Would you ever consider sending your child to a Christian private school if it were the only private school within 50 miles?
We live in a town of about 18,000. There is one public elementary, middle school and high school. There is also a Christian private school (K-6 only) that is affiliated with the local Catholic church. It is on the church property and for many years was ran by nuns. You no longer have to be Catholic to attend.
It’s a very good school, classroom size is 10 to 24 students. They have excellent test scores. I am an atheist and my husband is agnostic. Our daughter is now 3 so we have 2 yrs to decide. I am doing research on this school and all students must attend mass weekly, learn about religion and pray 3 times a day. We have taken our daughter to church maybe twice. The religious aspect of the school would be new to her. This school seems to be a much better school than the public elementary, which has suffered a lot with budget cuts in the last few years. My coworker works fulltime at this school and I don’t like what she has to say about it.
I am just seeking opinions of other atheist parents. Thank you.
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Question For Athiest Parents- Would You Consider A Christian Private School?
Posted on September 10, 2010.
Possibly, but only if it were really necessary.
I live in a town of about 12,000. There are two elementary schools, one middle and one high school. Both of my kids attend public schools (yes, there are some christian private schools here as well, one of which is considered excellent academically). Both of my kids are in GATE (gifted and talented education), more than a full grade-level ahead, get straight A’s, and are good kids as well. That’s probably because:
— I work with them every single day on homework and learning
— I take responsibility for them learning, I don’t expect the school to do everything
— I volunteer (so does my wife) at the local schools; help out in classes, do free math/science tutoring, give science presentations twice a year, organize and lead an annual field trip to a local observatory, give two presentations in the photography class per year, participate in the TPC (teacher-parent club, formerly “PTA”), talk with my kids’ teachers weekly at least, etc. etc. etc.
I would have a *real* problem with my kids attending mass and being forced to pray to an imaginary god. That alone is reason enough to not send them to a religious school. On top of that, most public schools have very good, dedicated teachers and outstanding programs — many of which can use parent help to make them better. So help them. Be responsible for your kids’ education, and don’t just pawn it off on some school. The *biggest* difference between most private and public schools isn’t money or what they teach or teachers or other staff — it’s parental involvement. Parents that pay for private school are more involved, many public school parents aren’t. And it makes a world of difference.
Peace.
No. I’d take the public school and do everything I could to advocate for the education of my child within it. In fact, I’d homeschool before sending them to a Christian school, private or no.
edit: I’m seriously with Well Traveled on this one: Being involved in the education of your children to the extent that he is will more than make-up for any failings that come from public schooling. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even have to do *that* much.
I’m not an atheist, but I am Jewish, and there’s no way I’d allow a child of mine to go to a Christian school of any sort. I had too many friends growing up who DID go to Christian schools, and the stuff they were taught (or more importantly, the lack of teaching) was a waste of money. I’d home-school my child myself (and I’m not a fan of home-schooling) before I sent them to a Christian school.
No, my children will be educated at the local comprehensive school and study the national curriculum. I have also heard (on R+S mind) that in the US private Christian schools are allowed to shove religion down your kids throat.
Aside from this I would wish for my children to meet and socialise with a wide range of children. Not just middle class Christian children.
HELL NO!!! i’m christian, but still. i spent enough tim in those places to know they teach NOTHING that they might actually need in life.
also, why the f did you vote down anti christ? he was right. my friend has seen people get stabbed in public school. cyber school is the way of the future. i know his name is antichrist, but cmon, he hasgood opinions
i grew up in an agnostic family. i went to catholic school as a kid. i am atheist. we never really talked about religion at home. there was plenty of that at school. in the end i made up my own mind. if anything it helped reinforce my atheism because i learned more about the bible.
“know thy enemy.”
Of course if it is prestigious and has a good education system. You didn’t tell us what the coworker said about the school. Also it would probably help your child in the future if he/she wants to run for president
I wouldn’t just because i grew up in a religious environment. I went to a public school though, so i see no problem with it. but with 2 years to decide maybe you are pre planning a little too much.
If they wanted to, sure.
But I would not force them to go to such a mentally abusive dumbass illogical hell hole such as that during the years that permanently form your way of thinking.
That is cultish. God dammit.
I’d consider it, but the ultimate private education is to tutor your own kids, which I’d find preferable to any sort of school on purely academic grounds.
Hmm… I probably would given the circumstances
@jason welch.. LOL, i love how you say “Hell NO! I’m christian…”
Yes, I’d consider it. I went to Catholic school. The education they provided was top-notch.
Hmm, maybe, but I would sooner homeschool her just to avoid the religious stuff.
No, I would not. Those are the most impressionable years of a child’s life.
First of all, why do you trust the internet to make decisions on your daughter’s life and future?
Decide for yourself. You have done research. Every town is different, I have lived in many different states and gone to many different schools because we moved a lot when I was growing up; let me tell you, some schools ARE as bad as they sound. If you clearly see that the ratings of the public school are low and the private one offers better education, why not go for the private?
It is not a big deal to go to a Christian school. They won’t teach you anything bad. Looking at it from an open-minded point of view, it is only beneficial to send your child to a private school when indeed you can actually afford it.
But over all, it should be for you and your family to decide what kind of education you want your child to have and the type of environment you want her to be in.
If they require prayer, despite not requiring religion. That just seems like an avenue for them to indoctrinate her mind.
Really, that’s an important time to shape her views understanding such things for the rest of her life.
From my experience (cause this area has a similar situation, the only private school I know is a Catholic one) the people who come out of their, raised by their parents tend to be some of the more rebellious people. In your case though, this might not be so, since they won’t be filled with religion from home too, so they might embrace it and become a Catholic.
In any case, it’s a bad idea if they are required to attend mass and pray three times a day.
Having gone to a Christian school myself, I have to say that you shouldn’t allow yourself to be fooled into thinking better facilities + more attentive teachers necessarily means better education. You also have to consider *what* they’re teaching, as well as the possible social repercussions of being restricted to private school children. In 8th grade I actually had a science teacher that claimed to have seen angels, and frequently attacked evolution (without, I now know, understanding it himself).
Personally, I don’t like the sound of forced prayer and church attendance. Given my experience, I would consider sending your child public, and perhaps have some kind of supplemental education of your own when you feel theirs is lacking, after school or on the weekends. Keep in mind, also, that the money you’ll save from not sending her to private school could potentially go towards giving her the best possible college education later on, if you save it rather than spend it.
Probably not. It kind of depends.
Will they teach your daughter to be ashamed of herself simply because she is female? If so, NO.
Will they teach her real science and not “bible” science? If not, then NO.
Will they teach the basics of biology? If not, then NO.
You are going to have to weigh the consequences to her. When she is ready to go in to 7th grade, how bad will the culture shock be if she has spent Elementary in a Catholic school?
Either way, you will need to be very involved in her school and in teaching things that neither has the time or the inclination to teach.
Remember, you have to prepare this child to compete in an ever more technological world, will she be able to? That is the question you have to ask yourself.
i would not. keep your childrens eyes open to the world and let their sponge brains actually soak of some credible and useful knowledge. the time and recources and money spent for religious private schools to teach the bible among other aspects have no gain in society what so ever. as you being an atheist you should know that religion is the worlds biggest distraction from acheiving goals. if the money and recources went to true public education, and science and research…instead of half the world turning to religion in fear of death and purpose…we would most likely have found a way to avoid death completely by now..and traveling and landing on other planets in other galaxies..instead of the closest planet to us.
i was in a very prestigeous PRIVATE school called Annelises Academy for 10 years….i ACED every single one of my classes, had about 10 kids or so in each class. then the second i went to a public middleschool….i failed all 6 of my classes for an entire year. luckily the school system is such a joke they moved me along anyways…but still. i was unprepared for actual socialization with other people, unprepared for the standards of actual life. and unprepared for some of my first confrontations with other people.public schools put kids in a realistic enviroment. not a sheltered hut for them to be cared for at every second and become Dependent on parents.
Please save your children from what i had to go through…it was no fun..for me. and especially for my parents being so dissapointed with the grades and all that stuff of course. Public school to start, Private College to finish possibly. but definately public school k-12.
I only let my children go to a Christian school because there and only there will they be truly educated.