Catholic schools are pro family???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, pro-family could be interpreted as family actually spends time together.

Then it is consistent.

[Anonymous]

This is going to be a fun comment to throw out there for the catholic school crowd:
the United States has a daycare issue because the economy we’ve built the last 40 years requires two working parents for the majority of families.
But there is a solution: tax the wealthy more money and fund a day care system. Oh yes, another socialist program in our capitalist society. But this sort of thing would require electing Democrats. And then you’re gonna end up with abortion rights and common sense gun control laws. Can’t have that. So let’s continue to elect Republicans, lower taxes on the wealthy, ballon the debt, and screw the middle class. And you can choke on your daycare issues.

[Anonymous]

It’s all BS. Schools were NOT like this 20-30 years ago. So don’t pretend it’s normal or necessary to give teachers time to “grade” their Schoology-based multiple choice quizzes.

And these schools have the freakin audacity to ask for money.

[Anonymous]

Talk to your principal. Our Catholic k-8 usually has aftercare on half-days. Alternatively, talk to some of your kids friends parents and see if you guys can swap childcare. I wfh and would be happy to host DD’s friends on a half day if needed.

[Anonymous]

I’m a SAHM who stays at home all day and watches The View and bakes cookies. So these half days don’t bother me.

Of course, with only one income, we have to live in some crappy small 1960s house and cram my 4 kids into it, but that’s the sacrifice I make so that teachers have time to grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk to your principal. Our Catholic k-8 usually has aftercare on half-days. Alternatively, talk to some of your kids friends parents and see if you guys can swap childcare. I wfh and would be happy to host DD’s friends on a half day if needed.

The funny thing is, the after care agreement specifically says that after care will be offered on all half days until 4:00. But they just ignore that provision after the school year begins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's school, not daycare.

I was about to say this. Also, the school gives you ample notice to make other arrangements. Sounds like the school takes care of its teachers by giving them plenty of time to work on 1st quarter grades? Good for them.

Are you really this dense? Grades are automatically and quickly calculated these days using various tools. This isn’t 1953 where the teachers sit there with an abacus to figure out grades. (Though ironically, schools in 1953 actually operated full time during the school year).

[Anonymous]

Penny wise, pound foolish. Their fund raising campaigns would probably be much more successful if they did just a few, minor, easy, inexpensive things to make families’ lives a bit easier. Like actually NOT cancel after care for days in a row.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s all BS. Schools were NOT like this 20-30 years ago. So don’t pretend it’s normal or necessary to give teachers time to “grade” their Schoology-based multiple choice quizzes.

And these schools have the freakin audacity to ask for money.

Actually, schools were like this 20-30 years ago. My mom had to deal with half days, full days off, spring break, winter break, and summer break. It was a public school, but at that time we didn’t have days off for Diwali/Eid/Yom Kippur/etc.

My wife works from home, and with a kindergartener it’s reasonably feasible to give our daughter an art project to do while my wife works. Not ideal, but not impossible like it would be with our preschooler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It happens in liberal schools. I think schools might be pro-family but also pro free days for teachers.

“Free days for teachers”?

Catholic schools seem to be very aware of the crushing workload placed on a teacher’s shoulders. Knowing that teacher morale and retention positively impacts students, many Catholic schools try to give teachers some occasional time at work to get work done. Doing this supports appropriate work/life balance and keeps teachers (who are paid less than public school teachers) from jumping ship during a nationwide teacher shortage.

- Catholic school teacher entering hour 3 of grading essays on this Saturday morning. I have about another 5 hours to go. So please, don’t tell me I have “free” days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Oh, and to make it even worse, no virtual option for attending parent-teacher conferences (even though that option was readily available during “covid” and was a simple thing to implement).

Curious why Covid is in quotes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the recent schedule of my k-8 Catholic school in Alexandria that supposedly is so “pro-family”:

10/31 - half day. No after care

11/11 - half day. No after care.

11/12 — half day. No after care.

11/13 - half day. No after care.

11/14 - no school.

11/25 - half day. No after care.

WHEN TF ARE PARENTS SUPPOSED TO WORK????? Or is this school only for families with SAHMs barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?

Oh, and to make it even worse, no virtual option for attending parent-teacher conferences (even though that option was readily available during “covid” and was a simple thing to implement).

So is this school “pro family.”?

Should they persistently be asking me for money (especially when I’ve already paid for “after care” that’s not even offered multiple days a month)?

At least public schools don’t claim to be pro family (and don’t cost tens of thousands per year).

Four half-days? Why not just close for two full days? Half-days are the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's school, not daycare.

I was about to say this. Also, the school gives you ample notice to make other arrangements. Sounds like the school takes care of its teachers by giving them plenty of time to work on 1st quarter grades? Good for them.

Are you really this dense? Grades are automatically and quickly calculated these days using various tools. This isn’t 1953 where the teachers sit there with an abacus to figure out grades. (Though ironically, schools in 1953 actually operated full time during the school year).

For one thing, writing still has to be graded by hand. Scantron tests have been around for a long time, but if you’re at all interested in the kids learning to think critically, you want exams that are not multiple choice and require the kids to solve more complex problems and show their work. If you’re into 100% IXL learning or simply using AI to grade papers I guess it could be 100% automated, but I doubt very many people would go for that.

Second, how do you know that schools operated “full-time” in the 1950s? I don’t have any old schedules, but I’d bet that because almost all mothers were stay-at-home in that decade there were likely very limited aftercare options.

[Anonymous]

They’re only profamily in the fact they’re anti birth control lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you OP. They could give teachers time to grade and hire subs to keep the kids entertained those afternoons. It’s really not that hard if they valued making working parents’ lives easier. Plus much more efficient than each family hiring their own sitter or readjusting schedules. Just smarter all around.

We wouldn’t want to pay for that extra care. We both work from home and have flexible jobs. We actually like the days off and half days because it gives our kids a break from the structure of school.