What should be the purpose of a Catholic school? Should it be to maintain high academic and behavioral standards so as to be able to achieve a high college graduation rate among alumni? Should it be to provide a place where students of normal and above normal intelligence and income can be prepared for college un-influenced by those of the lower income groups, by those who don't value education, special needs kids or by those who are not able to handle a college-preparatory curriculum? Unfortunately, especially on the high school level, I do think, that for all the fancy mission statements about Christ-centered values, those are the purposes.
To get into a Catholic high school in this area, students submit an application and undergo an interview. At the time of application, students are required to pick one school--they are not allowed to apply to multiple schools. The schools then decide whether to accept or reject each applicant. The more popular schools are able to be more selective, and tend to, all things being equal, accept students with higher grades/test scores. They are considered the "good" schools and because they are "good" they tend to garner more applicants than schools that aren't considered to be as "good." Students who are rejected by their first place schools may choose to have their packets sent to schools that still have slots to fill after the initial round of applications.
We were looking for a Catholic school for my son two years ago. We applied to a school in the city that, while it offered honors and college preparatory tracks, also offered special education services. We thought it would be a better fit for him than a school for special needs kids because while he has social issues, his academic performance had been on level, while what we generally heard from parents was that the academics at the school for special needs kids were not on grade level. He was accepted there and is nearing the end of his sophomore year. He will not be back next year. While we were considering moving him for academic reasons, the school gave us the "we aren't meeting his needs" speech last week and were told that this would give us time to find a more appropriate place for him next year. They suggested we try the school for special needs kids and said that "as we have been phasing out, they have been phasing in". Based on the "phasing out" comment, information provided by my son's psychologist and the request to remove him from public view, it is my opinion that the school is trying to move away from being the school for kids with special needs and towards being able to be more selective. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as I was told at open house three years ago by the special ed representative "you notice they have me off to the side and back here" and "we take these kids because we have to".
There are several problems with moving him to the special needs school. First, the precipitating event last week was behavioral. Without getting into details, he engaged in an unacceptable behavior; and while it was something he knew was against the rules he didn't realize HOW against the rules it was or why. He was absolutely flabbergasted with the school's and our reaction (we were told to come pick him up). While I think this was the precipitating event, they haven't been happy with him for some time. We were told a couple of months ago that he couldn't wait for us in the school lobby after study hall (after school care) was over, like the other kids who haven't been picked up do "because guest of the school are coming through there". That demand came shortly after the start of interview season. Since the special ed school's website indicates that they are not for kids with primarily behavioral or emotional issues, and since I've not heard good things from parents of other autistic kids, I'm leery.
I sort of kick myself for applying to his current school after comments like I heard at that open house, but it was a school the archdiocese recommend. I'll take the special school at its word.
As I noted earlier, we were considering leaving even before we were invited to do so. They initially placed my son on the college prep track based on his test scores and elementary school grades. We've never worked so hard for D's. The curriculum is heavy on writing, which is a weakness. The math classes have become more abstract. He is putting more work into school than ever before and getting poorer grades. Homework was consuming our family life and it seemed obvious that college was not in his future; however the curriculum offered by the school is straight college prep. While they offer "basic" classes to kids with educational evaluations who are not able to handle the college prep track, they are just simpler versions of the same subjects taught in smaller classes. In other words, my son, who struggled to pass algebra I still had algebra II, pre-calculus, chemistry and physics on the horizon. Also, despite the fact that school runs a block schedule that should allow for more elective classes, I saw nothing offered that could remotely be called vocational in nature. In short, I saw two more years of struggle for poor grades only to end up with a kid who not only was not college material but who also had no saleable skills--and this from the school that seemed most open to kids of all academic abilities.
Is this what Catholic education is supposed to be about? Is it only to educate the college-bound--or maybe special needs kids but at schools away from the "normal" ones? The archdiocese touts the high college attendance rate among graduates of their "regular" high schools, but they don't mention how many kids drop out, are kicked out or are counselled out. College is a wonderful thing, but are kids who aren't college material less Catholic?
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Yes Ma'am
Even though we live in the southern part of the country, people from New Orleans aren't "southern". We don't speak with a southern drawl, our culture is Catholic rather than Baptist, and we don't automatically address our elders as ma'am and sir. Even though I spent much of my childhood in Mississippi, my parents were from the midwest so I didn't grow up saying ma'am and sir either.
A few years ago our esteemed legislature decided that one problem with the schools was that pupils lacked respect for the teachers. Once you get north of I-10 in Louisiana, people are "southern" so the solution to this problem was to require that all public school students over a certain age address the teachers as ma'am and sir. My sitter is a believer in teaching them young, so since that point, she has made it a point to make sure all "her" kids know the proper form of address. The trouble is the only adult the kids have to address during the day is her, so they learn to say "yes ma'am". My youngest sounds so cute when she tells my husband "yes ma'am".
A few years ago our esteemed legislature decided that one problem with the schools was that pupils lacked respect for the teachers. Once you get north of I-10 in Louisiana, people are "southern" so the solution to this problem was to require that all public school students over a certain age address the teachers as ma'am and sir. My sitter is a believer in teaching them young, so since that point, she has made it a point to make sure all "her" kids know the proper form of address. The trouble is the only adult the kids have to address during the day is her, so they learn to say "yes ma'am". My youngest sounds so cute when she tells my husband "yes ma'am".
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Happy Mardi Gras
I got parading out of my system Sunday. My youngest wanted to spend time exploring and socializing rather than watching the parades, so I didn't see a lot. Since it is so crowded on Mardi Gras, and since we didn't have anywhere to go with easy access to bathrooms, I decided to stay home. My youngest and I went to the playground for a while and found some other party (or shall we say parade) poopers. I also managed to read two books today (and got very little housework done). I read Janette Oke's Once Upon a Summer and Jan Karon's At Home in Mitford.
Once Upon a Summer is set in rural America around the turn of the century. The main character is a twelve year old orphan who lives with his Grandfather, his Great Uncle and his Aunt, who is five years older than he is. Shortly after the book starts, his Great Grandfather joins them. The book focuses on his relationship with his Great Grandfather and with his Aunt Lou, who of course, is courting age. It is Christian fiction but except for one scene, pretty subtle about it. In that scene someone shows the main character about self-sacrificing love.
At Home in Mitford is the first in a series of books about an Episcopal priest in a small town. He works too hard and takes care of everyone but himself. It has a happy ending, and yet it leaves itself wide open for the books which follow. I'm going to be trying to get them, but after Easter.
These two are now on my Bookmooch list.
One Lenten resolution is to read some of the books I have, and want to read, but have been putting off because they require too much thought. They include C.S. Lewis's Surprised by Joy, Heni Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son, a book on recently cannonized saints, Patrick Madrid's Pope Fiction, Charles Carlson's Buying Stocks Without a Broker, Max Lucado's The Final Week of Jesus and a book about teenagers on the Autism Spectrum.
Once Upon a Summer is set in rural America around the turn of the century. The main character is a twelve year old orphan who lives with his Grandfather, his Great Uncle and his Aunt, who is five years older than he is. Shortly after the book starts, his Great Grandfather joins them. The book focuses on his relationship with his Great Grandfather and with his Aunt Lou, who of course, is courting age. It is Christian fiction but except for one scene, pretty subtle about it. In that scene someone shows the main character about self-sacrificing love.
At Home in Mitford is the first in a series of books about an Episcopal priest in a small town. He works too hard and takes care of everyone but himself. It has a happy ending, and yet it leaves itself wide open for the books which follow. I'm going to be trying to get them, but after Easter.
These two are now on my Bookmooch list.
One Lenten resolution is to read some of the books I have, and want to read, but have been putting off because they require too much thought. They include C.S. Lewis's Surprised by Joy, Heni Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son, a book on recently cannonized saints, Patrick Madrid's Pope Fiction, Charles Carlson's Buying Stocks Without a Broker, Max Lucado's The Final Week of Jesus and a book about teenagers on the Autism Spectrum.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Between Friends
I just finished another Debbie Macomber book. The title is Between Friends and it is about two women, both born in 1948 who grow up as and remain, as my daughter would say BFF (best friends forever). The story is told via their correspondence with each other and with others. The book includes references to "current" (as of the dates of the correspondence) events, and since I remember many of these, I found it a trip down memory lane. Neither of the characters gets the ideal life; both have much sorrow to bear, but both bear it well. The book has a pretty happy ending. I have mixed feelings about it though.
I'm 13 years younger than these women (who I'd guess, looking at her picture, are Macomber's contemporaries) so my experience of the world is going to be different from theirs. One of the women was pregnant when she graduated from high school, married her high school sweethart and went on to have three more kids, all unplanned. The main characters were both raised Catholic and graduated from a Catholic high school. While she doesn't come right out and say it, you definitely get the impression that this character left the Catholic church for the Protestant church where she attended Bible study. None of her kids were married in a Catholic church. During her marriage she struggled with the birth control issued and tried using rhythm with little success. After her fourth child, she had her tubes tied, figuring God gave her a brain and a budget and she needed to use the brains to stick to the budget. Her mother, after her alcoholic husband dies, ends up marrying a priest. On the one hand if Macomber was a Christian fiction author, I'd dismiss the whole book as Catholic bashing. On the other hand, the conflicts this character went through, and her resolution were pretty common for women her age. She started having kids in the mid '60's. My mom's kids were born in 61, 62, 64, 65, and 71 (with miscarriages in 60, 63, and 69). When I was in Catholic school, out of my class of 35 kids, at least 10 of us came from families of more than 3 kids. By the time my baby brother's group came through, big families were much less common, and most of the kids in his group who were from big families were the youngest. Catholic women my mom's age (born in 1930) didn't generally use birth control, at least until their families got "too big", and if they did, they felt guilty about it. Somewhere between her generation and mine, birth control ceased to be an issue for most Catholics--but those in-between women did struggle with the issue so to have a Catholic character of that age struggling with birth control is a very realistic thing.
The other major character also leaves the Church, and for the most part, God, until clost to the end of the book when she realizes she needs to surrender her will to His (or Hers). It is interesting to note how one character finds strength from God to deal with the adversity in her life while the other rejects God because of the adversity in hers. As I said earlier, the book has a happy ending and while not typical of Macomber's books, I'd say it was enjoyable overall.
I'm 13 years younger than these women (who I'd guess, looking at her picture, are Macomber's contemporaries) so my experience of the world is going to be different from theirs. One of the women was pregnant when she graduated from high school, married her high school sweethart and went on to have three more kids, all unplanned. The main characters were both raised Catholic and graduated from a Catholic high school. While she doesn't come right out and say it, you definitely get the impression that this character left the Catholic church for the Protestant church where she attended Bible study. None of her kids were married in a Catholic church. During her marriage she struggled with the birth control issued and tried using rhythm with little success. After her fourth child, she had her tubes tied, figuring God gave her a brain and a budget and she needed to use the brains to stick to the budget. Her mother, after her alcoholic husband dies, ends up marrying a priest. On the one hand if Macomber was a Christian fiction author, I'd dismiss the whole book as Catholic bashing. On the other hand, the conflicts this character went through, and her resolution were pretty common for women her age. She started having kids in the mid '60's. My mom's kids were born in 61, 62, 64, 65, and 71 (with miscarriages in 60, 63, and 69). When I was in Catholic school, out of my class of 35 kids, at least 10 of us came from families of more than 3 kids. By the time my baby brother's group came through, big families were much less common, and most of the kids in his group who were from big families were the youngest. Catholic women my mom's age (born in 1930) didn't generally use birth control, at least until their families got "too big", and if they did, they felt guilty about it. Somewhere between her generation and mine, birth control ceased to be an issue for most Catholics--but those in-between women did struggle with the issue so to have a Catholic character of that age struggling with birth control is a very realistic thing.
The other major character also leaves the Church, and for the most part, God, until clost to the end of the book when she realizes she needs to surrender her will to His (or Hers). It is interesting to note how one character finds strength from God to deal with the adversity in her life while the other rejects God because of the adversity in hers. As I said earlier, the book has a happy ending and while not typical of Macomber's books, I'd say it was enjoyable overall.
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