Sharing Responsibility

During that time, other friendships developed almost incidentally, and they’ve lasted to this day, even though the children have long since grown up. I had plenty of opportunities: in the public relations committee, on field trips, while cooking pumpkin soup for the bazaar, or while weeding and harvesting in the school garden.

I was also the mother of a student at a public school—while there were occasional interactions there as well, the frequency of gatherings at the Waldorf school was so high that it was almost impossible to avoid getting to know teachers or other parents on a personal level.

Many people volunteer at Waldorf schools. They organize celebrations, paint classroom walls, or develop the school’s website. When we parents and teachers do this together, it creates—in a sense—the time and space for many values and qualities to develop naturally: We practice showing appreciation, we have one-on-one conversations, and, in the best-case scenario, openness, honesty, and trust flourish. Even without volunteer work, parents and educators at Waldorf schools—more so than at many other schools—work together to ensure that all children have optimal conditions for their development. When this is achieved, children can experience that the adults around them are all pulling together. We, the editors of Erziehungskunst / Art of Educating, also hope to strengthen the educational partnership between school and home through our magazine.

Waldorf schools typically begin the educational partnership even before children start school. Our staff member Katrin Kühne describes the phases of the transition to school using two examples of schools. My colleague Ines Lechner spoke with two classroom teachers about the educational partnership from the teachers’ perspective. At the same time, however, it is sometimes necessary today to create safe spaces for educators—this is primarily the school’s responsibility. Many a new teacher quits the job in frustration because they are inundated with emails or text messages from parents. And some students leave school when the close relationship between parents and teachers breaks down in middle school—see the article by Juri Kirstein. We’ve also compiled some very moving accounts from parents who shared their experiences with us.

You'll also find plenty of other interesting and beautiful things in this issue—have fun exploring!