Posts by James Alvarez2

"We’re dropping the cake prices and contact info for the bakeries right here, so feel free to reach out if you need more details."

Where the hell are the actual cake prices?

feralmoose32 said:From what I can gather, they don't really do religious education through the church anymore—it’s mostly just handled through the public school system now... though I suppose there might be some local parishes out there still offering it, but it’s definitely not the norm these days...

Let me know if you dig up anything more concrete once you find out 😁

Not sure what part of town you're in, but every single parish near me—and there's over 15 of them—runs their own religious education program.

Late to the party, obviously, but thanks for getting back to me!

Since you mentioned 17" laptops are pretty hard to find, you think it’s smarter to just grab a smaller one? Like, maybe a 15" would be plenty for when I'm out and about, then I can just dock it to a monitor at home or the office...

If that's the move, you got any recommendations in the same price range?

Thanks!

Hey!

Looking for a laptop for some 2D/3D modeling work. I'll be running stuff like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and similar heavy hitters. No gaming involved.

My current Acer has been grinding through work for 7 years now, so it’s done its job, but I'm not picky about the brand.

Screen quality isn't my main priority—I just need things to run smooth. I've already got a desktop setup for everything else.

Storage space isn't a big deal for me.

Doesn't even need to come with Windows.

Screen size: 17 inches

Budget: $9,000-$10,000$0.00

Store: Online or physical, as long as they take Diners Club and offer installment plans.

Thanks!

Some schools are just running on chaos—substitutes who don't know a thing, kids getting schedule changes every single day without even being told... it's a mess. One little kid I work with didn't even have a math teacher for over a month last year, and they basically skipped the whole subject entirely.
(Washington, D.C., high school)

So you guys are actually going to his mass?
Or somewhere else?
If you're looking elsewhere, you could just ask a priest from a different parish to let your kid take communion since things are awkward at yours.

What’s the priest even doing? What's your problem that makes it feel like there's no other choice?

If you actually claim to be practicing, and I really hope you are if you’re signing your kid up for religious ed because you want them to receive their sacraments, then you should definitely be the ones making sure they're at Mass every single Sunday 🙂

What are all the other people whining about?
Do you actually have an issue with the priest? Or are you just repeating everyone else's complaints?

Kate Cox2 said:I simply cannot get involved in those kinds of high-level policy decisions... that is something that needs to be settled with the school board and the Department of Education... I honestly don't know how those bureaucratic processes even work. I can certainly empathize with the frustration some colleagues feel if they see others in a more advantageous position; I truly understand that.
But that is hardly a justification for everyone to go out with pitchforks and torches against religious education, trying to burn it at the stake and fire every single instructor in the field.
We need to solve the actual problems, I agree. However, this isn't the first, last, or even most significant instance of inequality among faculty members in schools—regardless of which subject they teach. Even if we were to fix the elective scheduling issue, someone else would inevitably end up under the microscope. While we shouldn't sweep issues under the rug, it’s unreasonable to suggest that the entire subject should just be removed from the curriculum because of it.
Speaking as a parent, I find it perfectly appropriate that such a subject remains available in our schools, and I am quite pleased that it does...
Therefore, if the discussion regarding religious education in schools is focused on how to resolve scheduling gaps for students or addressing why certain teachers lack the same working conditions as their peers in religious studies—then by all means, let's discuss that.

But let’s be realistic: that isn't what is actually happening here. This whole debate is being used as just another excuse to disparage religious education and the Church in general. Everyone seems eager to scrap the entire subject just because of scheduling headaches... give me a break, that's not even the real issue. Most people here are simply allergic to organized religion, so they are using children's scheduling conflicts as a convenient argument to eliminate the subject entirely.

Take our local situation, for example: more students opt for religious studies when it's scheduled at the very beginning or the very end of the day, whereas fewer students choose computer science, which is always scheduled before other electives in a block period. And yet, nobody ever complains about the kids who don't take computer science having to sit through a block period waiting for their other classes to start...
Are we going to start attacking computer science now too? 🤔

Well, I am talking about exactly that. Move religion class to an after-school slot or have them go to church, and I'll go to church. I help get the kids ready for sacraments. I prep them for singing, for Christmas/Easter shows, for reading, altar serving....
So what now?
You're saying it's easier for you if your kid has religion during regular school hours instead of an after-school slot.
Fine, let's just shove sports, music, and foreign languages right into the middle of the school day too, just so every parent can have it easy.

Kate Cox2 said:I simply cannot get involved in those kinds of high-level policy decisions... that is something that needs to be settled with the school board and the Department of Education... I honestly don't know how those bureaucratic processes even work. I can certainly empathize with the frustration some colleagues feel if they see others in a more advantageous position; I truly understand that.
But that is hardly a justification for everyone to go out with pitchforks and torches against religious education, trying to burn it at the stake and fire every single instructor in the field.
We need to solve the actual problems, I agree. However, this isn't the first, last, or even most significant instance of inequality among faculty members in schools—regardless of which subject they teach. Even if we were to fix the elective scheduling issue, someone else would inevitably end up under the microscope. While we shouldn't sweep issues under the rug, it’s unreasonable to suggest that the entire subject should just be removed from the curriculum because of it.
Speaking as a parent, I find it perfectly appropriate that such a subject remains available in our schools, and I am quite pleased that it does...
Therefore, if the discussion regarding religious education in schools is focused on how to resolve scheduling gaps for students or addressing why certain teachers lack the same working conditions as their peers in religious studies—then by all means, let's discuss that.

But let’s be realistic: that isn't what is actually happening here. This whole debate is being used as just another excuse to disparage religious education and the Church in general. Everyone seems eager to scrap the entire subject just because of scheduling headaches... give me a break, that's not even the real issue. Most people here are simply allergic to organized religion, so they are using children's scheduling conflicts as a convenient argument to eliminate the subject entirely.

Take our local situation, for example: more students opt for religious studies when it's scheduled at the very beginning or the very end of the day, whereas fewer students choose computer science, which is always scheduled before other electives in a block period. And yet, nobody ever complains about the kids who don't take computer science having to sit through a block period waiting for their other classes to start...
Are we going to start attacking computer science now too? 🤔

The kids who don't take computer science wait for regular classes or they just show up later than the kids who do take computer science?

And I don't get how you don't see the difference between kids waiting for computer science because they picked an elective, and kids forced to wait two hours for regular classes because someone shoved religion right in the middle of their schedule?

So that's awesome!
If you aren't interested in any of that (and no, in most parishes you don't need to do everything just to get the sacrament—honestly, in most Chicago parishes, just showing up to Mass and religious ed is plenty)—then don't sign the kid up for classes.

Look, I haven't lost my mind or my ability to see what's right in front of me. 🤷
Most kids in these programs don't even have parents who believe, so it's totally fine to pull those classes from the regular school schedule or just move them over to the church instead.

Who even suggested cutting back on religious ed hours?
I’d treat my kid’s religion classes just like any other elective—like computer lab, a foreign language, music lessons, sports, or whatever else...

Just like I’d take them to church for their religious studies.

If parents aren't into it, they shouldn't be forcing their kids to go.🙂
It would be way easier for me if I wasn't dealing with kids every Sunday who clearly don't want to be there because of their parents... parents who try to explain away why they have to rush out mid-service just because dinner is getting cold.
Plus, it’d save me the headache of watching parents just dump their kids out of the car right in the middle of the street in front of the church... kids darting across two lanes of traffic because the adults are too lazy to turn around. Or, heaven forbid, actually walking into the church with the kids.

Yeah, most people would be happy if we just pulled religious ed out of the school curriculum entirely or moved it to an after-school slot.
And honestly, having fewer "teachers" who actually graduated from a real university to get their credentials would be a nice little bonus.

Tyler Ruiz502 said:@James Alvarez2, regarding that point about religious studies: if we actually managed to strip those classes out of the public school system entirely, what kind of career paths would even be left for those teachers? Would they even have anything left in their field to actually work in?

I mean, where do theologians typically find work these days? I’m completely in the dark here—no background in this at all.

First off, maybe they’d finally stop overstuffing the programs, so you wouldn't get people enrolling just because it's an easy degree or a quick way to land a paycheck.

If they moved religious ed to after-school hours or into churches instead, they wouldn't need nearly as many teachers. Maybe then that smaller group coming out of college would actually bother being competent enough to work with kids instead of being total hypocrites. 😍

Also, most of these religious ed instructors aren't even theology majors—they usually just do some basic catechesis track.

Tyler Ruiz502 said:You don't even need a specific topic to figure out why they’re signing up. Real life tells you everything you need to know.

The whole point isn't that kids don't know how to check a box—if they don't, they can learn.

It’s really just the perfect little litmus test for any religious studies teacher. Within the first five minutes of that very first class in freshman year, they get a clear look at just how far these kids have drifted from the light. 😁

But you said you didn't get how they wouldn't have known how to cross themselves by then. 🤷

A smart teacher will use this to gauge how many kids have drifted away from church or prayer entirely.
And an even smarter teacher will realize that kid might actually be able to learn something beautiful from them, or hear certain things for the first time in their lives. They'll see they can play a special role in the life of a child who, right in front of them, didn't even know how to make the sign of the cross.
Some idiot teacher, though? He'll spend the end of the first period in the teachers' lounge counting how many first graders didn't know which way the hand goes, laughing at the parents, and complaining about how kids are being enrolled in his class—a subject that’s basically a protected privilege—just so he and 70% of his colleagues can keep their jobs in the school system.

Faith, which most of these "believing" parents (who drag their kids to prep classes) don't actually understand, is a completely different story.

And by the end of the year, when the sacrament gets close, we’re going to have much bigger problems with those types than with the ones who just signed them up so they aren't left alone in the hallway, so they aren't separated from George, or just to have the sacrament just in case...

Look, it’s pretty obvious from this thread why some parents sign their kids up for religion classes 🤷

And who cares if the kids don't know anything yet?
They'll pick it up in class. They'll learn at church. They'll learn during those religious studies sessions at church. They'll figure it out somewhere... 🤷

As someone who works with these kids when they're getting ready for their sacraments, I think it's way more important for parents to realize none of this is mandatory. Kids shouldn't be forced into it, and parents really shouldn't push things on them that they won't even do themselves. If they haven't learned how to make the sign of the cross by now, they can easily pick it up later.

Do you guys actually go to church?
Does she attend Mass?

First Communion matters way more than just confession itself.
Actually, I'm wondering... do you react to all those Fs the same way you did to this one from Sunday school?

Soks, what’s the deal with first communion? Why is that even the goal?

Is his mom really expected to wrap her head around the fact that if a grade is on a scale of 1 to 5, the kid can literally land anywhere in that range?

Back in my middle school class, there was this girl who, by the end of eighth grade, actually failed her geography quiz because she pointed to Washington, D.C. when asked to locate the US on a map. Got an F.

Then there was another girl who, after trying several times, couldn't tell you where human organs go or what they even do.

And we had this guy who, all the way through eighth grade, couldn't read more than 15 words per minute. Our teacher—who later became an English professor—actually tracked his reading speed at the start and end of every year.

When it came to literature, grammar, or geometry in eighth grade, most kids struggled. They hit that wall where just sitting in class or pretending they read the material before a test wasn't enough to scrape by with a C.

And those weren't just isolated cases from one class—it was across different subjects and different teachers. No one was properly supported; everyone was just checked out, both the kids and their parents.

Look, I'm not a teacher or a parent, but I work with kids. And whenever a parent tells me, "You know, he has this specific teacher," it almost always turns out that the teacher isn't the reason for the bad grades. Especially in middle school.

Tyler Ruiz502 said:I’d actually argue that parental influence isn't even the deciding factor in whether a kid eventually buys into the dominant religion or decides to walk away from it entirely.

In my humble opinion, that whole thing usually crystallizes during those post-puberty "formative years"—it becomes such an intensely personal matter that it often has nothing to do with whatever beliefs parents tried to shove down their throats earlier on.

But look, everyone has their own reasons for enrolling their kid in religious education in the first place. They had the baby baptized, too—mostly just out of tradition, because of where they live, or because Grandma insisted, or one parent wanted it while the other just didn't want to make a scene.

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I'm not even talking about how parents influence a kid's religious upbringing... I can't say anything about that part. My mom's from a different faith, and as for my dad, we just went through all the formalities when he was little. We weren't married in a church, never stepped foot in a service... I only wanted to take religion class because John was taking it, and I had a massive crush on him... 🤣 My sister dropped out after a few years because she just wasn't feeling it anymore... As for me, I end up having to decide every single year if I actually want to take religion class again next term. Though, honestly, they ask me the same thing about German and computer science too.

Parents are the ones who drive that whole "I'm going because everyone else is" mentality, and then they’re the first ones to complain when it actually happens...
It’s that one moment where you sign the papers for religion class and realize you're stuck... once you commit, you're dealing with all the baggage that comes with it.
It’s all about that moment when you tell a kid that priests are idiots, the church is a joke, the congregation is clueless, and the Sunday school teacher is a moron... then you force them to go sit through class with those stupid believers twice a week, only for them to be sent right back to that dumb church and those brainless priests...

Richard Perez3 says someone mentioned it... just in case.
For what exactly? What's that thing after... it can't possibly have to be right now...

Yeah, at the end of the day, it all comes down to what the parents decide. That's the bottom line...

Tyler Ruiz502 said:I honestly wish someone would experience a situation where, at a parent-teacher meeting regarding kindergarten enrollment—with the principal and the teacher both present—someone actually had the guts to speak up. I mean, if a religious instructor were there, wouldn't they appeal to common sense? They should be saying that we shouldn't be enrolling kids in religious education classes unless they are truly believers, or if living out those faith-based values is actually a struggle for them... especially when you consider things like the Eucharist and all that.

🙂

Why even bother bringing up the ceremony? Because let’s face it—no one is ever going to actually see that happen.

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I don't support having religion classes in public schools, and I don't really vibe with most of the instructors at the church where I volunteer, but obviously, that change isn't coming anytime soon. Not that I think it should, either.
They're just protecting their jobs, just like I protect mine. I'd never tell an investor not to show up to my office just because they aren't interested—especially since I rely on them to pay the bills.

But seriously, that's exactly why the parents' role here is way, way, WAY more important than whatever the instructor or priest is doing.

Sam Kim12 said:Look, if they understood what was in bold, they might actually get it.😉

Yes, attending Mass is a requirement—BUT it doesn't have to be at one specific service or one specific building and parents get rightfully frustrated by that rigid mindset😉...people head out on road trips or visit family in other cities during the weekend, and I fail to see why it's an issue to attend Mass in a place like Ogulin—why would that service be any less valid?

I already said Mass is valid anywhere and it should be treated that way.
And obviously, parents hate it when they can't go anywhere until after the service.

But I'm not talking about that, you're just cherry-picking what fits your argument.

There are way, way, way more parents like the ones I'm describing than there are priests like the ones we're both talking about.
This isn't just some random experience, it's mine.

I've been helping with sacrament prep for kids in my parish for over 10 years now—hundreds of parents, literally hundreds, just drop their kids off for religious ed without it meaning anything to them, without being interested in the process, or even trying to understand that prepping for a sacrament isn't just signing up for a class and showing up on the scheduled date. It’s the same story every single year—why is it in the morning, why do they have to come to church, why extra classes, why push them to morning Mass, why regular attendance, why force confession, why, why, why...

Maybe twenty parents per generation reach out to me saying they have traditions with grandparents, or sports practice, or games, or some other reason for missing a specific Mass.
And you know what's cool? They never complain. Solutions are easy to find, everything gets worked out with the teacher and the priest, and there's zero drama.
We don't track attendance with strict checkmarks here, even though we could. We don't grill the kids about where they were if they were somewhere else, and we don't force them into the exact same service all year long. If they're "short" on credits, and the kids actually want to fill their little booklets, they can show up to any weekday Mass, an evening service, an adoration hour, a vigil, or whatever else to fill the gaps. We have a great system that works, yet every single week, the same group of parents sits outside the church during Mass—while their kid is supposed to be inside sitting still and quiet—just hanging out, walking around, smoking, chatting, and laughing.
The best part? They're doing this while their kid is stuck inside having to be well-behaved.
No wonder the kids want to be outside too. 🤦

So who's forcing you? Who's forcing those kids?
You are. 🤷
Why does some priest need to dictate how your Sunday looks just because it doesn't fit your schedule?

Sure, there are terrible pastors, priests, chaplains, and teachers. Absolutely.
But their (lack of) responsibility for the crap they pull doesn't excuse the responsibility of the parents who sign their kids up for religious ed.

Honestly, if everyone who complains just chose NOT to enroll their kids, life would be easier for everyone. Easier for the kids first, then the parents, and then for me, since it's way easier to teach 10 kids instead of 30.