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Huge School Dilemma-need Catholic's perspective


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So, here is the deal. And please, please be gentle. This has been weighing heavily on my heart ,and I need some good perspective from people who may understand.

A little background: We homeschooled exclusively until 2 years ago, when an unexpected, scary pregnancy met burnout, exhaustion and kids who wanted to go to school. So, at that time, after excruciating deliberation, we put 5/6 kids in school. I enjoyed that year (last year) at home with the baby, but quickly realized that I regretted that decision for most of my kids. Fast forward to this year where 2/6 are in school and I'm homeschooling the rest.

Here is next year's BIG dilemma. My oldest (6th grade) goes to the only Catholic School in town. He's doing wonderfully and he loves it. No problems there and I'm happy to keep him there.

The problem is with my next son, a current 5th grader. The school that my older son goes to is implementing a new educational model called Personalized Learning (based out of CA-with Zuckerburg/Chan backing). Was called Summit Learning. In a nutshell, it's an educational platform (content written by teachers supposedly but no one really knows) that is based on a Chromebook. So basically, the 4 content areas are taught via videos clips, articles, projects, etc and the teacher acts as facilitator. No direct teaching at all-maybe small groups. The kids propel through at their own pace, being assessed via 10 question quizzes. They're able to take the quizzes as many times as it takes until they master the material. Imagine a room full of kids all staring at their screens and teaching themselves.

So, my husband and I are NOT happy about this. Last year was the first year but no real data has come out yet, and they still offered the traditional track option for those who didn't want it.  It's not even the data that I'm concerned about, it's the headaches kids are complaining of because of too much screen time, the content (there's been a few instances of inappropriate ads, etc although they'd deny it), and just the overall method of instruction. We don't want it. However, if my son goes there next year, ALL 6th graders HAVE to get on board with it. My other son is grandfathered in and they will offer him the traditional track until 8th grade.

What in the world do I do? The public school tied to us is out of the question-it's really bad and running rampant with fights, drugs, etc. It has a terrible reputation in a bad part of town.

He is opposed to homeschooling. I've tried to sweeten the pot as much as possible, but he's really sporty and wants to do sports. 

The only other option here is a Christian School. It's smaller and relatively new but it is Protestant. They use BJU (which I don't mind) but I saw on their FB pages a Reformation Day celebration. Being Catholic, that should automatically disqualify it right? Except we're desperate. My husband is not Catholic and would be okay with it for 3 years. But I come from a family of nuns and priests and feel like I would be betraying my faith. Could I really send them there but then tell them not to believe what they are being taught? Is that too much to ask of a middle schooler?

I know I'm not going to get 100% of what I want here, but I can't decide if gluing them to a screen for 3 years is better for their overall being, or putting them in a Protestant School for 3 years. What do you think, and what would you do or consider that I'm not thinking of? Here are the options again: 

1) Public school (drugs, fighting, etc)-which my husband says is out
2) Catholic School (personalized learning, but otherwise okay)
3) Christian School (Protestant, but otherwise excellent)

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As a Protestant Christian, if your Situation #3 were reversed (that it was a Catholic school but otherwise excellent education) I would choose the Catholic school.  In my opinion, the differences between Protestant & Catholic aren't salvation issues, so I'd be comfortable enough with my kids going there.  You will be reinforcing their Catholic faith at home.  

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I could not send my kids to a school using BJU materials. 

I'm sorry you don't have better options. I have lived in districts all digitalized. I am opposed to that as well.  Is an online school a possibility? Kolbe Academy offers middle school courses online. If online isn't an option, I would probably stay with the Catholic school.

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IME (and IME only, so don’t jump on me), for a child that’s average or typical and has no IEP, there is no teaching happening in a regular classroom either. There’s three adults in my daughter’s second grade classroom, but she gets exactly zero help. She asks me the day before how to spell words that she will need for her story the following way.

As an atheist, I will tell you i’d consider option 3, but for elementary only,  because my level of desperation is such that short of moving (and I won’t move for public school again, it would be for private), I’m considering both catholic and fairly traditional (think: commune) Christian schools. I think the dogmatic differences become and issue middle school on, so I’m just trying to buy self some time to sort my eldest.

Edited by madteaparty
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As a former Catholic and now Methodist (both are Christian from my perspective) the issue I have would be the use of BJU and how the teachers use it.  BJU can have a decidedly anti Roman Catholicism view.  I have used BJU in the past for history but I have had to modify some lessons and really speak to their view point.  

I would talk to the administrators at the school and see how they would handle that.  There are some Christian Churches that are decidedly anti RC and if this school is affiliated to something like that then it would be a no.

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On 10/18/2018 at 6:26 PM, Meadowlark said:

So, here is the deal. And please, please be gentle. This has been weighing heavily on my heart ,and I need some good perspective from people who may understand.

A little background: We homeschooled exclusively until 2 years ago, when an unexpected, scary pregnancy met burnout, exhaustion and kids who wanted to go to school. So, at that time, after excruciating deliberation, we put 5/6 kids in school. I enjoyed that year (last year) at home with the baby, but quickly realized that I regretted that decision for most of my kids. Fast forward to this year where 2/6 are in school and I'm homeschooling the rest.

Here is next year's BIG dilemma. My oldest (6th grade) goes to the only Catholic School in town. He's doing wonderfully and he loves it. No problems there and I'm happy to keep him there.

The problem is with my next son, a current 5th grader. The school that my older son goes to is implementing a new educational model called Personalized Learning (based out of CA-with Zuckerburg/Chan backing). Was called Summit Learning. In a nutshell, it's an educational platform (content written by teachers supposedly but no one really knows) that is based on a Chromebook. So basically, the 4 content areas are taught via videos clips, articles, projects, etc and the teacher acts as facilitator. No direct teaching at all-maybe small groups. The kids propel through at their own pace, being assessed via 10 question quizzes. They're able to take the quizzes as many times as it takes until they master the material. Imagine a room full of kids all staring at their screens and teaching themselves.

So, my husband and I are NOT happy about this. Last year was the first year but no real data has come out yet, and they still offered the traditional track option for those who didn't want it.  It's not even the data that I'm concerned about, it's the headaches kids are complaining of because of too much screen time, the content (there's been a few instances of inappropriate ads, etc although they'd deny it), and just the overall method of instruction. We don't want it. However, if my son goes there next year, ALL 6th graders HAVE to get on board with it. My other son is grandfathered in and they will offer him the traditional track until 8th grade.

What in the world do I do? The public school tied to us is out of the question-it's really bad and running rampant with fights, drugs, etc. It has a terrible reputation in a bad part of town.

He is opposed to homeschooling. I've tried to sweeten the pot as much as possible, but he's really sporty and wants to do sports. 

The only other option here is a Christian School. It's smaller and relatively new but it is Protestant. They use BJU (which I don't mind) but I saw on their FB pages a Reformation Day celebration. Being Catholic, that should automatically disqualify it right? Except we're desperate. My husband is not Catholic and would be okay with it for 3 years. But I come from a family of nuns and priests and feel like I would be betraying my faith. Could I really send them there but then tell them not to believe what they are being taught? Is that too much to ask of a middle schooler?

I know I'm not going to get 100% of what I want here, but I can't decide if gluing them to a screen for 3 years is better for their overall being, or putting them in a Protestant School for 3 years. What do you think, and what would you do or consider that I'm not thinking of? Here are the options again: 

1) Public school (drugs, fighting, etc)-which my husband says is out
2) Catholic School (personalized learning, but otherwise okay)
3) Christian School (Protestant, but otherwise excellent)

 

So, I am not Catholic, I'm what's sometimes called an Anglo-Catholic, but it's a similar educational perspective.

I would not do the screen-school.  I'd do no-school before I was willing to do that.  The act that it's ostensibly Catholic - yeah, but that isn't a Catholic education - it's anti-education.

I would be wary of the Protestant school - but I would look into it more, and ideally visit.  And the same with the public school.  I think with these things, you just can't be sure until you go there what it would be like for your kid.  A rough school may not be a big deal for a kid who won't be hanging out with a rough crowd - I've known of schools with bad reputations where some kids got a better education than the better off schools.  And a Christian school can vary a lot as well.

I'd also keep in mind that your son is old enough to have some theological differences understood in a self-conscious way.  

I'd think about option 4 as well though, telling him homeschooling is the only option, ideally figuring out some way to have him do group sports, either at school or in a league.

 

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