child to have, as it is a faith.

My son attended Catholic school from kindergarten until now. He is in the second grade and will receive First Communion in May.

We liked the Catholic school very much, but we are switching to public school next fall. For one thing, the school, which is just down our street, is in the midst of a huge renovation. My tax dollars paid for it, and I want to take advantage of it.

The biggest reason we have for switching is that my son's neighborhood friends, whom he plays with daily, all go to the public school. His classmates at school are largely from the next town over. Socializing with them involves a "playdate" and he's getting past that in age.

Also, the public school has resources we just don't have at the Catholic school. My son has demonstrated a special gift for math that is not being encouraged in any way in the Catholic school. In public school, he'll be able to receive accelerated math instruction.

Lastly, our Catholic school requires a lot of parental participation and frankly a load of $$$. After 3 years, what they ask of us as parents is getting to be a grind.

Good luck in whatever you decide. Remember, nothing is permanent. If you try the Catholic school, like we did, and it's not meeting your child's needs, you can always switch.

 

[mkymouse1928]

I attended public school and ccd. There was not a parochial school at our parish, and I would have had to transfer buses several times to get to the nearest parochial school. This was something my mom didn't want me doing as a small child. While I didn't hate CCD, I don't think I received the best religious education that I could have. That being said, though, I think it is important to note that we lived in a small town and our parish was rather small. All of the CCD instructors were volunteers from the parish and many had no teaching experience.

On the reverse side, I attended a very small public school. There weren't as many class options to chose from and the classes were on the large side due to not enough money to hire more teachers. None of my friends were Catholic, and they often didn't understand my religious practices, ie: no meat on Fridays in lent, Holy Days of Obligation, preparation for 1st Communion and Confirmation. I should note here that I was given the option to go to parochial high school, but didn't want to leave my friends.

I guess I am saying that in hind sight I don't think I received the very best education in either that I could have, but I can also understand why the decisions were made.

I am now married to a non-Catholic who doesn't understand my religious belief system. I still attend Mass every Sunday, and follow the dictates of the Church to the best of my ability. I do, however, worry about what will happen when we have children. I sometimes wonder if I had attended Catholic schools if I would have married a Catholic and not had the "church" issue facing us. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband, but he just doesn't get "it".

A couple of interesting things to note. The people that I know who attended Catholic school no longer attend Mass except maybe on Easter and Christmas. Those that attended CCD attend Mass regurlarly, and those who converted as adults are even more active in the church.

 

[allicat]

I went to public school.
Let me say, I really didnt like CCD and truth be told, didnt learn anything.I learned more from asking my mom when I had a question.
I struggled with whether or not to send DD to CCD. I did send her because I felt that I went, so should she. There was really no other reason for it. Im sorry I did send her because she came away with that negative "everyone is a sinner, you might go to hell" feeling. She made her communion last year and I decided not to send her back.
If she has questions, I answer them. I do try to take her to mass but am becoming very disenchanted with the Catholic Church(but thats another thread)