Selling out for better school

[evadarkness]

Normally I try to be an honest upfront person. However in my quest to get my little girl a good education I have ended up feeling like a two faced cow.

In our area the best school happens to be Catholic, the others near by do not even come close in terms of OFSTED reports etc. Although I was raised Catholic I left the church as a teenager, my current beliefs do not follow that path.

I have secured a place at this school for Sept and went for an open day with K on Thursday. Statues of saints, bible quaotes on the walls, the motto of the school being 'to live, learn and love in Christ'.

Feel awful.
ED

[gwenifer]

Will it be a good education with having that crap shoved down her throat for how many years? Ofsted reports are not all they are cracked up to be.

[Butterfly]

my girls go to catholic schools, and i was raised as a catholic and also went through catholic schools, i think the path they choose at the end of it is their choice alone in the long run, and i didn't turn out too bad either! I think schools should really be exactly that a school, as long as it teaches your children to be kind to others and be good these should be the fundamentals surely. and to tell the truth, my girls do seem to go to the best schools local to me! xx p.s don't feel guiltyxx

[hexx]

I have the exact same problem, as I,ve said in other posts I was more or less thrown out of catholic school and would now say my feelings toward the church are at the very best hostile. The problem I have is that now I have a daughter fast approaching nursery age we have gotten a place for her at the local catholic school, I understand how hypocritical this sounds but just hear me out my sister is a teacher at the only other school we would have a chance of getting her into and she has told me that due to the amount of muslim children that attend everything slightly non-muslim has been dropped from the curriculum things like Christmas, easter etc etc I don't want this post to sound racist but I would rather my daughter attend a catholic school because the church over the years has stolen so many of our traditions, rituals and beliefs it will simply be a matter of correcting my daughter on the true origin of them and then allow her to make up her own mind on which faith she follows.

[kajyann]

Eva,
the whole school situation in this country is farcical. I was pressurized into putting my daughter in to a selective girls school exam. Me? the great socialist who spent her 20's at Greenham and believes in equality for all? But I was made to feel I was letting my daughter down if I didnt do it.
As it turned out she did not go there- for other reasons to do with my health - but I empathize with the way you are feeling.

Please dont beat yourself up about it. We have to do the best for our kids. All you can do if she does go there, is try to redress the balance in her home situation.

In our house all religions are comparative - no one is better than the other. I have my beliefs, my husband has his, but our daughter is totally free to choose - and we do that on the basis of giving her as much info about different religions as possible. If you do this hopefully she will end up with a good education AND a position of knowledge regarding belief.

Just my feelings - the most important thing is not to feel guilty.

hugs
kaj
xxx

[brumwolf]

If you approch this from the point of view that ensuring your children have the best educational start you can give them is one of the primary duties of a parent then by choosing the best schools available for them I don't think you have anything to feel awful about. Too many parents are appathetic about the whole issue and just "choose" any school without considering the options.

You've thought it through, you can see the benifits and indeed the short comings so you can take steps at home to rebalance the areas which cause you concern. Talking frankly, I think its one of the best things you can do, not for the educational point of view but for you are showing your child exactly how ridged a philisophical outlook the chatholic church gives which should at least give her a greater appriciation for the rights of the individual to choose things for themselves.

Before anyone starts jumping up at down saying that what you are doing is wrong, consider how many of the most well balanced Pagans we see around and about come from strick xian back grounds, bit of a paradox in some ways

Butterfly is right on to bring up something which also should be remembered. Ultimatly it will be your childs right to choose what path they are one. Just as you choose your path. And again, ensuring your child is in a possition to make an experienced and informed choise is something you should take as a source of pride and not feel bad about it.

So stop feeling awful. You have no need, IMO to feel that way.

W.

[evadarkness]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies and support.
This has not been an easy decision but giving kids half a chance is so important.

Also, I had the experience that my youngest son, who had severe behavioural difficulties was thrown out of public school and it was only because he had been baptised catholic that he got the help and schooling he needed.

Hope to have better options by the time she needs to look at high school (might even move back to Canada to achieve that).

ED

[admin]

I know several well known pagans and Wiccans who went to Catholic school. I think it's something to do with all the incense and focus on the Virgin Mary . . . . .