John Scalzi has me thinking once again about aducating our kids. Specifically the advantages and disadvantages of private, public, parochial, and home schooling.
Mel and I are both non-christians, but I was raised as a catholic, in Boston, in the late 80s. That has pretty much put me off the catholic church for all time; but there is one thing I very much like about the church, and that is the general quality of modern catholic schooling.
We live in Arizona, which has some of the worst public schools in the nation; we have two girls, a 4 and a 2 year old, and we're thinking of more kids.
We don't intend on raising our kids to be catholic, but we are very seriously looking at catholic schools; because they offer rigorous academic discipline. If choosing a jesuit school especially, they offer an education in LEARNING; not just in those facts necessary to pass standardized tests.
In particular I'm a big fan of independent reading, logic, debate, and disputation; all core tenets of a jesuit education.
...Oh and never understimate the value of learning latin; especially if your chosen profession involves science, medicine, or the written word.
Most catholic schools we've looked into do require a religion class every semester, but I've sat through those classes, read the curriclae etc... and they are most defeinitely not of the proseletyzing variety.
The modern churches philoshophy is to present the religious "facts" to people, give them the tools to evaluate them in a spirtual context of faith, and choose for themselves; even including the choice of no faith. Faiths other than catholicism are represented, and debated, as well as core catholic tenets.
Even though we don't want to raise our children catholic, I think this is a valuable experience.
The other fact is this, there are perhaps a dozen decent catholic schools within easy range of our house, and all of them cost less than $10,000 per year, with several of the closest less than $5,000 (and even less for their kindergarten and preschool programs). These schools also have large charity programs to allow for students of lesser means to afford their schools. The good secular private schools in my area mostly run over $20,000 a year, and that's even for first grade.
It's important to my wife and I that our girls get an education that doesnt exclusively consist of overpriviliged Scottsdale assholes; but that still insists on discipline and academic rigor. We have looked at Arizona public schools and found them laughably bad; and we don't see a better alternative than catholic schools for this.
We've thought about homeschooling, especially since Mel (my wife Melody) wants to stay at home at least until the kids are all school aged, then finish her degree (I'm pretty OK with that idea myself).
The problem however is that we can't ensure we will always live in a homeschool friendly area. Then theres the custody issues with their canadian genetic material donor. British Columbia is notably hostile to conservative and libertarian Americans, nver mind homeschooling from them. Hell I'd bet they wouldn't be too thrilled about catholic school either.
Also some colleges still look at homeschooled kids kinda funny (never mind the general public); no matter what their educational approvals and qualifications may say, or how far ahead of other students they may be (generally considerably).
Mel went to standard public schools, and was pretty much miserable for every second of that time. I had what might be termed as a hybrid education.
My family were poor in income, but lived in a rich town (single mom, father in prison, struggling independent business owner, rich grandfather who rented us a house at price we could afford) so I had a decent public school to attend; but I had scholarship opportunities to Milton Academy (I mostly grew up in Milton), Newman Prep, Judson Academy, and a few other prep schools. My mother decided that she didnt want me growing up with the elitists (a view she now deeply regrets, but she was steeped in 70s bullshit at the time).
The hybrid part was in that I attended public schools, but because of my "exceptional gifts", beginning in third grade, and all throughout my primary and secondary educational carrer; I spent half my time in a program that sent me to special classes at private schools, local universities, and private lectures.
This program gave me excellent educational opportunities, far beyond what my other public school mates were recieving, even in what was at the time considered one of the best public high schools in the country. In fact, after about sixth grade, my time in standard public school classes was for all intents and purposes, wasted (academically anyway). I had an interesting social and extracurricular life (I'm a big strong boy, and I co-captained football and wrestling), but academically it was pointless.
Unfortunately my unusual education also very much skewed things on my college applications; because I wasn't issued a standard high school diploma. At the time my school district didnt allow early graduation, even though I had finished high school at 16; and in order to leave school they required I take an equivalency exam.
I was able to gain admission to all my colleges of choice; but it took a 1540 SAT score, 28 advanced credits (AP, achievement tests, and college courses I took while in HS) a waiver from the district, AND extensive (as in several months worth) conversations with admissions staff to get over the hurdles.
It also invalidated me for almost any financial aid eligibility my freshman year.
This was all because I worked "outside the system". In fact getting anyone to even consider going "outside the system" was a major difficulty for that entire period of my life.
Perhaps things are less rigid today; but if I had instead gone to an "elite" private school, I wouldn't have had those problems; nor would I have had nearly as much wasted time as in public school.
Additionally, an education at one of those schools would have provided me with extensive personal, and professional contacts; that would be invaluable in most career choices (though probably not mine as it is).
Thing is though, I have said above I don't want my daughters to grow up exclusively around Scottsdale assholes; and I meant it. I think that an education exclusively at upper middle to upper class schools fosters a sheltered outlook on life, and a general lack of skills for dealing with those unlike you; and hell, just the real world as a whole. Not only that, but high school is enough of a conformity engine all by itself without class pressures added into it.
That said, I won't deny there are a lot of advantages to the "elite" institutions; and although I have been quite successful in my chosen paths, I think it would have stood me in good stead to take advantage of them when I had the opportunity.
So what do we do? When I'm in a good gig, we can certainly afford good private schools, but we don't like the social environment (regardless of it's advantages). Homeschooling may give an excellent education, but I'd like my daughters not to have to buck the system like I did (and have it buck back on them as it did me). Catholic school just seems to be the best option here.
