From the age of five, I have attended a Catholic school. At the time, I had no problem with this. You sung your hymns and pretended to be awake during the dreadfully long Easter Mass. However, things have changed, although I am still trying to stay awake during mass (that will never change), I have been less okay with the idea of going to a Catholic school.
The older I have gotten, and the more I have been exposed to different ideas, I have slowly drifted away from the Catholic faith. Why? Well, there are many reasons. Whether it is down to the fact that there are just simply too many ideas I disagree with or that the whole religion is pretty out of touch with the teenager of today, I would say the reason that stands out among all others is quite simply: Catholic school and arguably other faith schools help progress hatred.
This is not an attack on faith but an attack on how separating our children throughout a key part of their life can have a major impact on their future.
I truly believe that we can tackle the major discrimination issues in our societies through our children. Children are born into this world with no prejudices or concept of us vs them. Hatred is learned and the earlier it’s tackled the better. Schools are perfect to do this, but if we keep our children separate and categorize them before they’re even able to form their own opinions, I believe we are creating the conditions for hatred to grow.
We can see this through the two key political events this year: Brexit and the election of Trump. These were two times the white population came out in force to vote against a better future for all in the country. For example, Montana, which is predominantly white, voted for Trump. Many in communities like this have probably only rarely been exposed to any other culture other than their own. In contrast to this, those who lived in more mixed communities voted differently. This can be seen in New York, who overwhelmingly voted for Clinton.
It’s clear that there’s a connection between exposure and respect.
So arguably those living in multi-cultural communities are for the most part accepting of other cultures. However, it must also be put into consideration that these communities rarely have a significantly larger proportion of whites, which could explain the tendency to accept rather than push away something you’re not familiar with.
Although it can’t be ignored that being exposed to other cultures provides a better opportunity for hatred to be squashed before it can even start. Faith schools inevitably stop this from happening. Right away you’re only exposed to people with the exact same culture as you and this doesn’t help. Although some faith schools do teach their students about other faiths, it’s nothing in comparison to actually knowing and actively working with people who aren’t exactly like you. If we keep our children separate we instill in them that they are different and should stick to what they know.
I know from experience that in divided communities with opposing faiths that a culture of us vs. them does take place. I live in a community where there has been a historical tension between Catholics and Protestants. I remember how one day when I was younger, I was told by the other children that I couldn’t be friends with one of the girls I played with because she was Protestant and I was Catholic. So how best to tackle these situations? Well, it can’t be known for certain, but it’s hard to argue against the benefits of being exposed to other cultures.
There’s also debate over whether religion even has a place in school. At the end of the day, you’re there to get an education and not a religious rant.
By the end of our school life we’re expected to be mature enough to pick our future careers, surely that means we can also decide to either embrace or turn our back on whatever religion we were raised in.
My experience has shown me that a small minority of pupils my age would actually say they are a practicing Catholic. Some may find this shocking. Why go to a Catholic school if you have no intention on being Catholic? The answer is simple: our parents forced us to go. But in all seriousness, I am in that school not for the religion but for the education, as are many of the other students. To us, the words “Jesus” and “Christ” are only spoken when you receive your final grades.
To conclude, I am not totally against the idea of faith high schools. I am, however, in favor of there being a point where there is an element of choice. When you are old enough to sit exams, you are old enough to decide if this faith is for you or not. To me, Catholicism is a waste of time. I find no comfort in religion and, therefore, going to a Catholic High School can seem like quite an obstacle. However, I am aware that some do find comfort in that little wooden cross and I understand the reasoning behind sending your children to a Catholic school. However, faith schools should encourage, not force religion.
At the end of the day, I feel that going to a Catholic school has given me no extra help for when I take my baby-steps into the real world, but at least I know every word to the hymn “Here I am Lord”.
