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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can you elaborate? I know the kids don't participate in communion, etc. (but they go to masses); at least they did at my school. Besides that, how are the kids impacted in the classroom? How are the parents impacted? NP btw.[/quote]

If you feel fine, I'm sure your family is fine.  However you are probably not super cliquey.  It's a problem with the snobs / elites in the school. We ignore those people too though.[/quote]

NP.  I have to agree with this.  We tried two Catholic Schools (and, yes, paid the Protestant rate - I hate that hurtful parent who keeps popping up saying the prots. are trying to get a private school education on the cheap by going with Catholic Schools).  We admired the values of the schools; the communities; the intact families; and the devotion.  It's very hard for me to put a finger on . .  but we were never trulyl welcomed.  Many of the families had grown up in the parish or in the neighboring Catholic schools and were very tight.  They just didn't seem to have "time" for new people.  I'm the dad - both my wife and I tried to get in the spirit. We did the auctions, the trips, the fundraisers, everything . . but there just seemed to be an elite (in their own minds) clique that did everything together.  It worked well for the first year, then started to fall apart.  Other protestant families left too.  I found the gossip repellant.  There was no teacher sympathy for any kids that any type of learning issues or alphabet issue (ADHD/OCD/ADD/Anxiety disorder/executive functioning).  Granted most of the teachers had no training in those areas but I watch kids really suffer when the teachers yelled at them and were punitive about missing papers, bad penmanship, homework assignments, acting out in class.  My roommate from law school had also been educated in Catholic schools and explained that the guilt he carried was enormous.  I saw that in action in the two schools we tried.  I would never do it again.

But to answer the first question.  Yes, the non-catholic kids sit with the class during communion (depending on your grade many of the kids may not be able to take communion yet themselves).  The children usually go up and cross their arms to receive a blessing but not the Host.  Many of the festivals the schools hold (crowning of Mary, etc.) will be new to your child.  Facility with Hail Marys and rosaries is expected.  Some schools, like Oakcrest, have religious homework that one Prot. friend found disturbing.  The head of the school or related Priest may try to spend special time with your child to encourage him or her to become Catholic.  Or, in our case, they were ignored.

But what I found most troublesome was the way the teachers treated the kids, each other, other parents, and the gossip among the parents.  We were glad to leave and never looked back.  It was not the best moment for the Catholic Church and my family will never become Catholic due to the negative experiences we had.  And, yes, that's why some Christians say Catholics aren't Christian.  I did not have this feeling before we tried Catholic Schools.  I definitely have it now.  And, no, I'm not a Catholic basher.[/quote]

The fundamental purpose of Catholic Schools is the propagation of the faith. There is little interest in using them to recruit new Catholics.

[b]These are schools for Catholics run by Catholics and frequently supported by the parish. Protestants that choose to take advantage of them should understand this.
[/b]
The presence of Catholic schools in the inner cities is another role or mission. The church is providing a sorely needed alternative to the public schools[/quote]

Prot. here who tried Catholic schools.  They definitely wanted my kid.  We weren't "taking advantage" of anyone.  If Catholic Schools do not want protestants and are going to be cruel to them then they should not open their doors to them.  And they definitely should not charge the DOUBLE protestant rate.[/quote]

No one opened any doors for you. You applied. They had space and could use the money. They charged you a price that you agreed to. Even at 2x the price was probably lower than the alternative.

The question is were they --- leadership, teachers parents and other students --- willing to accommodate you the the extent you would like them to. In your case, the answer was "No".

It gets back to the purpose of these schools. They are to serve the Catholic community and to propagate the faith. Protestants who choose to apply and attend should go into this with their eyes open.  The schools are an extension of a larger community of which you are not a member. I doubt if anyone is being overtly cruel.  It's no fun being a minority, is it?

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