Chatholic Schooling (4th grade - High School) totally destroyed my faith. I dispised the church, nuns, and the whole church concept for years. It is only now, about 20 years later, that some of my faith has returned. I know it was the fact that I went to catholic schools that caoused this. I had many friends growing up that went to public schools and never strayed from their faith or church. Our families had retty much the same values and the way we were raised has a huge number of things in common. So what's left?? Catholic Schools!!!!

is it wrong to even consider this as an option considering our history?

i'm not sure what you mean by this.

me?

me?

no...i was asking about nickyg's statement.

May I offer an additional suggestion for instilling values in your children (rather than...ack...Catholic School)? There's no need to outsource their spiritual mentoring. Teach them values in your daily lives. Have strong convictions of your own, and teach them accordingly. Spend time together as a family, read together. Even if your children are about to fly from the nest, reading as a family is an awesome way to strengthen the bond. ...and if you're at a point where you'd like to read scriptures together, even better!
I'm going to go out on a limb and show you this: Link. It's a glance at a really great program for teaching children values at home, and strengthening the family as a whole.

Kingbee, I can't speak for Nicky but I think she is referring to the history between the Catholic church and Natives here in Canada, especially the residential schools, where unmentionable stuff happened. Off topic: didja know that publicly funded Catholic education is constitutionally guaranteed here in Ontario? Screw that separation of church and state crap in the heathen US of A

Nicky: Nuthin' wrong with Ontario Catholic schools, I went to them for 12 years and look how I turned out Seriously, In all that time I never saw a nun at my school, the kids in my neighbourhood who went to Catholic schools - many of whom weren't Catholic - turned out the same as the public school kids. I don't have strong feelings one way or the other but if you think Catholic school might be better for your kid, there's nothing in my experience that would persuade me to suggest otherwise.

David St. Hubbins

One more thing: Catholic schools are different here in Ontario, no plaid skirts, nuns, or such. They are generally the same as public schools 'cept for a half hour o' Jesus a day.

DSH

I was thinking about what David was referring to a bit (re: Catholic church/residential schools), but also of suddenly declaring my interest in a non-Native belief system that I wasn't raised with. My knowledge of God is fairly basic... I went to church, but it was a United church, which is, from what I understand a pretty lenient church.

From what I learned about the qualifications in sending your child to a Catholic school in Canada, the only thing required is the indication on school tax forms.

history between the Catholic church and Natives here in Canada, especially the residential schools

thanks david and nickyg. i guessed that's what the issue might be but didnt wanna presume.

I went to them for 12 years and look how I turned out

so there ya have it. can there be a more effective testament to the obvious superiority of the catholic school system than david and i? (to paraphrase jed clampett, 'the only thing better than a roast possum is two of em.')

i don't know what public schools are like in canada but even though 2 of the four catholic schools i attended weren't what i'd now consider exceptional (i learned as much on my own as i was taught), the other two were. i also took a few classes in public school; sorta like going to school at chuck e cheese. (given a choice at the time, i woulda preferred public school, but then i would never have learned how to work the system nearly as well )

no plaid skirts

hmmmmm how the hell do canadian catholic schoolgirls let kids from public schools know they're easy?

im not sure, btw, that non-catholic students are required to take doctrine classes.