How The Pandemic Has Changed Schools

Editor's Note: I will disclaim upfront that my eldest daughter went to a Waldorf School in the primary grades. Being creative people, we were impressed with the creative side of the curriculum. Our daughter's two years at a Waldorf school were overall a good experience. ~Rob Kennedy

On the fringes of traditional K-12 education are movements like Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia. They offer parents different approaches to early childhood education, and in the case of Waldorf schools, they continue on through high school. Searches on Google and YouTube will yield a lot of information to help you explore the subject of this article, a Waldorf education.

The founder

Austrian philosopher and scientist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) established what we now know as the Waldorf or Steiner schools. He opened his first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany Emilia 1919. A hundred years later, there are over 1,200 Waldorf schools worldwide.

According to the Biodynamic Association, "Long before many of his contemporaries, Steiner came to the conclusion that western civilization would gradually bring destruction to itself and the earth if it did not begin to develop an objective understanding of the spiritual world and its interrelationship with the physical world. Steiner's spiritual-scientific methods and insights have given birth to practical holistic innovations in many fields, including education, banking, medicine, psychology, the arts and, not least, agriculture."

This video describes the Waldorf education.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound, lasting effect on our lives. Most schools shut down and abandoned in-person classes in the spring of 2020. While that offered families control of their children's whereabouts, it presented a whole set of new challenges when it came to learning. Private schools transitioned fairly quickly to online instruction. They were able to do that because private school teachers had learned how to teach effectively online. Additionally, most schools had the necessary IT infrastructure in place to handle the entire faculty teaching online. Furthermore, most private school families had robust Internet connections and the computers needed to receive digital instruction.

This hub collects all of our articles on the COVID-19 pandemic into one convenient place. We hope that they will be helpful as you plan your children's education.

School Reopenings Fall 2020

In this article, we show you where to look for information about school reopening protocols, reopening communications, schools that have closed, and schools with COVID-19 cases, among other COVID-19 related issues. As always, what's important is for you to follow instructions issued by your school, local and state government. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer a wealth of information that you should read. But your actions and response to the pandemic are governed by your local government officials.

Cooperate with your school's instructions. Discuss them with your children. Listen carefully to their comments and criticisms. Then explain to them why compliance with all the school's instructions

One of the top questions on this site goes something like this: "I'm moving to (name your city) next summer. Can you recommend the top schools in that area?" My standard reply suggests that the writer engage an educational consultant to assess the writer's specific requirements and make appropriate recommendations. I also send along a link to that state or city, as the case may be, so that the writer can get some idea of the diversity of private schools in that area.

Many people think that I am copping out by not making a recommendation or ranking private schools. My reasons are simple: I am not a professional educational consultant. I am an impartial observer of the private school scene, both at home here in the United States and abroad. I maintain a reference site so that you can find a school online and make further inquiries based on that information. I editorialize on trends and happenings in the world of private K-12 education. That's all I do.

Private Schools Cannot Be Ranked.

Why are there no rankings on this site? I maintain that it is impossible to do. I have given it much thought, but I always come back to my experience forty years ago when we were looking for schools for our two daughters. It came down to one thing: the right fit. One size does not fit all when it comes to educating your child.

Our eldest daughter was very competitive. She was

Now that your children's school has reopened for the academic year 2020-2021, a major challenge is hopefully out of the way. The planning alone for the reopening of school was arduous and time-consuming. Your school's administrative team spent countless hours over the late spring and summer planning how to reopen the school safely. To understand how complex the variables involved were in their discussions and deliberations, think about working a jigsaw puzzle with an impressionist picture in shades of blue and gray. Those variables included federal, state, and local guidelines involving just about everything you can imagine. Like all the rest of the parents, I know that you wondered whether the school could reopen at all. But it did. While things certainly are different from past years, a private school education's essential hallmarks are in place for all to see: a safe community and high-quality teaching.

Now, let's look at how you can help the school out during these unprecedented times.

Listen to your school's instructions.

This admonition is important because you may well hear conflicting advice and news on social media or television. For example, when somebody retweets a claim about wearing masks not being effective, follow your school's guidance. A private school community includes a wide range of age groups. Some members of the community are more exposed to the COVID-19 virus than others. The same thing applies to gathering in groups and maintaining social distancing. Don't plan a birthday or other celebration with friends and