Anonymous wrote:My DS was way behind the other kids when he switched from Catholic school to a Montgomery County public school. The hardest part for him was learning how to answer questions that required him to be creative or think for himself. He would just freeze and not get anything down on paper. He had no idea how to do creative writing- he only knew how to answer questions with "right" or "wrong" answers. He had a whole team of experts at MCPS who worked hard to get him up up to speed and he is doing very well now but it was a struggle for a while.

I've had the opposite experiences. As a public school teacher, kids from Catholic schools were advanced. I have no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps your son wasn't a good fit for the school. My daughter, who's 7, is reading a grade level ahead, making inferences, and learning the basics, which are often overlooked in the public systems. I can't tell you how many of my freshmen couldn't recognize a sentence from a fragment - and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

So I doubt your limited experience is the norm.

A whole "team" of experts worked with your son? Perhaps they were evaluating him.

I wish I could afford a Catholic school but as a single parent, money is very tight right now. I'm a teacher myself so I know what my son's public doesn't do very well (spelling, writing, handwriting) and I am making sure he is up to speed in these areas. Just curious what other people liked about their Catholic school and how they compare it to public.

My DS was way behind the other kids when he switched from Catholic school to a Montgomery County public school. The hardest part for him was learning how to answer questions that required him to be creative or think for himself. He would just freeze and not get anything down on paper. He had no idea how to do creative writing- he only knew how to answer questions with "right" or "wrong" answers. He had a whole team of experts at MCPS who worked hard to get him up up to speed and he is doing very well now but it was a struggle for a while.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP. Just got back from vacation and have enjoyed reading the responses. I went to both public (elementary) and Catholic schools (middle, HS and college). I hope to send my son to the same.

I'd flip if I were you.

A strong K-8 foundation will take your son anywhere. Do the K-8 Catholic and then you can save your money for college while he attends public high (assuming, of course, the high school is good).

- public school teacher with a child in a Catholic school

Anonymous wrote:Catholic schools can teach guilt, small-mindedness, judgemental-ness, sexism, and self-hatred, too.

Ha! Perfect!

A public school teacher told me not so long ago that he was afraid to discipline unruly students because he didn't want to end up in hot water with the Administration or be sued by the parents of the miscreants. So to hang on to his future pension he has decided to "go along to get along".

I missed the Catholic school classes in guilt and self hatred. I guess you must mean the message on doing the right thing. I can see where that might create some guilt and self-hatred among those who choose not to. This guilt and self hatred was formerly called having a conscience.

I'd say "Judgemental-ness" is way under-rated as a subject. Lack of it seems to have facilitiated all of the social pathology we see around us.

If you want your kids to swm in the sea of "everything goes" and "there is no right and wrong" and "who are we to judge" be my guest. I'd prefer that the messages we give at home are reinforced at school.

I'm the OP. Just got back from vacation and have enjoyed reading the responses. I went to both public (elementary) and Catholic schools (middle, HS and college). I hope to send my son to the same.

I switched from public to catholic in high school. I was in e upper level and honors classes but when I switched I had to be caught up in the grammar, math, and science. It was almost like they were almost a year ahead for curriculum. When I got to college I was so much better prepared for the rigorous work load and being held accountable for my work, yes getting a D on a well written paper is fair if you can't remember to write your name on it or forget the bibliography.
Just like at work, if you are asked to do something you need to do it correctly

Leave it to someone to dog the Catholic Schools. Most people have written really sane posts here. The emphasis has been the overall traits the students develop ...not just reading and writing and test scores. Bravo to most of the folks here.

Anonymous wrote:Catholic schools can teach guilt, small-mindedness, judgemental-ness, sexism, and self-hatred, too.

well...we are not applying to this fictional school you have dreamed up

Anonymous wrote:Catholic schools can teach guilt, small-mindedness, judgemental-ness, sexism, and self-hatred, too.

really? My daughter doesn't fit the description above.

ANY kid can come away with those traits if they're raised in a crappy environment. Maybe your upbringing was exactly memorable.

Catholic schools can teach guilt, small-mindedness, judgemental-ness, sexism, and self-hatred, too.

Our son is on a waiting list for a Catholic school for K. One of the many things that we like about this school as opposed to our supposedly great public school is on Mondays, all the kids gather in the gym from K-8 and learn the theme of the week. The themes are things like honesty, compassion, friendship etc. So that is a big selling point and I pray we get in this month.

When we went to the orientation at the public school they were very focused on how the lunch box was packed...seriously.

Anonymous wrote:Emphasis on sports is the key for me.

The Catholic schools we are looking at for our children are not sports oriented. I think most school, public and private, have sports for the kids to get involved with because that is what kids are into. I went to public school and football games on Friday nights were popular. I think you are being unfair.

Emphasis on sports is the key for me.

I went to Catholic schools pre-k through HS, parish schools, independent Catholic and archdiocesan.

Things that Catholic schools do better:
-teach discipline, respect and responsibility. You are taught to respect yourself and others and be responsible for your actions.
-reading and writing: when I went to college, I was so far ahead of my peers because I had years of rigorous vocabulary, literature and Latin in addition to English.
-sense of community and social justice teachings. You are taught that there is more in this world than just you. That you should contribute to the greater good and help those less fortunate than you. You are taught that social injustices harm everyone, not just the target group (i.e. the poor, the sick, the elderly, children, racial/ethnic groups).
-you learn about world religions and are taught values
-you are held to a high code of conduct
-you develop close friendships with smaller classes
-you are taught about learning for knowledge's sake
-iron a shirt? check! Hem your skirt? check! polish your shoes? check! 25 years later, I am one of the only women my age that knows how to sew, iron properly and polish and repair my own shoes.