Why Parochial Schools

Lately I’ve found myself explaining our choice to send our kids to a parochial school. A number of parents have asked why we choose to pay money when public schools are “free”. They ask if we don’t think the public schools are “good enough” for our kids, (no, the public schools around here are fine schools). They comment about how expensive it is for us to send three kids to a church based school and wonder why on earth we would spend money over and above the tax money we pay for the public schools (its all relative and we all get to choose where we spend our money). They wonder if its simply because I went to a parochial school that we send our kids to one etc. (my husband went to public school all his life – no problem there). So aside from the NOYB answer I want to give, there are a lot of reasons that go into choosing a non-public school.

School choice is a very personal matter for each family, just as decisions to home school are very personal. We know that we are paying additional for an education that is very similar to the education received in the public schools. Our experiences with choosing a school for our kids have involved both public and parochial schools as our oldest daughter attended a public school from kindergarten through the middle of 3rd grade when we moved across the country to another community so we have seen it from both sides

I guess the best way I can explain our choice is that we choose to send our kids to a school that we know works to back up the moral basis we are working to instill at home. I’ve been verbally attacked for saying that and I’ve been accused of not believing that the public schools are providing a “moral education” but that is not what I mean at all. What I mean is we are working to instill Christian faith and values in our children and we like that the school that we are sending them to operates in a manner that reinforces those values. We like that their school life and faith life mix. Not everyone likes that, some people do not want their faith lives and school lives to mix and that is absolutely fine and their choice – we choose our way.

That said, it also does not mean that we are always in lock step with the school and doctrine but for the most part we agree with and we consent to the education our children are receiving – anything that may contradict or be a bit different from what we are teaching at home can and will be addressed at home.

My experiences with public school were generally positive and in some instances was superior to the parochial school my children attend now. The art and music curriculum as well as the enrichment programs available were definitely superior at the public school. On the other hand there were some things that I was less comfortable with. A conversation that I had with the principal at the public school comes to mind when I try to explain part of our reason for not choosing another public school. We were talking about the school’s policy regarding inappropriate language in the classroom and on the school grounds. There was a boy who was in the 4th grade (9 years old) and he was especially mouthy and a big fan of vulgarity. The principal contacted the boy’s parents to come in and meet with them regarding the son’s behavior. When he addressed the issue with them they defended their son’s language usage by telling him that they “teach their kids that there are no bad words”. The principal was floored by this because there are some words that never have a place in a classroom or in an elementary school but these parents insisted that their children are permitted to say whatever they like and that their child should not be punished for his language. I can’t say for sure but I’m reasonably positive that I’m more likely to run into parents with that mindset at public schools than I am at parochial schools. Just a hunch.

We are fortunate to live in an area with good public as well as good parochial schools, the children in this school district have access to excellent teachers and a school system rated Excellent by the State of Ohio but I think that ultimately the main reason we choose parochial schools is because in the end I know that the overwhelming majority of the teachers and parents there have a similar moral outlook on things. They can be liberal, conservative and everything in between but over all they want their kids to go to a school that reinforces the morality they are trying to provide their children at home. Some people may consider that exclusionary of other faiths but I think in a larger sense, because of the exposure, it teaches the kids to be considerate of faith in general. At least I hope it does.

As for the expense – for all three of my kids to go to their parochial school this year it will cost me over $2,000 less than it cost us for a year of day care for one of them.

Uniforms for the Stylish

The fashionista 6 year old

My first grader takes great pride in her sense of style, and it is definitely a style all her own. Whether it’s a dress, a skort, a Halloween costume in the middle of July or sobbing uncontrollably in January because we wouldn’t let her wear a sleeveless sundress to kindergarten in the snow, she likes to have control of what she wears. If left on her own to pick her clothes she would likely never wear pants, rarely wear shorts and would choose “spinny skirts” over the more form fitting type. The “prettier” the better.

Her preference for girly clothes does not in any way mean that she is a fan of what my Mother would call “Lady like behavior”. Dainty she is not, she insisted on wearing a pink plaid skort (short/skirt combo for the uninitiated) for T-Ball (her team colors green and gold) and she attracts dirt and grime like she’s part of one of those swiffer duster things you see advertised on TV. She runs, plays, jumps, swings, plays in the dirt and sand like a kid is supposed to – after all part of her job description as “kid” is to get dirty on a regular basis. Because of this I am constantly asking her to put some shorts on under her skirts/dresses or wear a skort. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say “nobody wants to see your panties”. I don't care if its not her style - sometimes you have to take the practical approach.

With all of this need to dress up in skirts and dresses you would think she would be uneasy about or possibly rejecting of uniforms all together. Oddly enough she is very excited about the uniforms – jumpers do have skirts after all - and while she can only wear specific blouses with the uniform, and she cannot wear nail polish at all she does like the fact that the skirts are kind of “spinny” (probably have to wear those shorts under the school skirt as well) she’s already picked out which blue blouse to wear with her jumper on the first day of school.

She’s also picked out her outfit for her first Dress Down day. For those not familiar with the concept, in many schools with uniforms kids can often earn dress down days. Our school has it set up so the kids can earn dress downs for Friday’s in various ways. If your parents order from Market Day you can get a dress down, if your family brings in 50 box tops you can earn a dress down, if you earn so many points in accelerated reader you can earn a dress down etc. Most kids wear jeans and t-shirts or shorts if the weather is warm enough. She has a purple dress and pink sparkly shoes all picked out for that first big dress down day – I mean just because she’s dressing down doesn’t mean she’ll be dressing casual.

I’m interested to find out her take on the uniforms after about a month of wearing the same thing daily. Will she still like them, will she decide to fight against them or will she try to find a way to liven hers up to make it more her “style”. Time will tell.