What to Expect from Public School System in Relation to Faith?

The school my son goes to bends over backwards to avoid any mention of any faith. It's a little un-nerving since it wasn't such a big deal when I was growing up and everyone seemed to get along. Sunday school will cover what you want. If the public school taught anything about one religion, they'd have to cover something for all of them, and the day just isn't long enough (there are SO MANY).

Public school will teach them to a certain degree about holidays , but as for everything else you mentioned no you are not going to get that taught , there are so many different religions & many students in the school that they cannot teach all of them , this is why there are private schools for particular faiths.

Hi T.,
Public Schools provide educational services, religion is NOT a part of it.

Please keep an open mind about the Public School System, become an active partner in education with your child's teacher and school, build relationships and enjoy the process.

As far as your faith and religious teachings are concerned, please take it upon yourself to teach her at home, or become a part of your church community and let her experience sunday school.

Please remind yourself often, just like the Private school teachers, Public School teachers are doing their best each day if not more, even though they get paid much less for doing the same job.

It can be a wonderful NEW opportunity for you, your husband and your daughter to have this new experience. Please try your best not to compare Private Schools to Public Schools. God's Grace is very much alive each day in Public Schools too.

Kindergarten is a wonderful time, have fun on this journey.

God Bless
N.

PS: I respect Public School System, hope others learn to do the same. We are living and raising a new generation for future's Global Economy, lets teach our children to be a loving, kind human being that is not biased based upon our religious beliefs, color, race etc.

Don't count on the public schools to instill religious beliefs. It's not their job. They teach concepts like kindness, respect, factual holiday information, math, reading, science, social studies and writing (whew!). Last time I checked the United States was based on the separation of church and state. I'm glad of that b/c I feel that religion needs to be taught by parents. I'm a Christian, and I feel comfortable letting the public schools EDUCATE my child. It's MY job to teach him morals and beliefs.

Public school teachers can have a difficult task balancing such societal values as treating others with compassion, discouraging racial or religious slurs, teaching ethics or philosophy, or even keeping an open mind, because as long as 30 years ago, conservative Christian activists were insisting that schools avoid teaching "values" for fear of contradicting what any family might choose to teach at home.

The unfortunate outcome is that teaching students anything that isn't clearly academic is now difficult, and must be presented as non-religious. Even some science is controversial. If schools go beyond limited comparisons of world religions, parents can and do charge religious discrimination, or complain to school boards about any teacher who crosses some vague, shifting line, no matter how respected that teacher is by most of his/her students.

It is risky for teachers to mention anything that might hold any religious connotation for any of their students. In spite of this, teachers have an obligation to help their students become whole, balanced people – many families still expect that to be part of any education. There are more children in every generation who are simply not getting the moral training at home that would help them become functional members of a healthy society.

In spite of the hurdles, many teachers manage to model the kind of compassionate thoughtfulness that any parent would be happy to have their children emulate. As you observe, the teacher makes the classroom what it is, so your daughter will probably have a varied experience over the course of her education, with differing styles of teaching and discipline.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, however. Exposure to different personalities and styles can be seen as more interesting than threatening, depending on the parents' attitudes. Tolerance is a good thing to start learning young – this is not the same thing as indulgence, and it's good to help our children make that distinction.

While teachers are not permitted to lead prayers, or favor or display any particular religion, prayer in school is not prohibited; students are free to pray themselves at any time, and to congregate with like-minded friends, and to hold lunchroom conversations about any topic. I've had various connections with public schools in many different capacities for many years, and unlike Kelly S, I have never seen (or even heard of) public school teachers belittling any religion in front of their students. Their jobs would be at risk if they did so.

I went to private Catholic school all the way through College. I never considered it for my son, because I wanted him to be exposed to diversity. Here in NY and I'm sure everywhere you can go on a website mine NY Public schools and see what the school you are entering your daughter in is graded. All schools are graded and the site will explain what the grades are based on. His school is an A+ school. Education is their priority. Religion is taught at home and for my son at Sunday school as well. His classroom is so diverse he has buddists, muslims, all christian faiths, hinduism and jewdism. His friends share their faiths and backgrounds with him and we know he embraces their differences and thinks they are all "cool". Have an open mind it is not as scary as you might think. Think about the extra money you will also have to get your daughter into dance, sports or other fun things.

I know that religion evokes strong emotions, so I hope I am not being offensive.

Opposed to some opinions I sometimes read, teaching civility and respect have NOTHING to do with one's religious beliefs.

If you wish for your child to be educated in a school that matches your religion, you may want to look into scholarships and financial aid. Many private schools offer it for families that could not otherwise afford to send there kids to a private school.

I would be very offended if our public schools would propagate a religious faith I a don't agree with personally.

Good luck.

Most teachers will teach explicitly about respect and caring but they do not teach about religious holidays. They don't pray and won't necessarily make time to pray, and in a public school your daughter will meet people of all faiths and of all beliefs.

I encourage you to change your frame of reference - rather than wanting your child to have similar experiences to home and meeting people like her, I strongly encourage you to embrace this as an opportunity for your daughter to learn how to work with and appreciate people who are different from her. At home, you can talk about your values and remind your daughter that all people have the right in our country to live and believe how they like and that we need to respect them. What's more, however, you can help her learn from all these differences - every person has something to offer us. Those who are different have even more to teach us.

Gosh - Public schools (especially in your area) are certainly not something to fear or to feel like a bad parent about.

Public schools are funded to make basic academic skills available to all. And in recent decades, they have also accepted the burden that typically fell to parents. Teaching things like honesty, responsibility, kindness, fairness, caring, understanding, personal hygiene, health & nutrition. I could go on and on. It is no wonder the schools are overwhelmed. It is truly too bad that parents are either too absent or too lazy to do their job and are foisting the burden unto our public school system.

So the short answer from my perspective is: Instill religion and all those other wonderful things into your children while they are on your clock (at home) and your daughter will be fine.

BTW -- Another thought I have is that religion should be TAUGHT (not practiced) at school. I took an Intro to World Religions class while in school and by delivering it in an academic fashion and exposing students to all sorts of new/unknown beliefs...What could be wrong with that?

There's supposed to be a separation of church and state. So, unless the schools in MN are really different, I would expect that they don't teach religion. That is what church is for.

On the other hand, it's highly unlikely they will trample on your religion either, so you should not have to worry.

No... schools' have to be politically correct... and not be "religious." This is not saying they are bad and ignorant... it is just the way the world is... and they have to sort of be sanitized, in terms of "religious" teaching.. no matter what the religion is.

As far as wanting your child to learn those things, as a parent, you can enroll them in outside bible classes etc. Teach them at home etc.

There are Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, "Happy Holidays" versus "Christmas" etc. and kids do do "Easter" things. At least at my daughter's school. And they say the pledge of allegiance in its original wording. Some public schools don't.

I would just suggest: that each school is different... as as much as it may be disappointing to you, that "public" schools may not have "religious" teaching... that they are obligated to the public citizenry, to not be skewed... or favoring any one way. So, it is sanitized and/or made generic. As a parent... it can or cannot be a point of issue... or a point of debating with the Teacher/Principal and 'demanding' that they do do these things. It is out of their hands. They are employees of their given State.. .and have to uphold the policies of a "public school."

If a child wants to pray before meals, they can. Or some schools have clubs...

In public schools, at least at my daughter's school... they teach all the kids about attitude and behavior... that is the school's policy. It can be a more palatable version of the "Golden Rules"... and to me it is. But, all grade levels are taught good basic manners/attitudes, and to be kind to others... etc.

Public schools are also rated...and if you go online, you can research the ratings/reviews of public schools. EACH school, has its own emphasis and philosophy...about it, and teaching the kids.
Thus to me, "public schools" as a whole, cannot be across the board critiqued for not teaching certain things, or if they do. They are each different. Like any private school.
Not all public schools are "bad."
My daughter's public school is highly rated... and has won many national awards. The children there, are also very good kids... despite the non-teaching of religion.

Ultimately, I believe, that public schools gives a child a wide world view... and how to interact with all types of kids/people. And to ALSO know, from home, about their "beliefs." Which, it is started at home. But if you also want your child to learn religion/beliefs at school... then you would need to send your child to a school that does emphasize those things.

I am not against religion, and I was raised by faith believing parents... and went to religious private schools myself... but I am not hindered by that or by schools that are not religious centered either. Because ultimately... it is how you grow up... at home, and that it is also important to be aware of all kinds of world views, in an un-biased way.

All the best,
Susan

Public schools are really great at teaching tolerance, caring and acceptance. Our son's school is having a non-profit group there today to talk about acceptance for those with disabilities. They teach good values but don't do it with any religion tied to it, because they serve children from a variety of religious backgrounds and no religion "wins out." Our son's school gives out awards each month to students for displaying values such as honesty and responsibility. She can certainly pray before meals, but there won't be talk of God in the classroom (other than in the Pledge of Allegiance). Our school celebrates all of the holidays you mentioned (except St. Nicholas's Day) but doesn't delve deep into the religious aspects. They also talk about other holidays, such as Hannukah and Kwanzaa.

If you're looking for religion to be part of her education, public schools won't fit the bill. But if you're looking for a school that teaches positive values, she will get that.

Homeschooling could be an option for you if you want to teach good moral and religeous values.

Try homeschooling. You can give them the education of your dreams!

My daughter went to a christian pre-K and kindergarten then started 1st grade at a public school. It was a big change for her. They do not teach anything about holy days. It is winter and spring break not Christmas and Easter break. There is no Easter party,etc. Valentines and St. Patricks day are secular only. They do still teach things like do unto others just because the Golden Rule is essentually part of our civilized culture.
My daughter is blessed to have a christian teacher so she is able to share things with her. The school with not teach or encourage praying before meals (or any other time) learning anything about God (or creation) etc. You need to have a strong faith training at home and in church. My daughter is struggling a bit in science (even in 1st grade) because it is taught differently then it was in Kindergarten and in her beliefs. But she is strong enough in her faith to know truth. She prays herself before snack and lunch, i hope she never gets in trouble for thisbut she may someday- depending on the school. My son never went to christian school but still knows his faith- he is willing to take a bad grade then answer that the world evolved or was created by the big bang or string theory or whatever junk they teach in school, etc.
They are not allowed to teach anything about faith or religion, beliefs, etc. So that is completely your job! I love the school my children go to. It is a great public school district however if I had the financial resources I probably would send them to a christian school but I believe I have the next best thing. You may get lucky and love your school and the teachers there so don't go into it negatively but don't expect them to be the spiritual teacher/leader of your child. That is your job.
Hope this helps :)

I wnat my kids to lean about God and Christ and all the holidays associated with Catholicism, but I do not want religion to be taught in public schools, therefore i send my kids to catholic school. The reason I do not want religion, any kind, to be taught in public schools is because kids come from different religious backgrounds and unless a school want to dedicate the whole year teaching different religions then what's the point. In public schools Christmas should be about Santa, easter should be about easter bunny, if it is not, how will kids from other faiths feel? my suggestion to you is save up for a private school if you want your child to get religious teachings.

T.,
I may be going against the current here, but public school will educate your child with the things she needs to learn. They will not teach religion but they will be exposed to all of the holidays our state observes. They will do activities for Valentines, Martin Luther King Jr., President's Day, Easter (Good Friday), Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Jewish Holidays, African American Holidays, the works. It is from you and your husband that your daughter will learn what you celebrate and what you don't. My children all go to public school. When they were little I would keep them home in Halloween, so they wouldn't feel bad about not doing activities at school and going on a parade like the other kids. But I sure explained to them why we didn't celebrate it. Now that they are older, they don't have a problem with it. They will teach them about character and behavior, what is and is not acceptable in school. But again these are things that they learn at home first and they are being re-affirmed in school.
Your daughter is going into kinder, so I would not be so concerned right now, knowing that you will teach her all the principles at home and hopefully by the time she needs to go to middle school (or maybe before) you will be able to put her in private school.
I can not stress enough how important it is that you teach her these values at home. When my oldest told me he couldn't pray for his food at lunch, I told him "sure you can", you don't have to pray aloud for everyone to hear you, but you can pray quietly.
Just make sure that the school is a good school, get involved in the PTA/PTO (parents teacher association - parents teacher organization) etc., try to volunteer in her class. They are always looking for parents to volunteer, this way you can build a relationship with the teachers and the principal. And God forbid you have any issues later on, they will see it from a parent that cares and gives back to the school, rather than from a nagging parent. I did, and it worked. I was able to get my 3 children with the same kinder teacher, why? because after work I would go in and read to the kids or do anything else the teacher needed help with. I was in charge of the weather emergency list for the school, so the teacher and principal knew that I would be there for them, but I also needed them to be there for me. I could tell you a lot of things that God showed me favor with them, but my point is; be involved and never expect the teachers to teach your child the principles that you believe in. It is much better when it comes from you. We live by example to our children, and I tell you; I am not perfect and they know it :)
I wish you the best. Pray that God will open the doors for you to send your child to a private school or home school her if that is your desire. He will do it!!!
Blessings

The Lord has been removed from public schools. : (

For school CHRISTmas is about Santa.
Easter is about the Easter Bunny and on and on.

They will teach her to stand in line, be quiet, keep your hands to yourself.

They do not talk about the Lord at all. They don't care if your child prays at lunch time, they only want them to eat fast and hurry up.

This is all VERY SAD.

They do this because, all of the children in the school come from different faith's and they can not offend someone else's faith.

You will need to teach your child what you believe in at home.

I wish you the best and GOD BLESS. = )

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm a Christian, too, and I don't worry about putting metaphorical walls around my sons. I want them to know about the world, and about other cultures and religions. They go to public school, where they are thriving, and I am a public school teacher myself.

In school teachers can and do teach something ABOUT religion -- we don't teach that one religion is better than another, however. That would be a pretty awful and disrespectful thing to do to the Muslim and Jewish children in our classes, as well as those of other faiths.

We don't celebrate Halloween, which I think is something of a disappointment, because some Christians think Halloween is satanic (blargh!), and because the Hmong find it frightening and uncomfortable, and we do not want to offend the families of our widely diverse students.

We don't have Christmas break or Christmas parties, of course, because that would be unfair to the children of other faiths. We do teach tolerance and respect for others, and we do teach values such as kindness, sharing, friendship, and so on.

Your children will be fine. I would be concerned more about whether or not your local school is a good school. You can teach them about faith at home and at church.

hi don't give up on sending your daughter to a private school most of them offer tuition assistance but you need to enroll her early if you can start looking now my daughter is in 1st grade at a catholic school and i will never let her go to a public school

Susan said everything perfectly...

I didn't even want to get involved in this type of conversation because it is one that stirs up lots of opinions in all of us....but I wanted to point out to you that some public schools (unfortunately my son's school is one of them) no longer allows any type of celebration for any holiday except Valentine's Day, the kids are allowed to pass out valentine's day cards and candy but they have to be all the same and not addressed to anyone in particular (so no ones' feeling gets hurt).

They do absolutely nothing for Halloween and kids are banned from wearing costumes to school, any party they may be allowed to have (it is up to the teacher) before "winter break" (this used to be called Christmas vacation) is called a "winter celebration" (once a Christmas party)...etc, etc!

It is all very "neutral and safe" and very politically correct...so there will be no discussions of God and his grace, in any form BUT your daughter will not be taught anything anti-God/anti-religion either...there is no place for God in the public school system.

When I was growing up we had all the parties and celebrations, heck we even celebrated Cinco de Mayo...can you tell I grew up In LA!

I second the person who said look into "financial aid" or what not at the private school you are interested in....as well as the woman who said it would have been better to "educate" about all religions but practice none, that would have been better than taking them all away! IMHO

Public school teachers are not allowed to teach anything resembling religion. However having said that they do have what in our district is called the Character Counts program. basically how it works is there are 6 pillers
Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship. Kids are taught basic manners and empathy, how to work together etc.... It is a wonderful program.

It's unfortunate that our government takes our money and doesn't let us choose how our child is educated. The long term solution would be to get the government out of educating our children. A short term solution would be to homeschool. Yes, it takes a lot of time and hard work, but what is it worth to have your child educated in the way that you see as best.

There will be no praying before meals in public schools (that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen, unfortunately). ALL holidays are addressed, but typically from a non-religious approach. Our kindergarten teacher does an EXCELLENT job of teaching loving behavior, making good choices, treating each other with respect, etc. Specific faith will not be taught except from a standpoint of becoming aware of other religions and to respect other people's views...depends largely on the teacher and school.

They can't teach about religion or faith based stuff. They can teach to be nice to one another etc, but not in a faith based way. My child got in trouble for taking a bible to school, which upset me, because it was for private reading time. Some times you can get scholorships to church schools if that is the route you want to go. I would look into the possibility if that is what you really want which it sonds like you do.

Do not expect much from public schools. I would concentrate on Sunday school and doing what you are currently doing, ie, teaching her to pray, playing with children that have similar beliefs.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day...all these are reduced to glitz and any religious connotation is avoided. It is one reason our family is looking into private schools...

Separation of church and state.

Your child will learn nothing religion wise except an overview and that is usually only from a cultural or religion class you choose to take in high school. The rest you are taught nothing about. That is all up to you.

My children's valentines day party was just a party with a heart theme and a time to decorate cupcakes and exchanged valentines. They don't have Christmas parties or programs as religion based schools do.
They have winter parties and snowflakes are everywhere. No santa, no christ.. nothing.

St Patty's day (which we just had) They all wore green as to not get pinched as the tradition goes and when they left for gym they came back into a room that had been messed up by the leprechauns looking for their gold.

So as you can see everything is up to you. They will teach nothing for or against your religion.

Don't know if this is your actual school district:

http://www.district112.org/

But it would be the best place to start regarding what your child will learn in a public school setting.

Hi T.,

I home school my kids, but I sent time ago my older kid to a public school, Public Schools are public schools; schools where there is a diversity of children and people of different races, beliefs, economical situation etc. That is the reason public schools do not observe or celebrate certain holidays or special days ; In my opinion is the way to manage things or situations and nobody feel left out. I remember ( because I home school my kids now) the kids would have activities for Spring, Winter, Fall.
Schools have rules and policies to encouraging good behavior and certain moral values for children, but you won't see praying or God's learning etc.
Whether or not you decide to enroll your daughter in a public school, keep teaching her your values and a strong foundation about your beliefs while showing her the nice and wide diversity that is out there in the world.
Good luck and look for a good public school.
Alejandra

well, at least at my school, they did various activities for holidays - like bringing valentines for classmates on valentine's day and things like that. they try to keep things as neutral as possible, i think, when it comes to religion, so the kids don't feel pressured to be a certain religion. i see no problem with your kid praying before lunch, but be prepared if she gets picked on for it. the majority of kids in public schools don't generally do that....

You should go to the school that your daughter will attend and talk with the teachers. Kindergarten teachers are great.

I teach in a public school, and have for the past 9 years. Religion is not taught. However, children are allowed to pray, just not asked to nor is it recommended or talked about by the teacher. If your daughter wants to pray before she eats, the teacher (or another school employee) can't stop her from doing so. Just expect that your daughter will be saying a prayer by herself, not with group of children. I have had several children say their prayers during a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day each day. It is completely allowed. The problem people run into with prayer in school is that teachers and coaches may not conduct a prayer and cannot ask or force children to pray.
Holidays are talked about and classroom parties are held for some holidays in the district I teach in. However, we don't teach specifically about the holiday from a religous standpoint. I have done activities in the past that ask students to research different holidays different cultures observe. This falls under teaching about culture and religion is part of many cultures.
As far as my experience growing up and teaching in a public school, all the teachers have always tried to teach manners and respect for each other. In fact, the middle school I currently teach at spends every Monday in homeroom teaching about character education and bullying (as does every other elementary and middle school in our district).

You will not find that in a public school. They will not go near religion and praying before meals.....

I always went to a public school however I was not raised going to church. Now that I am I wish we could afford to send my daughter to a private school but like you we just can not. I have to agree with most that the school will teach your child about math, science..etc. But you will have to teach all things pertaining to religion. They will do partys for each holiday( at least most do) and that will include Halloween. Even just keeping them home from the party will probably not be enough as my daughter learned songs about ghosts and witches and the kids all talked about their costumes. We decided to let her go and used it as an opertunity to teach her our beliefs on witches and ghosts..etc.

Public school systems are no longer able to teach about the "Holys" as you stated them. There is no longer Christmas but Winter Holidays in order to incorporate all religions. The school my son goes to does teach the golden rule but for all the other the others they leave up to the parent to teach. I went to public school but learned about the religion from my church and what my parents taught us. We all turned out okay because we were still taught all that we needed to from the church & parents.,

Better start saving for a private education. Teacher encouraged praying before meals, learning about God's grace and surrounding your daughter with like minded Christians does not belong in an public school. Just because you cannot afford to pay for the religious education you want to give your daughter don't expect a taxpayer funded, educational sysytem to do it for you. My kids go to a public funded charter school and they teach them quite a bit about a lot of different religions with no one being promoted. It's an international school so they are taught about different religions in context of world geography and history. Other than that religion has no place in a public school, period. Consider how people of other religions or atheists would feel about the teacher having students pray before a meal. It sounds like you are giving your daughter the religious education you want to at home, why not let her participate in an education that teaches her tolerence and that not everyone thinks exactly the way your family does?

By reading some of the other responses, it will obviously depend on what state/city/district your child will go to? My childs (public) school every morning, after the pledge of allegiance, has a moment of silence, for those who want to say a prayer or whatnot, but everyone is quite. They also still call it Valentines Party and Christmas Party. They do use the seasons when referring to all breaks i.e. Fall Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, Summer Break. At Christmas the school office puts up a Christmas tree and in most classrooms (up to the indiv teacher to have trees and decorations) they also always decorate the school/classroom according to each holiday theme. If your child wants to say grace before a meal I don't see that it would bother anyone. On the occassions I have eaten lunch at school some kids do bow their heads and no one says or thinks much much about it. There really is nothing they can to if your child shuts their eyes and bows their head before taking a bite!

no religion is allowed in public schools at all.

Public school will be a secular experience for your daughter. They do not teach about the religious aspects of holidays in public school. Your daughter will be exposed to many different types of children and beliefs as each child brings experiences from their home life with them. But it's not as if she will be "taught" these other beliefs but she will be exposed to them. Because you seem to have significant concerns for what she will or won't be exposed to have you considered home schooling? You could then find a home schooling group that shares your beliefs and ideals.

There is no reason why your daughter can't pray before her meal at school though.

Don't expect anything as far teaching the christian religion. Depending on how liberal your area, I've even heard of teachers mocking christianity. Pretty much, christianity is the least desirable religion according to the public schools. Your child will be taught plenty about sex ed though. I went to a pretty descent public school, but I grew up in a fairly conservative county. It's pretty much up to you, to teach your children your values. I would really pound them in their little heads, because some teachers, will try to indoctrinate students. I think over all, public schools in the suburbs aren't too bad.

My daughter is in preschool, which also has private K, today they had a Spring party =[

in my son's class they celebrated all the holidays, not necessary from a religious perspective, but they do celebrate them. They don't use religious terms but they do teach concepts of sharing, taking turns, others feelings, etc. Good luck!

pretty much religion is not allowed in schools. in case you havent heard they arent allowed to pray, or do anything otherwise in schools. depending on where you are though.... some smaller rural schools might bend the rules a bit more but im sure larger city schools dont. they probably dont even sing religious Christmas music. Christmas is santa and etc.

im sure they encourage niceness, a basic "golden rule" mentality (asking a child to put themselves in the shoes of someone if they hurt someone, that kind of thing)

some schools where i live allow kids to go to the nearby church for "release time" - but i doubt that happens in bigger towns.

heres the thing; if you really want your child to go to a private Christian school, i would do everything in my power to do that. the thing is that usually those have a lot of financial assistance, you can always have people send gifts to a fund at the school there. and my BIG thinking on that subject is that if God wants your child to go to a Christian school (which i would think that He does!) He will provide a way. you have to take a leap of faith and completely trust that HE will provide for you. take a closer look at your budget. go through a dave ramsey financial peace university class. use dave ramsey website to find out more information - write up a budget, find something to sell, etc. find ways to cut your budget. make sure that food, shelter, transportation and utilities get paid first; everything else isnt a priority (though i would put my child's school in the top 5 if i were you!)

ask family/friends to send small monitary gifts (if they can) to help give your child this opportunity. ask members of your church (ESPECIALLY the grandma types or those without children, they would LOVE to be given the opportunity to help the younger ones !)
dont be afraid to ask for help, even if its just that someone pray for you to be provided for and given guidance for God during this time to show you the way!

my parents could not afford to send my brother to a private Christian high school. the school knows that miracles happen; so they accepted him into the school, and the money has been taking care of itself. trust in the Lord and you will see miracles too! :) if you do truly have to send her to public school, its not ALL bad, my brother was until he was 15 in public school and i and my sister were both in public school, but after seeing my brother COMPLETELY change after being in private Christian school, i KNOW they are better for kids than public. BUT, as long as YOU are there to back up your beliefs to your child - especially if you have the evolution/creation confusion... you can talk to the teacher, you can teach at home the idea of a "guess" and the truth, whatever. you have to spend a lot of time playing backup to the school. it can be done, to this day im fine i understand public schools hands are tied and i shouldnt expect them to teach my kid religion, thats my job, but it is easier and more comfortable to just send them somewhere you trust for good Christian education.

anyway, good luck. God lead you!

In Texas, I taught for 5 years and now I am a stay at home mom. Yes, it really will depend on the teacher. As a teacher, I often said "would you like Joey to hit you? Then no you may not hit Joey." I taught 3rd graders to say "Please don't do that. It bothers me." twice before coming to get my help with a bothersome classmate. Some other teachers are completely different. I am a Christian woman, but never mentioned God unless it was addressed to me first. And when I did, I said "Well I believe . . . . " For example, in 2nd grade, we went over where we live and the leaders of each. IE: the city we live is such-n-such and the leader is the mayor. The state we live is Texas and the leader is the president." As we got farther one girl said that the leader of the Earth is God. I said that I agreed and that 'some people including me yes believe that.' But other teachers would have maybe ignored the topic. I don't know.

And yes, every year I've taught, we've done Christmas and Valentine's and St. Patricks homework pages or celebrations. We've never done Easter or St. Nicholas' Day. Yet in one school I worked, if you had a Jehovah's witness in your classroom, they were not allowed (by their religion) to do such worksheets, so if you had that one child in your class, you were not allowed to give them that worksheet- they would require a different one. Some teachers opted to give no children at all the Christmas worksheet if that one child could not have it. Am I confusing?

My suggestion is to make sure you teach your daugher your beliefs at home. Remind her that she may pray before she eats her lunch every day at school. She is very allowed to do that. If she does things like that, perhaps the children that also pray at home will be drawn to her and she will find friends most like her.