A Second Classroom: Parent-Teacher Relationships in a Waldorf School

What does a healthy, successful school look like? Is it is all about measurable outcomes, test scores, and pass/fail grades set by the government? Can learning be quantified in short-term measurements or does real learning take years to manifest in a career or biography. All seem to agree that a healthy school is also a community and that community depends on the quality of relationships-chiefly the relationships among students, teachers, and parents.

This book features a comprehensive examination of the parent-teacher relationship in all its dimensions, from parent evenings and conferences to communication, conflict, and the life-cycle of parent involvement in their school.

In between the chapters on practical advice are sections that consider the issues from a deeper, spiritual dimension. This book is intended to stimulate conversation, self reflection and relational practices that awaken community life in and around our schools.

"The world of parent-teacher relations has grown more complex over the years and at its worst can feel like a minefield. Torin demines and demystifies the experience with information, insights, stories, and warmth, creating a safe passage for teachers and parents." -Joan Almon, Waldorf educator and cofounder of Alliance for Childhood

"Readers of my books will appreciate Torin's approach to parent-teacher relations. He looks at the key issues through various lenses and gives both practical and spiritual advice to all who seek to build healthy relationships around our school-age children. I highly recommend this new book!" -Thomas Moore, bestselling author of Care of the Soul

"What Torin has so sensitively crafted here will give you greater simplicity and spaciousness in school community life. I highly recommend this book to all parents and teachers, but especially to those connected to Waldorf schools." -Kim John Payne, M.Ed., author of Simplicity Parenting and Beyond Winning

"This book is a call for parents and teachers to work more effectively together on behalf of our children. Torin uses a variety of approaches to stimulate conversation and help us strengthen the communities around our schools. I highly recommend this provocative book!" -David Sobel, author of Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities