And a thanks to everyone who responded to my call for thoughts on choosing a Catholic/Christian school for your children. Here's the link to all those comments.
Ah, the passions run high. The basic points seem to be this:
1. If you have a solid, Catholic school--run by faithful religious--then this is certainly a viable option. I would add that there is a new crop of Catholic independent schools, run mostly by laity, that also provide a solid Catholic education. Check out the NAPCIS directory for examples.
2. For some, even these schools, however, are too expensive.
3. Parents have the vocation to be the primary educators of their children. No matter how awesome your local Catholic schools are, nothing substitutes for the example of devout parents.
4. Most homeschoolers saw a home school as the best way to guide their children in faith, education, provide individual attention. No one mentioned wishing their child was "more socialized."
So there's the thoughts. Thank you, again! And a special thanks to Danielle Bean, blogging genius extraordinaire!
1 comment:
One other aspect worth considering from someone who's worked on the inside.
Catholic schools offer both an introduction to the faith and a good education (Way better than local public schools in many areas- not necessarily all but certainly in DC) to many children who otherwise would not receive it; In that way, supporting the local Catholic school may be also considered an act of charity- offering a better education to those who, for whatever reason, simply could not homeschool due to necessity (or perhaps wouldn't want to).
Perhaps families who are able to might consider still supporting Catholic schools for the sake of those others, even if they don't send their children to them. Catholic schools all over the country are suffering and struggling to get by; what should that mean for homeschooling families? Does it mean anything? Is there any sense in which the closing of Catholic schools could be good? Or are they something worth preserving?
If education is the single best way to help a person out of poverty; then it seems to follow that supporting good schools- even if you don't send your children to them- is important. If the public schools are good, fine. Otherwise I think it's important both to support Catholic schools and to "preach it" to our representatives who could perhaps make life easier for our schools.
Post a Comment