Public Schooling Vs Christian school Vs Catholic school Vs home schooling...

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bowharp

Guest
#1
I always wondered this.. which is better from a christian perspective/education..Public Schooling Vs Christian school Vs Catholic school Vs home schooling...

which one did you go to? What your personal views? Pros Vs Cons?
 

Jilly81

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2011
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#2
I was homeschooled in the US. I was kept safe and got more than enough social training through my family's home business. I recommend it to just about everyone if their only other option is public school. There is now a Christian school near me and I would prayerfully consider sending my children there, though I don't plan on having any little ones :).

Also, my test scores were always very high; in the upper 90%, so I was well-educated :).
 
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blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,857
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#3
I went to a christian high school that didn't have many kids.. probably less than 100 or so. It was either that or go to U-32 with a few THOUSAND kids.. I'm glad I went to the christian one because it gave me the basis I needed later in life and it was alot smaller than U-32. :)
 
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bowharp

Guest
#4
My parents were catholic, so they insisted I went to a catholic school. An all-girl-private school.

Looking back, it didn't help at all.

Being a christian and in a catholic school felt so strange. Funny.
 
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bowharp

Guest
#5
I was homeschooled in the US. I was kept safe and got more than enough social training through my family's home business. I recommend it to just about everyone if their only other option is public school. There is now a Christian school near me and I would prayerfully consider sending my children there, though I don't plan on having any little ones :).

Also, my test scores were always very high; in the upper 90%, so I was well-educated :).
:)

Were any of your parents, teachers? Was it your mom or dad who taught you? I always wondered about home school, I've read they do get good grades.. but does this mean your parents had to put a lot of effort, time and resources? I personally wouldn't know where to begin :(
 

Jilly81

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2011
2,365
136
63
#6
It was mostly my mom who taught me (and my siblings). She taught us how to read first. It was really helpful to her as well, because we were then able to teach ourselves other things. She was a teacher for a year before she married my dad, so the area in which we lived let her just teach us without us HAVING to be tested. However, she and my dad wanted to make sure that we were progressing properly, so they had us tested anyway.

Homeschooling can be really easy, depending on a few factors. For example, you can just buy materials and send them off to be graded, etc. Another option is to spend VERY little money, but tons of time. My parents freelanced it, often renting from the county the same books the public school students used.

Thinking about educating some future little ones, BowHarp :)?
 
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bowharp

Guest
#7
It was mostly my mom who taught me (and my siblings). She taught us how to read first. It was really helpful to her as well, because we were then able to teach ourselves other things. She was a teacher for a year before she married my dad, so the area in which we lived let her just teach us without us HAVING to be tested. However, she and my dad wanted to make sure that we were progressing properly, so they had us tested anyway.

Homeschooling can be really easy, depending on a few factors. For example, you can just buy materials and send them off to be graded, etc. Another option is to spend VERY little money, but tons of time. My parents freelanced it, often renting from the county the same books the public school students used.

Thinking about educating some future little ones, BowHarp :)?
Haha. No little ones to educate at the moment. Just mom and I talking about it... She was like, "so are you going to baptist your baby?". I said, why. She said, "to get them into catholic school, you need to be baptise in a a catholic church"... to get the "baptism certificate" for school :(

I said, "ahhhh, I don't think so.....". :p
 
Jun 27, 2015
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#8
I was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic elementary school and an all boys high school run by Jesuit priests. I received a very good education and went on to BSc, MSc, BEd and taught for almost 40 years in both university and public schools.

The public schools in Canada are excellent and as a consequence home schooling is not nearly as common as in the USA. Home schooling requires parents who are intelligent and well educated themselves. I would say that this is entirely possible at the elementary school level but much less so at the high school level. I spent seven years in post high school education to get my qualifications.

My only observation about private Christian schools comes from talking with a number of school bus drivers. They all told me in effect that public school students were "OK", Catholic school students were "wilder" but Christian school students "went berserk as soon as the school was out of sight".
 
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Feb 7, 2015
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#9
At 70, I have been around kids from all these. Without a doubt, on the whole, the Homeschooled kids exhibit more true knowledge and (usually) maturity.
 

skipp

Senior Member
Mar 6, 2014
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#10
My only observation about private Christian schools comes from talking with a number of school bus drivers. They all told me in effect that public school students were "OK", Catholic school students were "wilder" but Christian school students "went berserk as soon as the school was out of sight".
This made me laugh because when I was a kid I went to a public school and we shared a bus with some of the kids from a nearby Christian school and those kids were WILD. I remember the public school kids were so shocked by the wild and crazy behavior of the Christian school kids lol. The Christian school kids would sit in the very back of the bus and get into all sorts of debauchery. What's funny is the church that ran the Christian school was known for being incredibly strict and legalistic. I suppose they didn't realize all of the craziness their students were getting up to on the bus ride home.
 

skipp

Senior Member
Mar 6, 2014
654
7
0
#11
At 70, I have been around kids from all these. Without a doubt, on the whole, the Homeschooled kids exhibit more true knowledge and (usually) maturity.
When I worked in a library we had some home school kids who would come in for programs or who would be working together in groups. I was really impressed by their maturity. They were always very well mannered and well spoken.
 
Feb 7, 2015
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#12
This made me laugh because when I was a kid I went to a public school and we shared a bus with some of the kids from a nearby Christian school and those kids were WILD. I remember the public school kids were so shocked by the wild and crazy behavior of the Christian school kids lol. The Christian school kids would sit in the very back of the bus and get into all sorts of debauchery. What's funny is the church that ran the Christian school was known for being incredibly strict and legalistic. I suppose they didn't realize all of the craziness their students were getting up to on the bus ride home.
THAT is probably the very reason. What does the Bible say the power of sin, is.............?
 
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psychomom

Guest
#13
i attended gov't schools all my life. and as you can see, a need for proper capitalization should have been more heavily emphasized. :rolleyes:

our own children were homeschooled. it's not for everyone, but we enjoyed it very much.
they're still quite close as adults, and have all gone on to college.
their profs tell them they love having former homeschool students, as they not only know how to work, but how to learn / find information for themselves.

God is good. :)
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,778
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#14
When I went to public school growing up in Alberta, we read from the Bible every morning and said the Lord's prayer along with singing God Save the Queen and O Canada. Those were called "opening exercises." Maybe this was because the former premier of the province for many years was an evangelist, who did a radio broadcast, and actually got elected by the Christians in the province.

I sent my kids all to public school. They were very strict, and the only time they had problems was when they were in a "Fundamentalist School" which was to teach the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, at a time when open learning and letting the kids do whatever they wanted was the rage in public schools. They were accused of doing things they didn't do, and eventually I moved them to late French Immersion, where they did very well.

I also taught in public schools. I started by subbing in high schools, but got hired for elementary, for which I was better suited. The material was never the problem, as I had 5 years post secondary, but discipline was becoming an issue with the older ones.

My daughter did public schools in BC and Alberta, and she said Alberta was much stricter, and they started the day with the same opening exercises that I did! She also said a lot of home schooled kids came into her high school around grade 11, because the parents couldn't handle subject material like Algebra, Physics and Chemistry. She felt they were all radically unprepared for high school, discipline and the work required.

She did friend one of the girls who came in. She had been home schooled by her Mormon parents, and hated it so much, she threatened to commit suicide if they would not let her go to public school. My daughter is still very close friends with her, and influenced her to go into social work. Sadly, she is very humanist, rebelling against her Mormon upbringing, although my daughter has quietly witnessed to her. Her parents divorced the year after she got out of high school. She had 5 younger brothers and sisters, I am not sure what happened to them.

Regarding Catholic schools, Alberta usually had two separate school systems in the bigger centers. You paid your taxes to whichever school board was your religion. The public schools were usually "Protestant" and the separate schools were "Catholic" except in one city which had a larger Catholic population. Those kids were pretty wild, we thought! No Christian schools in my day, and no home schooling. Things have really changed.

No separation of church and government in Canada, instead we had "cooperation." I would imagine things are much more secular in the public schools these days, and might reconsider my decision to send my kids to public schools.
 
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TaylorTG

Guest
#15
What differentiates the "wild" students from the "normal" ones?
 
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AgeofKnowledge

Guest
#16
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." -Galatians 5:19-25.


What differentiates the "wild" students from the "normal" ones?
 
T

TaylorTG

Guest
#17
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." -Galatians 5:19-25.

I'm hoping to receive cultural answers, to cleanse the generation gap.
 
Dec 1, 2014
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#18
I am a 10 yr teacher, in both public and private CHRISTIAN schools. My children grew up in public schools, as I did. May I share with you my personal experiences, not opinion, that I dealt with in both? Let's look at what they had in common: Both secular and Christian schools had disruptive students. Both had bipolar, mentally challenged students. Both had faculty that let their personal lives drift into their daily work. Both had flag poles with an American flag, and a state flag flying. Both had full carriculums with a broad range of choices to make. Both had sports teams they were proud of. Both had non-CHRISTIAN and Christian parents. Both had uniforms as the normal dresscode. Both had high goals of achievement, at least on the surface. Both follow state weather emergency recommendations. Both have about the same number of illegitimate pregnancies per year. Both have a very low number of virgins for males and females by the time they graduate. Both expect the best from the students, despite the fact that the students sometimes think otherwise.

Now..the differences: Christian schools pay faculty less than half the yearly salary that secular schools do in most cases.
Christian schools do not have medical facilities, school nurses, etc, like secular schools...which means that birth control is NOT provided nor spoken of.
Christian schools encourage and provide BIBLES. Christian schools have DEVOTIONALS. Christian schools allow the idea of a student government, complete with a voted upon president but do not allow students to make final decisions, period. It is optional at a Christian school to have a fully operational lunchroom with a crew. Christian schools do NOT require immunization shots, birth certificates, or proof of residency. A Christian school has gay students but no staff member can make it be known, nor spoken of, although all students know. A public school has gay students, everybody instantly knows, instantly approves and is given special treatment and attention, as well as a staff member. What is said in a CHRISTIAN teachers lounge becomes immediately known to all staff members and school by the end of the day. A secular school's teachers lounge is expected to be a place where a teacher can 'let their hair down" and breath a little, ventilate if needed and what is said there, stays there.
Sadly..I did see that a lot of parents put their children in a Private school because it is their last hope. The public school could not handle them, and the next step would be parochial or military school. I also see most as extremely 'sheltered". In a public school, I was treated equal with everyone else that was employed there. I could rub elbows with everyone and anyone. In CHRISTIAN schools, I was under scrutiny, always being asked to explain myself, and could not be friends with all, just a few select. The staff was more divided and in certain clicks in a CHRISTIAN school. I was actually called to the office as a teacher more than any of the students, to explain and hear petty complaints from staff, parents and grandparents as to why I wore certain colored shirts, ties, clothing, and hair length, listened to certain music, whistled certain tunes, drove certain vehicles, and my vernacular jargons and expressions were not the NORM. I was to be polite and friendly, but no laughing, no joking and certainly no politics or denominational differences discussed. Notes were taken and papers were signed for future references that those complaints were 'ADDRESSED".

Each has it's flaws...each has it's merits....each to their own...when the students leave a private CHRISTIAN school, they have to face the world, one way or the other..to most that graduate from a CHRISTIAN school, it is a complete SHOCK to their intellect. To other students, they were only there as 'punishment" for their continual attitudes at home and in other schools, so they soon returned to the lifestyle they had chosen anyway.
 
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bowharp

Guest
#19
I wonder, how much influence do we have as parents compare to the school they go to?

In the future, I was thinking of putting my kid(s) in a christian school but realized at the end of the day, they need to make their own decision on Jesus.

I agree that private school tend to be "a little sheltered" from the "real-world".. probably will be a shock to their system once they set foot in university/college.

And drugs in school.... well, that applies everywhere, right? :(

Funny how God knows what we will already decide, even before we made the decision.

One could only do their best, God will do the rest. Faith + Action.
 
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Jul 4, 2015
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#20
I attended Public schools all my life. My parents could not afford Home schooling or Catholic Schools.

I did get my degree in Electronic Engineering, a BS degree.

I see nothing wrong with Public schools.