Woman in Real Life

Within our family, I did not attend Catholic schools growing up, while my husband did. My older brother attended a Catholic elementary school, but my mom decided to send my sister and me to the public school next door. Mainly her choice was related to the facilities - the Catholic school had open-concept classrooms at the time and she felt this was a distraction. I believe there was also a fee for attending Catholic schools then. Fast forward to today and the difference in facilities is not a factor. In fact, in growing areas like ours, there are many beautiful new Catholic schools.

Here in Ontario, we are fortunate to have options when it comes to where we send our children to school within the public school system. Both public and Catholic elementary and secondary schools are widely available in many areas, including here in the Greater Toronto Area.



Most of us as parents aren't primarily concerned with school buildings alone. We take parenting and the responsibilities that come along with it seriously, and we want our children to spend their days in school environments that not only educate them but help guide them into becoming caring and responsible citizens.

When I was pregnant with my first child (who is now 15), my husband was just completing his degree in Education. Having attended Catholic schools himself, he applied to work at Ontario Catholic schools. At the time, I was also working in public relations at a Catholic school board. It wasn’t really much of a question where would we send our children to school. In fact, my son now attends the high school where my husband teaches. (And no, he doesn't mind seeing his dad at school).

With our firsthand knowledge of the Catholic school system, my husband and I were confident and comfortable in knowing that our two kids would be educated in an environment that focuses on compassion and social justice, modeled on the example of Jesus. You don't have to be a regular church-goer to support core values such as acceptance and forgiveness of others.


As developing individuals in a complex society, my children have benefited from the focus their Ontario Catholic teachers place on values such as fairness, compassion, respect and concern for social justice and the environment. One great example from my son's Grade 9 year is the "Unburn" Book he created for Religion class. Maybe you have heard of the Burn Book, created by the character Regina George in the movie Mean Girls? It's a book full of rumours, stories, and gossip about her high school classmates. We all know these kinds of hurtful interactions take place among teens. For his Unburn Book, my son was asked to choose a number of people he admires and outline how those people demonstrate caring and model the Beatitudes (such as Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy). I thought this was quite a valuable lesson to get the kids thinking about how they speak about others.

Of course we don't want our children to live in a bubble with no understanding of other religions. In our diverse and global society, acceptance of other beliefs is so important. In his Grade 11 Religion course, my son will study world religions. Students learn about other faiths, such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Taoism and Sikhism, among others. Teachers often take them on excursions to mosques and synagogues.


Along with valuable lessons in subjects such as science, English and physical education, Catholic teachers share lessons that extend beyond the classroom. Sometimes our kids get a little tired of hearing life lessons from Mom and Dad and it's comforting to know that their teachers are reinforcing the core values we promote at home. Graduates of Ontario's Catholic schools participate in elections, donate to charities and volunteer at very high rates.