Why I Somewhat Enjoyed My Experience at a Catholic School

[Jamesican]

I've attended a private Catholic school for my entire life, and I'm graduating from eighth grade this year. About a year ago is when I really got into philosophy and theology. I was exploring for a bit, until I found Stef's YouTube channel, and became an Atheist soon afterward.

 

Up until recently, I had disagreed with my parents' choice to send me to a Catholic school. However, I now realize that this was for the better, in my case. Had I not gone to a Catholic school, I wouldn't have been able to talk to so many different people about my religious views and opinions. I don't think I would have thought about my religion as much either.

 

So, I'm looking for some different opinions and any suggestions. Keep in mind that I'm going to a public high school next year.

 

Thanks for reading!

[J. D. Stembal]

I'm curious about the reasons why your parents want you to go to public school after eight years of private school. Do you want to go to the public high school? Have you talked to them about self-directed study with tutors as needed? At home, you could probably get your high school equivalency in two years, and hit college or the job market by 16-17.

 

I'm trying to imagine what my life would have been like if I had not had to face the abject terrors of public school. I might have not been drugged by a psychologist (and my parents) at age 15, and subsequently not self-medicated with alcohol, cocaine, psychedelics, and marijuana for the next twenty years of my life. My parents did not factor those kinds of potential heavy tolls into their cost-benefit calculation. Who am I fooling? They didn't consider my benefit at all; they wanted me manageable.

[TheSchoolofAthens]

I've attended a private Catholic school for my entire life, and I'm graduating from eighth grade this year. About a year ago is when I really got into philosophy and theology. I was exploring for a bit, until I found Stef's YouTube channel, and became an Atheist soon afterward.

 

Up until recently, I had disagreed with my parents' choice to send me to a Catholic school. However, I now realize that this was for the better, in my case. Had I not gone to a Catholic school, I wouldn't have been able to talk to so many different people about my religious views and opinions. I don't think I would have thought about my religion as much either.

 

So, I'm looking for some different opinions and any suggestions. Keep in mind that I'm going to a public high school next year.

 

Thanks for reading!

When I was in elementary school, I was quite the Christian. Well, to be more accurate, my father very much liked to indoctrinate us into his religious faith. I remember one day, a kid in my 3rd or 4th grade class casually told the other children that he didn't believe in god. I told my father and he thought that the kid was nuts! Flash foward to 6th grade and my dad is a militant atheist, and by then I was just an atheist who would discuss my beliefs with others but was not constantly emerged in christian theology vs. atheism like my father.

 

You have the right idea to be thankful for challenge. Challenge makes us grow, makes us smarter, think about thinks differently or in new ways. But I would be careful to say something like "I'm thankful that I was put into a Catholic school." Really, you are saying "I'm thankful that I was put into a religious indoctrination center." (and given that it was Catholic, I assume it could have been a strict environment.) Public school really challenged me, but not necessarily in good ways. I wish I went to a Montessoris chool. I wish my parents sat down with me, and asked me about what kind of school I would want to go to, what I would enjoy, etc. My mom certainly got us into one of the best public school's in the area, even though it was farther away from us then the crappy public school across the creek. So my parents cared about my education, but not to the extent that a human being who is involutarily brought into this world deserved. I deserved to have been bombarded with questions (of course I am exaggerating with the use of the word "bombard") and they should have done countless hours of research. I would have been thankful for that.

 

I am not thankful for being put into an idoctrination camp. I am, however, thankful for the fact that I have overcome the challenges in my life and that I have been able to move forward from bad environments. The resilience of the human spirit is something to be thankful for.

 

[Jamesican]

I'm curious about the reasons why your parents want you to go to public school after eight years of private school. Do you want to go to the public high school? Have you talked to them about self-directed study with tutors as needed? At home, you could probably get your high school equivalency in two years, and hit college or the job market by 16-17.

 

I'm trying to imagine what my life would have been like if I had not had to face the abject terrors of public school. I might have not been drugged by a psychologist (and my parents) at age 15, and subsequently not self-medicated with alcohol, cocaine, psychedelics, and marijuana for the next twenty years of my life. My parents did not factor those kinds of potential heavy tolls into their cost-benefit calculation. Who am I fooling? They didn't consider my benefit at all; they wanted me manageable.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience in high school, but I don't think mine could be that bad. My parents are divorced and I live with my mother, who provides me with very good values. It was my decision to go to public school, mainly so I could be with my friends who were also going. From what I've gathered, it's a great school system. Besides, I feel like I would be giving up a lot of good future experiences by being home schooled.

[hannahbanana]

I also went to Catholic schools from pre-K to graduation...I can at least say that I am thankful for not going through public school. I believe that educationally, I was much better prepared for college compared to other people I met who went to public school. And by prepared, I mean I knew how to write an essay, hahaha.

I think that also, in a way, the religious classes I had in my school taught me enough about the religion to start seeing the holes. A lot of people who consider themselves religious just simply don't know about all the inconsistencies, and are okay with that. But when you start looking deeper, it becomes much easier to see how much of it just doesn't make sense.

It also gives me a little bit of legitimacy when talking about it with other religious people; it takes away their excuse that I'm just an atheist who doesn't really know anything about Christianity.

 

Would I say I am thankful for going to a Catholic school? I don't really know...it's difficult to say, because I don't really have a lot to compare it to. In a way, you'd just be trading religious doctrine for a statist one if you just went to a public school, so it probably isn't that much different in that respect.

Either way, you seem to be in a good place on your own right now, if you are already interested in philosophy and self-knowledge, and the strength you gain from that will probably help you a long way in whatever situation you are in. Good for you!  

 

It's true that in many situations such as this, it is possible to gain positive aspects from it, like being able to talk with different people about religions, as you mentioned. Although I'm not sure if it could be equated with "good." Like, maybe it was better than another possibility, but not the best of all possibilities. What do you think?

[PatrickC]

I thought it was interesting that you included 'Somewhat' in the title of this thread. So perhaps you might extrapolate on the ambivilence you had of your experience in Catholic school.

 

On an aside, whilst my own experience of both private and public school was truly horrible. I do know that old friends of mine that went to British grammar schools claimed to have had a much better time of it. However, these schools get to pick the top 10% of pupils in the area, so their IQ's were likely to be that much higher than those in public school. Although my issue with private school were mostly to do with the teachers rather than the other pupils.

[Carl Green]

... I feel like I would be giving up a lot of good future experiences by being home schooled.

 

Just keep in mind, public/private school isn't the greatest at teaching you anything really. You'll end up studying a bunch of stuff just so you can forget it in a week. If a subject is of interest to you, it might stick, but the other 3.5 years worth of stuff that you'll just end up forgetting will be a waste of time other than the experiences of hanging out with your current friends, who might not even end up being in your life after school.

[Jamesican]

I thought it was interesting that you included 'Somewhat' in the title of this thread. So perhaps you might extrapolate on the ambivilence you had of your experience in Catholic school.

 

On an aside, whilst my own experience of both private and public school was truly horrible. I do know that old friends of mine that went to British grammar schools claimed to have had a much better time of it. However, these schools get to pick the top 10% of pupils in the area, so their IQ's were likely to be that much higher than those in public school. Although my issue with private school were mostly to do with the teachers rather than the other pupils.

I would say 'somewhat' because there many aspects I really disliked. I was forced to go to Mass at least once a week, there was pretty much no outreach to non-Catholic students, and I was criticized and harassed by one student for weeks because he discovered my beliefs.

Just keep in mind, public/private school isn't the greatest at teaching you anything really. You'll end up studying a bunch of stuff just so you can forget it in a week. If a subject is of interest to you, it might stick, but the other 3.5 years worth of stuff that you'll just end up forgetting will be a waste of time other than the experiences of hanging out with your current friends, who might not even end up being in your life after school.

I'm sure from a purely educational standpoint that homeschooling is much better than any other form of education. However, every well-educated person I've talked to, including a staunch opponent of public schooling, says that learning with other kids (especially in high school) provides many life lessons and experiences that can only be learned through encounters and situations experienced with your peers.

[hannahbanana]

 

I'm sure from a purely educational standpoint that homeschooling is much better than any other form of education. However, everyone well-educated person I've talked to, including a staunch opponent of public schooling, says that learning with other kids (especially in high school) provides many life lessons and experiences that can only be learned through encounters and situations experienced with your peers.

Interesting point to bring up, and I've also heard it a lot...but I have doubts about it, and here's why: think about what really happens in school. You go to a room, you sit at a desk, and you listen to your teacher. Sometimes they ask you a question, but most of the time kids are too afraid (or whatever other reason) to raise their hands, and the teacher just ends up answering their own question. You are discouraged and sometimes even punished for interacting with the other students in the classroom. So sure, you are in a room with many other kids, but are you actually learning  with them? To be honest, if you were the only person in the classroom with that teacher, you'd probably be more likely to answer their questions and actively participate.

Another point, just because you are home schooled doesn't mean you have no other interactions with other kids your own age. There are home schooling groups, there are sports, clubs, volunteering, you name it. The two are not mutually exclusive at all, and to say so is a false dichotomy. So it can't really be viewed as a real argument for organized schools/against home schooling.

[Romulox]

I would say 'somewhat' because there many aspects I really disliked. I was forced to go to Mass at least once a week, there was pretty much no outreach to non-Catholic students, and I was criticized and harassed by one student for weeks because he discovered my beliefs.

I'm sure from a purely educational standpoint that homeschooling is much better than any other form of education. However, everyone well-educated person I've talked to, including a staunch opponent of public schooling, says that learning with other kids (especially in high school) provides many life lessons and experiences that can only be learned through encounters and situations experienced with your peers.

 

I agree that public school provides students with valuable life lessons and experiences that may help you interact with your peers.  I also see that as the problem; in the real world, you very frequently have to interact with people who aren't exactly the same age and didn't grow up in your home town.  That kid who harassed you in Catholic is a perfect example; look at how he responded when he met someone different than himself.  He'll probably got quite the rude awakening when he found out that almost no one in the real world shares his beliefs. 

 

I have recently taken two trips to Ecuador since summer of last year.  These were my first international trips of my life (not counting Canada), and during both trips I couldn't shake the thought of what an amazing educational experience it would be for a young child.  Spending two weeks interacting with both children and adults who are living on top of a mountain on $2 a day, no running water, and don't even speak your language; that was one of the greatest educational and social experiences of my life and I hope to share that with my children someday.  I would trade 12 years of public school socialization for those two weeks in a heartbeat. 

[Jamesican]

I agree that public school provides students with valuable life lessons and experiences that may help you interact with your peers.  I also see that as the problem; in the real world, you very frequently have to interact with people who aren't exactly the same age and didn't grow up in your home town.  That kid who harassed you in Catholic is a perfect example; look at how he responded when he met someone different than himself.  He'll probably got quite the rude awakening when he found out that almost no one in the real world shares his beliefs. 

 

I have recently taken two trips to Ecuador since summer of last year.  These were my first international trips of my life (not counting Canada), and during both trips I couldn't shake the thought of what an amazing educational experience it would be for a young child.  Spending two weeks interacting with both children and adults who are living on top of a mountain on $2 a day, no running water, and don't even speak your language; that was one of the greatest educational and social experiences of my life and I hope to share that with my children someday.  I would trade 12 years of public school socialization for those two weeks in a heartbeat. 

 

 

Interesting point to bring up, and I've also heard it a lot...but I have doubts about it, and here's why: think about what really happens in school. You go to a room, you sit at a desk, and you listen to your teacher. Sometimes they ask you a question, but most of the time kids are too afraid (or whatever other reason) to raise their hands, and the teacher just ends up answering their own question. You are discouraged and sometimes even punished for interacting with the other students in the classroom. So sure, you are in a room with many other kids, but are you actually learning  with them? To be honest, if you were the only person in the classroom with that teacher, you'd probably be more likely to answer their questions and actively participate.

Another point, just because you are home schooled doesn't mean you have no other interactions with other kids your own age. There are home schooling groups, there are sports, clubs, volunteering, you name it. The two are not mutually exclusive at all, and to say so is a false dichotomy. So it can't really be viewed as a real argument for organized schools/against home schooling.

Those are both valid and interesting arguments. I don't think I would feel afraid to answer questions in class, because I'm a very outgoing person. On the other hand, I'm not very involved in outside activities because I have no interest in them. So, I wouldn't be very connected to other kids if I was home schooled.