KingdomBuilder wrote:Around here private schools are minimal.
And some of them are notoriously bad, and the good ones are notoriously expensive (and Catholic...).
Generally, where I'm at, the public schools are held in higher regard.
That's not to say we don't have some [bad] school districts.
If a parents wants children to get a better education, it's more likely that they'll move to on of the top-notch school districts.
Sounds like y'all have a better system of alternative schooling.
you have several points -
1. more money does not guaranty better quality. gov is "notorious" for wasteful spending.
many insightful leaders came out of rural one room schoolhouses;
2. for those invested in public schools, and many who have no knowledge of them, there is a bias against home schools and private schools (be careful who you listen to;)
3. popular notions of school "status" can be deceiving. if your child happens to be in a school labeled as "good," but does not get matched with an effective teacher for him/her, the label doesn't mean much. conversely, there are effective teachers in schools labeled as "bad." labels have limitations, both ways.
4. regarding expensive private schools/Catholic schools .. they often offer ways to help with costs, esp based on need. i suppose each school determines what it can offer.
at my granddaughter's Catholic elementary school, they consider household income, financial obligations (not luxuries!) .. they also highly encourage parents and family members to volunteer, to be active in the school, much of this can count as credit to help with tuition. it varies somewhat, they determine a budget each year.
the children wear uniforms, the school offers "uniform exchange" days for families, this can really help with costs! esp in comparison with no uniforms. i believe they offer more for hardship situations. families help each other, too.
i'm all-for family participation in schools, this is something private schools are free to require, public schools suffer because they can only request parents' presence, many are never present .. often because they are intimidated, which is unfortunate (for all.)
we never used uniforms in the past, but we are very happy with everything about it. no down side, for us.
considering my family's wealthy but thoroughly liberal location, we are grateful for this traditional Catholic school. they represent an oasis in the middle of extreme self-indulgence, and self-delusion (my opinion.)
to my knowledge, i don't believe anyone in our families ever attended Catholic schools. i'm grateful my elders have passed, this would be very hard for them.
but, repeating.
as things are today, i am grateful this school is available in this location.
i can only imagine the battles this church and school must face from the surrounding communities.
they never mention! but, i was not born yesterday.
i know of no one who does not want more Mennonite schools.
i'm fortunate that way.