Catholicism Undermined in Catholic Schools

[Tmesis]

I pass my opinions from experience because I lived abroad for a very long time

Yawn! You could be a greased-up loner who's never left his parish, eating pasta and ketchup for dinner for all we know. You arguments should be universal. i.e. they should work in all time zones.

Do you support all "faith" schools? Do you support Muslim schools that teach nothing but scripture according to the will of the parents of the child?

Timesis, I lived in the UK from 1988 to within the last 2 years. I can tell you that during that time there was the 2001 Bradford Riots I know because I happened to be near the town when they occured, Tony Blair entered Parliament on may the 2nd 1997 (I know because I watched it when there was still news at 10 before they scrapped it for a decade).

I also know that from my university days a friend who attended university in leeds discovered that 18 people who were involved in the 7th of July bombings went to both the universities in Leeds. There were also security checks at the institutions before the terms started again!

I lived in a city that had many parishes - not the one I think you must live in.

I also remember the GFA occuring in 1998 because all the channels were zoning in on the development.

That's interesting, but it doesn't tell me anything about your argument. I beleive that your experience informs your argument; it just doesn't make your argument.

[DaBrow]

I pass my opinions from experience because I lived abroad for a very long time

Yawn! You could be a greased-up loner who's never left his parish, eating pasta and ketchup for dinner for all we know. You arguments should be universal. i.e. they should work in all time zones.

Do you support all "faith" schools? Do you support Muslim schools that teach nothing but scripture according to the will of the parents of the child?

Timesis, I lived in the UK from 1988 to within the last 2 years. I can tell you that during that time there was the 2001 Bradford Riots I know because I happened to be near the town when they occured, Tony Blair entered Parliament on may the 2nd 1997 (I know because I watched it when there was still news at 10 before they scrapped it for a decade).

I also know that from my university days a friend who attended university in leeds discovered that 18 people who were involved in the 7th of July bombings went to both the universities in Leeds. There were also security checks at the institutions before the terms started again!

I lived in a city that had many parishes - not the one I think you must live in.

I also remember the GFA occuring in 1998 because all the channels were zoning in on the development.

That's interesting, but it doesn't tell me anything about your argument. I beleive that your experience informs your argument; it just doesn't make your argument.

Send your kids to a Non-Denominational school in Bradford and you'll see yourself that there are exclusive cliques or any other town in Yorkshire.

There isn't any strong effort made by different walks of life to mingle with other students who are different by Culture: or listen to sixth form students who go to a city sixth form college.

How about visiting some schools in the UK like what I have mentioned above and that could shift your viewpoint to something understands where I am coming from?

[imokyrok]

Dabrow, I'm sorry to hear that your personal experience of having children of different backgrounds educated together was so negative in the UK. My personal experience is that such schools work extremely well in Ireland. My children have attended two Educate Together schools. In these schools children of any and no religious faith are taught together. They learn a little about each others beliefs (and get to celebrate each others feast days which is a lot of fun!) They are also taught what is called an Ethical Core Curriculum which promotes the concepts of caring for and respecting all human beings. In these schools the different cultures are truly one big happy family, and difference is appreciated and celebrated be that difference of faith, language, ethnicity, abilities and so on. This might sound a bit clap-happy but surely is what should be the basis of any education system.

Because these child centred schools are such wonderful environments for our children they are far and away the most popular new schools with at least half a dozen being opened by Educate Together every year now. I hope that perceived past failures in this or any other country wouldn't prevent us for aiming for the best now and in the future.

(BTW the schools can also be used by individual religious groups to teach their faith after school hours. )