New to Catholic schools down in Miami and Coral Gables area (Tampa: apartments, homes)

[point80]

Well of course noone on this thread has all the specifics of the decision you're faced with, but I'm going to say that your concerns are unfounded. I would guess that your kids are actually going to benefit from schooling down here...even if they feel a little bit out of place. Scratch that...they will benefit BECAUSE they feel a bit out of place. Kids need to be challenged.

By the way, we live in Doral. We are white and represent about 2% of the population here. My young kids are doing great. Everyone has been very gracious. I'm starting to wonder if my kids would get such good treatment and make such nice friends in the middle of causasian America somewhere.

So just live where you work. Commuting stinks.

[WINTERFRONT]

[Cocoricoco]

Originally Posted by JAWFAN

Hi, I have 3 kids in catholic schools up North and it looks like a huge difference in price and culture down there in Miami/Coral Gables. We want to continue with Catholic school, but how do I say this?? My kids go to a school where the majority is caucasion--this is going to be a huge difference. Uh, where do all the caucasion children go to school because even the best Catholic schools have very few caucasion children. I doubt we can afford Ransom, Gulliver or Miami Dade. I don't want my kids to feel out of place. I grew up in NYC in public schools so I am not opposed to cultural differences but I do want my kids to feel comfortable.

In Miami there are no Catholic Schools for Caucasion children. Could you explain what a Caucasion Children is? Are they related to Klingons?

[Cocoricoco]

Originally Posted by JAWFAN

Hi, I have 3 kids in catholic schools up North and it looks like a huge difference in price and culture down there in Miami/Coral Gables. We want to continue with Catholic school, but how do I say this?? My kids go to a school where the majority is caucasion--this is going to be a huge difference. Uh, where do all the caucasion children go to school because even the best Catholic schools have very few caucasion children. I doubt we can afford Ransom, Gulliver or Miami Dade. I don't want my kids to feel out of place. I grew up in NYC in public schools so I am not opposed to cultural differences but I do want my kids to feel comfortable.

I guess that schools like Belen are 90 percent Hispanics. Your children will not feel comfortable for three reasons:

1. Their upbringing at home.
2. Jesuits and OPUS are at the antipodes of your frame of mind.
3. Catholic Schools in Miami are part of the mainstream Dominant Culture, not marginal schools for Catholic minorities (Irish, Italians, Poles, etc) as NY, etc. They are not likely to have ghetto mentality and divide the world between Caucasions, Clingons, Wuappos, Polacken, etc.

[grandcentraluk]

I am wondering if my kids would feel like a minority and if they'd feel weird because they don't speak Spanish and wouldn't have a lot of caucasian kids to make friends with. Would they be picked on because they were white? Would they fit in? Up here, if you are in a predominantly hispanic or Latino school it is usually a pretty rough school/neighborhood.

I'll give you my two cents on the points you raise. Will your kids feel like a minority? Maybe but I'd be surprised if they did. Kids attending the top Catholic private schools are most likely native born Miamians so they are assimilated into the Miami culture, which is a mix of American and Hispanic culture. Your kids will not "get" everything they talk about culturally but they'll learn and will probably start asking you to cook them some of the same foods their friends eat at home, etc. Will they be picked on? Maybe, but they could be picked on in any school in America - there are mean kids and bullies everywhere and often they pick on kids for reasons other than their race or ethnicity. I would be surprised if kids at schools like Belen or Carrolton were outright mean to someone because they are white. Finally, Miami is going to surprise you if you are used to Hispanic neighborhoods being rough. Some of the wealthiest people in Miami are Hispanic and the top Catholic schools are going to be filled with rich Hispanic kids. Yes, we have poor areas that are predominately Hispanic as well but folks from those neighborhoods can't afford the top Catholic schools.

If I was in your shoes, and knowing what I know about the top Catholic schools here (which stems from having friends and family who attended these schools from the 1970s through the 1990s), my biggest concern would be my daughter coming home and complaining that friend A carries a $600 purse and friend B drives a BMW, why is she carrying a cheap bag and driving my hand me down car? Or my son asking if he can go with his best friend's family to Bimini on their boat this weekend. And these friends will all be Hispanic.

[joeandmich]

One thing to consider too. Some hispanics are caucasian if you mean white of european heritage. In fact there is a country called Spain and the people there are caucasian and speak spanish.


Go figure.

[JAWFAN]

Thank you for all your replies. I realize this was a dicey question but things seem very different here than down there. I do know Spanish people are from Spain and have whiter skin than say someone from Columbia. My concerns were that my kids don't speak Spanish and up here the catholic school we are in is a very good school and my kids are excelling--I want that to continue. Also, I just don't want them to feel out of place because their skin color isn't the majority. It will be a bit of a shock to them, I think. There have been a lot of replies and I'm slowly becoming educated so I feel better about the whole situation.

[Indy2Mia2Atl]

I would never think that exposing kids to diversity would ever be a bad thing. A good school is a good school.

[joeandmich]

Grade school kids will make fun of anything regardless of your skin color, ethnic origin or sexual persuasion. If they encounter any harrasment from the local population they will simply have to defend themselves either verbally or with their fists. I remember when I was a kid and moved down from New Jersey back in the 1970's southern white Americans were the dominant ethnic group. Most kids were fine with me being of mixed origin. It was usually the kids with not such great parents who seemed to have an issue with me. I specifically remember being friends with some Mormon kid and his family for over a year. We played daily and one day he told me that Cubans were taking away jobs from hard working Americans. I asked what does that have to do with me I was only 12 years old.

He then proceeded to punch my face in....I learned how to fight after that. Mind you I never ever got into a fight in Catholic school but got into a fight in public school almost every week.

My advise to you is move to Coral Gables, send your kids to a good Catholic school and enroll them in some martial arts program. They will not only survive but thrive and make wonderful future leaders of this great nation.

Good luck and welcome the Miami.

[Cocoricoco]

Originally Posted by JAWFAN

Thank you for all your replies. I realize this was a dicey question but things seem very different here than down there. I do know Spanish people are from Spain and have whiter skin than say someone from Columbia. My concerns were that my kids don't speak Spanish and up here the catholic school we are in is a very good school and my kids are excelling--I want that to continue. Also, I just don't want them to feel out of place because their skin color isn't the majority. It will be a bit of a shock to them, I think. There have been a lot of replies and I'm slowly becoming educated so I feel better about the whole situation.

Miami is different from the East. If race worries you, most Hispanics in Private Catholic Schools in Miami are probably paler than your average NY Italian. But sure, your children won't feel well there because Catholics are mainstream in Miami, not gheto.

But again, I don't recommend you any high class Catholic School like Belen. Your children won't feel well there. Jesuits never cared for segregation and are in favour of a multi-racial education (they always admitted intelligent or influential Blacks and Jews). I don't recommend you any average price Catholic School in Miami either.

In fact, I don't recommend you any Catholic School. Officially, Catholics do not believe in segregation or ghetos. Maybe Episcopalian, Adventist or Shakers have schools more amenable to you.

As to private very expensive non-Catholic schools in Miami, most students are also Hispanics or Jews.