Catholic School or Public School?

[I'mNoPrince]

Well, I had hoped not to turn this into a debate

There will be no debates just different sides of a story

I agree with what she said I have lived in Baltimore city all my life but hung out is a very affluent area . Those kids that went to Public school there were getting a great education and going on to college programs other that went to the private (not just Catholic) seemed to be right at the same level.

I went to a Public High school that you had to be selected to go to (trade school) and even with that I had several guns and knives pulled on me and that was early 80's/ My SS teacher is now the Librarian at DD school and she said it just got so bad she was afraid to go to her classroom.

Our school also has many non-catholics ( I would say 20-30%) attending because it's the only way to get a decent education here. We have a very small but rounded school with PE/Art/computer heck I even coach one of our many sports teams we have.But I know of other catholic schools that don't have any in this area as well as we take their kids to play.

The bottom line is research research research go and talk with all of your options ask if you can shadow a day at the schools to see what really is going on.

 

[freckles and boo]

To the person who is from Baltimore and doesn't like the catholic elementary school in there area. I don't see any reason for an elementary school to have an occupational therapist.

Most parochial schools are not equipped for children with special needs. By being educated exclusively by Catholic schools you would have no exposure to this.

 

[golfgal]

I find that sad because an education shouldn't be about training people to go out into the work place. It should be about educating us about as many different things as possible.

Really???? Isn't it the ultimate goal of growing up to be come productive members of society? Sorry, school IS aimed at preparing everyone for the workforce, that is just life.

 

[schmitty]

Really???? Isn't it the ultimate goal of growing up to be come productive members of society? Sorry, school IS aimed at preparing everyone for the workforce, that is just life.

People grow up whether they are a productive member of society or not. There are reasons we have vocational schools. A public school should never do that.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

We chose to send our kids to public schools. In fact, one of the factors that went into our home-buying decision was the quality of the school district. We have great schools here and while the private schools may be a little better, I agree with Beth, we'd rather save the money for college.

I also think that parental involvement and encouragement is key to successful learning, no matter the school.

 

[Beth76]

If that is such the case why must someone who wants to be a stock broker take history classes or a history teacher take math classes?

In my public high school I took English, Spanish, advanced math, chemisty, physics, architectural drafting (hand drafting as well as CAD--my HS had a better plotter than my university had), interior design, home ec, psychology. Other options included photography, robotics, wood shop, small engines, sociology, a plethora of computer and writing courses. We had plenty of opportunites for general study as well as career-specific study.

 

[Barb D]

Without having read the rest of the responses:

It SO depends on the family, the schools, and other factors. What works for one family in one school district might not work for another family in the same school district (because of finances, temperaments, etc). What works for one family in one school district might not work for the same family in a different school district (because of the quality of the schools, etc.)

I totally homeschooled my older kids (DS15 and DD13) through 4th and 2nd grades, respectively, and did a combination of homeschooling and private school for the next three years after that. (It was a 2-day a week school for homeschoolers.) They started public school in 8th and 6th grades, respectively. We loved homeschooling, but when it got to the point where I couldn't juggle it with working, and we moved to an area with excellent public schools, the time came to switch.

 

[milkabum]

I would say catholic. I go to a catholic school and I prefer it over the public system. For one thing, (here anyways) you stay in the same school up to grade 8 instead of switching to a new middle school. You don't have to worry about starting fresh, you get to keep all your friends, you know your teachers, environment etc.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We chose to send our kids to public schools. In fact, one of the factors that went into our home-buying decision was the quality of the school district. We have great schools here and while the private schools may be a little better, I agree with Beth, we'd rather save the money for college.

I also think that parental involvement and encouragement is key to successful learning, no matter the school.

Agree. We did the same.

 

[Cool-Beans]

If the issue is public vs. private, I vote private every time. The private school kids used to whomp the public school kids on standardized tests so badly that the public schools quit taking them, and came up with their own tests. So, now there really isn't proof that the private schools are doing better, but they are.

Since I'm Catholic, my kids went to Catholic school. But for educational value, I don't think it matters a whole lot which, if any, religion you pick in a private school (there are private schools that aren't religious at all!)

If you're picking a religion for the kids, I vote Lutheran. Good schools, and they have most of the pomp of Catholicism without all the guilt.

Education is supposed to be about imparting knowledge, so that children gain some kind of erudition (or at least don't end up as dumb as rocks.) Preparing them for jobs is vocational stuff.

 

[Beth76]

The high school I went to was a catholic high school and grade school. It was a great education, better than alot of the schools I would of gone to.

I'm sorry, I just couldn't let this one go. Any other subject I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

 

[schmitty]

In my public high school I took English, Spanish, advanced math, chemisty, physics, architectural drafting (hand drafting as well as CAD--my HS had a better plotter than my university had), interior design, home ec, psychology. Other options included photography, robotics, wood shop, small engines, sociology, a plethora of computer and writing courses. We had plenty of opportunites for general study as well as career-specific study.

Yes that is the type of education I perfer. Obviously there are career specific courses but I think schools should be meant to educate not train.

 

[schmitty]

I'm sorry, I just couldn't let this one go. Any other subject I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

I wasn't forced to go to my high school, I just needed to pass an entrance exam in order to get in. What I meant with I would of gone to a public school is not because thats where I wanted to go but thats where I would of had to go if I didn't get in.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I wasn't forced to go to my high school, I just needed to pass an entrance exam in order to get in. What I meant with I would of gone to a public school is not because thats where I wanted to go but thats where I would of had to go if I didn't get in.

I think her point was that the correct way to say it is, "would have," not "would of." She's teasing you about using poor grammar when talking about the value of education.

A friendly jest, I think. No big deal.

 

[runwad]

My kids go to public school but I voted Catholic. Where I live our public schools are rated excellent as are our Catholic school in the area...but it comes down to money we can't afford the catholic education for 3 kids but I wish we could've because I feel it would deepen their faith. Our church has done away with CCD/PSR classes and we now have Generations of Faith which is a family religion class one day a month and I feel no way replaces weekly CCD classes. Not having gone to a Catholic school myself I'm not a very good teacher to my children; which is what this Generations of Faith is all about... Family teaching.

 

[christineann]

My choice is
1. Other parochial school
2. Catholic school
3. Move

Our public schools in SC are always #49 or #50 in the country. My kids went to a very challenging private school (affiliated with the Episcopal church), and it has really paid off as far as SAT's, AP's and other preparation for college. The Catholic schools here are good, too.

 

[castleview]

Education is supposed to be about imparting knowledge, so that children gain some kind of erudition (or at least don't end up as dumb as rocks.) Preparing them for jobs is vocational stuff.

Newsflash: Public schools must educate ALL students, not just the ones they select. Since not all kids are college material, schools have to offer programs suited for them. Plus, many vocational students head onto technical schools. I wouldn't knock the kids taking Auto Shop especially since I've spent half my income at the mechanics!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Newsflash: Public schools must educate ALL students, not just the ones they select. Since not all kids are college material, schools have to offer programs suited for them. Plus, many vocational students head onto technical schools. I wouldn't knock the kids taking Auto Shop especially since I've spent half my income at the mechanics!

Newsflash: I wasn't knocking anybody. You can be well educated and fix cars. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[freckles and boo]

My children attend public school and will continue to do so for several reasons-

1 - the quality of our public schools is outstanding. The administration, faculty, and staff are talented and committed to ALL the children in the community, including those like my autistic daughter, whose needs are different. Our school has a progressive curriculum and a PBIS (behavior system) that turns out good students. The environment is safe and comfortable. The public high school also has an interesting and intensive curriculum.

2- the elitist and separatist attitudes about Catholic schools in my area turned me off of them before I even had children. There is, at least in this area, a snobbery about the Catholic schools that is very unappealing. I don't want my kids thinking they are better than others because of the school they attend. Also, friends who have kids in parochial schools tell me that the fundraising and requests for donations seem never-ending.

3- I already pay property taxes to support my schools and would much prefer to save for college than spend several hundred dollars a month on grammar or high school. My niece goes to an all-girls Catholic HS and her parents pay $700/month. Her grades are below average and her college prospects are questionable at this point.

For others the decision may be different. If I felt my kids were in an unsafe environment or that their educational needs weren't being met, I would consider all my options. I appreciate that I have choices and others might not.

 

[golfgal]

People grow up whether they are a productive member of society or not. There are reasons we have vocational schools. A public school should never do that.

So a public high school shouldn't prepare kids to go into medicine, teaching, environmental science, nutrition, rock science, horticulture or any other subject is that correct? By offering a full range of courses you are imparting knowledge on a broad base for all students which is the idea of going to school in the first place. If some of those courses include mechanical drawing, auto shop or calculus, what is the difference? We do not have vocational high schools in Minnesota, where are the kids that want to learn those types of skills supposed to learn them? They are still required to take English, math, social science, science, etc like everyone else but often having subjects that interest them keeps them in school!