The Catholic School Difference -- WSJ Article

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad to live in Moco. The choices in Catholics are almost endless. We picked Mater Dei, Mercy, Prep and Holy Child. Soooo greatful!!

You are lucky. The choices here in NOVA are pretty abysmal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Catholic schools can kick out disruptive students and not worry about the missing tuition money for that student because they are not paying rent or taxes for their school property.

This ability to kick out or not accept disruptive students AND the religious emphasis on not sinning in Catholic schools combine to make for more orderly schools than public schools and some other private schools.

You know, it's funny, I hear this line a lot, but in my actual experience over the last two decades, I am having a hard time recalling an actual (albeit admittedly anecdotal) case of that happening.

+1 top PP, I'm a product of Catholic school and my kids attended one until 6th grade (now at a private independent). I am not a hard-core Catholic, imo there are lots of issues, but on this one I do think they get it right, so I'm just going to focus on this issue.

Catholics are really interested in each kid as an individual (think of it as they look at them as a unique soul). I know, you can roll your eyes on that, but it does affect their mentality toward the kids. They may not have an IEP program but they are very invested in helping out each individual kid. And they try really hard with the kids whose parents have issues (meaning...if the parents have problems, they want to really keep the kid in the healthy and supportive environment of the school; want to help that kid thrive despite the difficult home life). I don't recall anyone being kicked out (except I do know one kid who was not allowed to graduate from 8th because he hacked into and changed his grades. His offer to a Catholic HS--based in part on those grades--was pulled, and LSS, they are working it out so he may be able to go next year. There were some younger kids involved in this too and they were not pulled but I know there was a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff re them.)

The other thing that is very much stressed in the two Catholic schools that my kids attended is gratitude. It's just part of the value system. Being thankful for this, and that, and oh, this happened today, let's be thankful that that happened....we are so lucky; others are not, let's help them....on and on, every day. It's really good in that way. I believe gratitude is a (necessary but not sufficient) key to happiness, and happy people tend to be more productive and have positive effects on their environment...so, in that regard, I think the Catholic schools have got something right.

Tre Montessori model focuses on the individual child and on gratitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad to live in Moco. The choices in Catholics are almost endless. We picked Mater Dei, Mercy, Prep and Holy Child. Soooo greatful!!

I get the sense that none of those schools are very diverse and all are very conservative. Is that the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Catholic schools can kick out disruptive students and not worry about the missing tuition money for that student because they are not paying rent or taxes for their school property.

This ability to kick out or not accept disruptive students AND the religious emphasis on not sinning in Catholic schools combine to make for more orderly schools than public schools and some other private schools.

You know, it's funny, I hear this line a lot, but in my actual experience over the last two decades, I am having a hard time recalling an actual (albeit admittedly anecdotal) case of that happening.

+1 top PP, I'm a product of Catholic school and my kids attended one until 6th grade (now at a private independent). I am not a hard-core Catholic, imo there are lots of issues, but on this one I do think they get it right, so I'm just going to focus on this issue.

Catholics are really interested in each kid as an individual (think of it as they look at them as a unique soul). I know, you can roll your eyes on that, but it does affect their mentality toward the kids. They may not have an IEP program but they are very invested in helping out each individual kid. And they try really hard with the kids whose parents have issues (meaning...if the parents have problems, they want to really keep the kid in the healthy and supportive environment of the school; want to help that kid thrive despite the difficult home life). I don't recall anyone being kicked out (except I do know one kid who was not allowed to graduate from 8th because he hacked into and changed his grades. His offer to a Catholic HS--based in part on those grades--was pulled, and LSS, they are working it out so he may be able to go next year. There were some younger kids involved in this too and they were not pulled but I know there was a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff re them.)

The other thing that is very much stressed in the two Catholic schools that my kids attended is gratitude. It's just part of the value system. Being thankful for this, and that, and oh, this happened today, let's be thankful that that happened....we are so lucky; others are not, let's help them....on and on, every day. It's really good in that way. I believe gratitude is a (necessary but not sufficient) key to happiness, and happy people tend to be more productive and have positive effects on their environment...so, in that regard, I think the Catholic schools have got something right.

Tre Montessori model focuses on the individual child and on gratitude.

It’s true. There has been research done on the many similarities between a Montessori and Jesuit education believe it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad to live in Moco. The choices in Catholics are almost endless. We picked Mater Dei, Mercy, Prep and Holy Child. Soooo greatful!!

I get the sense that none of those schools are very diverse and all are very conservative. Is that the case.

Everyone I know who has had kids go through Mater Dei raves about it. I don’t think any of the Catholic schools in MD and DC are anywhere near as conservative as the Arlington Diocese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad to live in Moco. The choices in Catholics are almost endless. We picked Mater Dei, Mercy, Prep and Holy Child. Soooo greatful!!

I get the sense that none of those schools are very diverse and all are very conservative. Is that the case.

Of course!

They serve MC and UMC Catholics, who are committed to Catholic education for their kids. By their very definition, they are not all that diverse. Like Jewish schools and Muslim schools are not all that diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Catholic schools can kick out disruptive students and not worry about the missing tuition money for that student because they are not paying rent or taxes for their school property.

This ability to kick out or not accept disruptive students AND the religious emphasis on not sinning in Catholic schools combine to make for more orderly schools than public schools and some other private schools.

You know, it's funny, I hear this line a lot, but in my actual experience over the last two decades, I am having a hard time recalling an actual (albeit admittedly anecdotal) case of that happening.

+1 top PP, I'm a product of Catholic school and my kids attended one until 6th grade (now at a private independent). I am not a hard-core Catholic, imo there are lots of issues, but on this one I do think they get it right, so I'm just going to focus on this issue.

Catholics are really interested in each kid as an individual (think of it as they look at them as a unique soul). I know, you can roll your eyes on that, but it does affect their mentality toward the kids. They may not have an IEP program but they are very invested in helping out each individual kid. And they try really hard with the kids whose parents have issues (meaning...if the parents have problems, they want to really keep the kid in the healthy and supportive environment of the school; want to help that kid thrive despite the difficult home life). I don't recall anyone being kicked out (except I do know one kid who was not allowed to graduate from 8th because he hacked into and changed his grades. His offer to a Catholic HS--based in part on those grades--was pulled, and LSS, they are working it out so he may be able to go next year. There were some younger kids involved in this too and they were not pulled but I know there was a ton of behind-the-scenes stuff re them.)

The other thing that is very much stressed in the two Catholic schools that my kids attended is gratitude. It's just part of the value system. Being thankful for this, and that, and oh, this happened today, let's be thankful that that happened....we are so lucky; others are not, let's help them....on and on, every day. It's really good in that way. I believe gratitude is a (necessary but not sufficient) key to happiness, and happy people tend to be more productive and have positive effects on their environment...so, in that regard, I think the Catholic schools have got something right.

Tre Montessori model focuses on the individual child and on gratitude.

+1. I had my child in a Montessori, then public school, then Catholic school. I do agree about the Catholic school being invested in helping out each individual kid. My child had done well in the Montessori environment and I thought maybe it was having less uniformity and the focus on the individual child. The public school experience wasn’t great. So I was nervous about Catholic school having the image of 1960’s Catholic school like my father-in-law attended. When I was discussing it with various folks about considering Catholic school, I can’t even tell you how many people my age attended Catholic school for part of their academics and were appreciative of the experience, even if they were not Catholic, even if they weren’t sending their kids to Catholic schools themselves. That gave me the push to give it a try. For my children it ended up being the right move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad to live in Moco. The choices in Catholics are almost endless. We picked Mater Dei, Mercy, Prep and Holy Child. Soooo greatful!!

I get the sense that none of those schools are very diverse and all are very conservative. Is that the case.

Mater Dei is a great place for a very narrow slice of the population. It's mostly for kids, who check a lot of these boxes:

Catholic (especially practicing Catholics)
Local (Bethesda, Potomac, etc)
Highly interested in attending a Catholic high school after Mater Dei (especially Prep or Gonzaga)
Athletic (especially in team sports like football, lacrosse or basketball)
Confidence in the school's administration and faculty (not a good place for helicopter parents)
Interested in an All Boy's environment with lots of male teachers in upper grades

You don't have to check all these boxes, but the more you do the better the likely fit.

There are plenty of other alternatives to Mater Dei if this isn't your cup of tea. This is a private school and the policies and environment are not very malleable. Some will love it. Others will not.