shadowcrane91 said:My kids walk to school by themselves.....
So basically—I'm just totally neglecting them..... poor things.....
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What exactly are you basing that conclusion on?
Not all kids are ready to walk to school alone in first grade.
Plus, we aren't talking about the commute to and from school here. We're talking about kids wandering around during a free period, being left alone in hallways, classrooms, or bathrooms.... leaving them to potentially run into an eighth grader who might decide to have a little fun with a random passerby, who happens to be a kid with a gap in their schedule.
And why do they even have a gap in their schedule?
Because someone issued a directive that religious studies must be held during a specific period, so if they don't participate, they just end up hanging around.
Personally, my daughter doesn't just hang around. She stays busy—reading comics, drawing, picking up a book from the library, or heading out to the playground.
But I also know that isn't how things are set up at every school.
She’s lucky enough that she isn't the only one in her class, so there's a small group of kids hanging out together during that hour. But I know for a fact that in many schools, that's not the case. You have kids sitting there completely alone, and not every school has a library readily available or a teacher with a free period who actually wants to supervise them.
Should kids, at the very start of their schooling, really be socializing with the janitors in the hallway? Getting to know the maintenance crew? Watching to see which parent shows up more often for updates (if they happen during religious studies)?
And for what purpose?
All because religious studies is mandated for a specific period.
Since your kids are already walking to school independently, why not suggest they walk to the local church for their religious classes? I assume you go to Mass together, unless they’re going to Mass solo too.
Would you consider having them come in during the afternoon session instead?
Or maybe suggesting they take a zero period in the morning?
This isn't about majorities versus minorities; it's about the fact that every child deserves a basic education and equal treatment.
We don't expect every child to have identical musical, athletic, or linguistic needs—so we offer those in different shifts or in the evenings, and parents drive them. Why then do we assume everyone has the exact same religious needs? Just because a majority expresses them that way...🤔