Religion: Peeved Parent

Required by the church to send their children to parochial schools whenever possible, Roman Catholic parents are not always happy about them. Last week the Jesuit weekly America printed a long letter from Mrs. James R. Cronin, 31, wife of a roofing contractor and onetime Chicago reporter, who has four children in St. Philip Neri School on Chicago’s South Side. Not all of Pat Cronin’s grievances were major, but many would probably be recognized by other Catholic mothers. Items:

¶ “Why ask an eighth grader in a questionnaire: ‘Do you think your parents are too strict? Or do you think your parents are too lenient? Give the reasons why.’ . . . Frankly, I don’t think it’s anybody’s business how we handle our children; especially, it is not for our 13-year-old daughter to sit down and ponder and write about her parents’ at-home techniques. Suppose she decides we are entirely too strict. Does she call us into the living room for a friendly but constructive chat, or does she discuss us with her teacher—or what?’

¶ “On to the school play, which was really excellent—but costly! We spent, for a patron’s contribution and tickets and costumes for four, $26.40. Isn’t that steep? Does the same thing happen in public schools? Was it really good to have the schoolchildren in their uniforms seek patrons from among the neighboring store owners, mostly men of other faiths? This money goes, I understand, for lay teachers’ salaries. Surely there is another way to raise such funds; it isn’t up to the children, is it?”

¶ “Speaking of matters monetary, what’s with the missions? They must be perking, if all the lower grades are as busy in their behalf as ours. There are penny parades, raffles, candy and cooky sales, statues and holy cards and rosaries to buy: you name it, Sister thought of it last week. (As I understand the parade, the children march around the room, dropping pennies in the mission bank until they run out of funds, the object being, of course, to stay on their feet.) For the upper grades, the approach is more subtle. You forgot your tie? Put a quarter in the bank or stay after school. And this is really ingenious: Sister ‘sells’ the desks to the class by way of an auction. You want a certain seat, you bid dimes and quarters against your classmates. Winner gets the desired seat, missions get the money, parents end up screaming.”

¶”Worthy of another article and somebody’s research time would be a look inside their [text] books. You would be amazed at the influence of Catholicism on American history. Jamestown and the Puritans are strictly underplayed; what counts is the early missionary activity. Even geography takes on Catholic overtones, and at our house we are still trying to answer one quiz question, ‘Who discovered St. Anthony’s Falls?’ “*

¶ “The mention of books leads to homework: Where is it? When I finally asked one Sister why there couldn’t be more of it (hardhearted mother!), she explained that hers is a split class: two grades in one room. She teaches one class in the morning and assigns ‘homework’ for the afternoon, when she teaches the other class. If I understand the procedure, some of our children actually attend school for one-half of the day . . . No wonder we often sense a lack of discipline when the children report the day’s activities!”

Concluded Mrs. Cronin: “If anybody has the answers, please—write, wire, phone. Do something!”

“Bless you, Mrs. Cronin; you have compiled the best list of contributing causes to teachers’ headaches that I have seen in a long time,” wrote Sister Mary Ransom, dean of Louisville’s Nazareth College, in a not entirely convincing reply. Sister Mary’s points: 1) questionnaires are an attempt to find out which children suffer from unhappy homes and thus enable the church to offer help; 2) play costumes are costly and so too are the increasing number of lay teachers needed in growing parochial schools; 3) mission collections teach children to make sacrifices; 4) Mrs. Cronin could help improve her children’s textbooks by working with Parent-Teacher Associations; 5) if the play nets enough to pay an additional ?teacher next year, the doubled-up class may be separated—if another classroom is available (“This is a national problem, as you must know”). Concluded Sister Mary: “The Sisters would be jubilant if they discovered that from now on they are to be free to teach.”

*The Falls of St. Anthony in Minneapolis were discovered and named by Franciscan Father Louis Hennepin in 1680.