Progymnasmata

You should post this in "Cultural Identity" thread

I don't know what Catholic school is like where you are from, but Catholic school here is HELL for anybody who is different. The religion classes are incredibly biased and very, very rude toward other religions. Homosexuality, or any sympathy toward it, is completely intolerated. Evolution is not even mentioned, let alone discussed. Maybe that's just here, though. I can hope.

What a great blog Comedian. I'm Jewish on my wife's side. I've wanted to put a blog together on it, and I intend to eventually, when I can get some time. Your dilemma may be my dilemma in a few years.

By the way, I love Klezmer music. I don't know if people here are even familiar with it. Here's a sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWiNi...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6kml...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4y4i...eature=related

I aided in a christian elementary school when I was in grade twelve. It was okay, pretty much the same as regular school except that they were allowed to talk about god (you're not allowed to talk about god in public school in Canada, the teachers aren't even allowed to tell the students which religion they belong to). They'd do the same stuff, except they pray that everyone makes it home safely on the school bus at the end of the day. Pretty alright.

I'm really more disturbed about how teachers and students are treated where you come from. My advice to you: move to Canada. The more I hear about America lately, the more freaked out I become. It's really started to suck lately. You and your family would fit in much better here, you've already got a pretty Canadian mindset. We could always use good educators and healthcare workers.

I don't know what Catholic schools are like there, but here they are pretty thorough in the teaching and practice of all aspects of Catholicism. That said, are there any other local private schools, maybe a Montessori? If there are no other options then I think this is a fine one. Your daughter will take the vast majority of her teaching from you and your wife.

Another thing would be to talk with the school and its staff. They'll often be able to give you the best guidance on what is and isn't feasible as well as what to expect. Good luck, Meg

Not that I really have much to add, but if you ask me, it is first and foremost the parents that provide an identity for their children. Of course indoctrination can have a big influence, but I would like to think that your children are smart enough to eventually decide for themselves once they're old enough. Until then, give them the best guidance you can.

It's not a perfect world, and sometimes even the best choice is a bad one, anyway, As for your question regarding minority Identity, my entire family save one(me) is Christian, I went to a school that was pretty strict in the religious Christian dogma, the entire village had 3 churches that were always filled on every Sunday, and yet I am an atheist, because I had the guts to question the teachers at school, to talk to my parents, who btw are very understanding, more so than me to them regarding belief or lack of it. It did get me in trouble at times but I stuck by what I thought was true, and not what people told me what was true.

Anyway, that catholic school doesn't sound so bad, it seems to me they are more concerned with a good education than converting the children.

It's a tough one Comedian. We've faced a similar choice recently. My husband was brought up Catholic, I was brought up Church of England. Our home is secular, so you could say that attending Catholic school had no affect on my husband other than to turn him away from Catholicism Our children have attended a secular state school for a number of years now, but in September a new school is opening 5 minutes walk away from where we live. Currently we have to drive to school. This will be a Methodist/Church of England school. I have always preferred that my children learn about various religions and decide for themselves, but the fact that their current school is poor (since the appointment of a new headteacher) and the benefits of being able to go to school within walking distance from home have swayed me. Plus I think that, bearing in mind that they receive no real religious instruction at home, though we have discussed religion, it may be of benefit to them to receive some actual religious instruction. That way they can at least make some choices on experience, rather than deciding purely on the influence of having lived in a secular home. Plus I think the religious element of school is quite light touch, on the whole.

I guess you need to check out the school, speak to a few parents, and decide for yourself. If your children have a strong enough sense of identity already I doubt that attending a Catholic school will affect that. It may even enhance it, who knows? Sometimes we are defined by our differences, as much as by our similarities. I bet it could lead to some interesting discussions at home too, which is always a good thing.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

@BeccaT -- good God that sounds terrible! I don't think that the school we're lookin' at is that extreme. But I doubt that they teach evolution, which is fine with me really. The school is only through grade 8, then all the students go off to the public school, where I'm sure they'll be exposed to it.

@JuniperWoolf -- Canada is a lovely place and, I think that your feeling about the decrepitude of the US is accurate: there is a lot of anger and uncertainty here, no matter what political allegiances people have.

Oh, and yeah, I pretty much would love everything that Canada has to offer so long as I'm not penned up in one of the cities.

@mhockenberry -- you know, after you wrote this I chatted with a colleague of mine who sent his son to a Montessori school. He liked it, but said that the unstructured, project-oriented curriculum is really aimed at a certain type of student. My daughter likes structure, rules, heck even authority.

@Animus Sage -- yours is a good story to know: we want our daughter to be able to associate herself with an identity outside of culture in which she is educated. Of course, I do want her to respect and, in some ways, admire the Catholic structure.

Of course at her age, dogma is not a real issue; in my visits to the classrooms they really just use Bible stories to teach the basics of civil, respectful behavior -- a very good thing.

@Virgil -- thanks for the links. Love me that Klezmer sound! Your situation is similar to mine: my wife is Jewish and we more or less have a secular Jewish household.

@TheFifthElement -- Thanks for comments. We have gone to the school several times and they really seem to be very good and respectful of other cultures, backgrounds. And, like you, I think that a spiritual element in school is a really good thing in small doses. I think, at its most general level, a little honest spirituality teaches the lost virtues of humility and reverence. And at times, these virtues are the best teachers of all, throughout our lifetimes.

I do think that we'll balance the Catholicism that she would get at school with a heightened attention to elements of Jewish background here at home.

Thanks again everyone for your replies!

Oh by all means expose them to as much of Judiaism as possible. I assume you have in-laws. I love going to my in-laws holidays and other events. If my wife doesn't teach whatever potential children we may have, I will.

Well, Comedian, everyone has covered the topic pretty thoroughly. I agree with everyone that your daughter will probably be fine at the Catholic school You've checked it out and drawn your own conclusions. At least you have a decent option to fall back on.

The condition of your school system sounds horrendous. I thought my school district was bad. We had a RIF last year because our district did not handle their money well and was $84 million dollars in the hole. Actually it was twice that, because they were in the hole the year before and apparently didn't know it (or acknowledge it).

My own school is in danger of being closed because of AYP. We are in our last year of it. Last year we were told we had made it, only to find out that two kids had not passed the math portion of our state-mandated test, and because of that we are still on the list. No one really knows what to do to prevent that. It is exhausting year afte year to be told you are going to lose your job if your students don't pass the test.

Right now one French class is being taught as a test prep class. The kids are upset as it is their third test prep class. One teacher has been switched with another. Ostensibly she is teaching Speech. In reality those kids will go to the auditorium, and she will tutor others who are in danger of failing the test.

So I say get out, get out while you can, and never look back. It shouldn't be this way. Teachers like to teach. We long to teach. It is frustrating beyond belief to have an AP class and be told that you must teach them how to take a test that covers the most basic of reading and writing skills. Because that is what I do. And that is what I've been told.

Good luck as you navigate those murky educational waters. (Sorry to go on for so long)