Since March 17, we have been successfully teaching students at home with distance learning methods to help reduce transmission of COVID-19. It has been an unprecedented change, but we are meeting the challenge with compassion and continued academic rigor.
Waldorf schools focus on experiential learning, which takes place in-person, and involves a lot of interactions between students, teachers and the curriculum. Music, art, dance and sports are all essential parts of Waldorf education, as are math, science, reading writing, and the social sciences. Distance learning isn’t an obvious fit, but our faculty came together quickly to revise the curriculum in ways that keep the students engaged and learning at home. The teachers became skilled in using online classroom tools and meeting software and their students were focused and learning just a few days after the school campus had to be temporarily shuttered.
“During this time of being home with our families, I am ever more grateful and appreciative that I am part of a meaningful, kind, artistic and beautiful community such as Camellia Waldorf School. We will weather this storm together, as we will be together for many wonderful years to come.”
-- Sarah Casebeer, Fourth Grade Teacher
While our students and teachers miss being at school, staying connected through online platforms like Zoom and Google Classroom allows students to work together and collaborate on assignments. This week the third grade did a science experiment on one of their online classes. They put eggs in vinegar and watched them bubble and spin. They followed the experiment with work in reading comprehension, math word problems, Spanish vocabulary, an art project, flute practice, jumping rope while reciting times tables and listening to a story recorded by their third grade teacher while working on a class knitting project.
The goal of the faculty is to continue to meet the needs of our children during this crisis while delivering the best possible educational program. They realize that as the landscape of the world shifts, the continuity of our children’s education is more important than ever.