Preferably No, if the study is person-focused.

What does person-focused mean?

Dear Gloria, dear Colleague Anton Elkin, thank you very much for this discussion. Many and complex questions have been touched on here which have occupied me for a long time.

I will start my own research project on the German reform teacher Peter Petersen, who became a teacher at a grammar school in Hamburg shortly before the First World War after his broad university studies. He already played a leading role in the reform movement of education in Germany at that time, and in the Weimar Republic he formed his own state-approved reform school. His pedagogy was named Jena Plan - not by himself, but by the organizing committee of the New Education Fellowship - an international reform association - because Petersen was professor of pedagogy at the University of Jena (Thuringia) since 1923. Petersen was interested to reform the public-stately school.

The Weimar Republic (1919-1933) brought also a new situation of public education. In the German Empire until 1910 existed two separate systems of education: For the lower classes the elementary school, 8 years, also the teachers had only this elementary education.

The middle- and upper-class children attended 3 years private preschool and with the age of 10 the changed to grammar school which gave the graduation for universitry. The fee for higher education was also a reason that lower classes couldn't get a higher education; but they learned much practical things. The elementary education in Prussia took care that illiterism didn't exist, and American reformers of 19. chentury like Colonel Parker or Horace Man got some impressions for their own reform work in the States.

Elementary education was free from any fee. School education was not compulsary in the Empire-era, childern of wealthy families had a private teacher.

This two-class-system of education was broken by the Weimar Constituion. The state became responsible for all public education, private home education was not allowed, and prived school education was possible by a certain control of the state, which took most of the costs for the teachers. All children had to attend the first four years in the primary school (a comprehensive school of 4 years), then the seperate systems of higher and normal education ("Volksschule" with following 2 years vocational training) ) for the mass of children. But now the state improved the chances for the lower classes to get higher education strongly. Gifted children from lower classes could much more get higher education, although there was some school fee to pay.

Now, Gloria, comes the first question we may : Who should be responsible for education: The parents or the state? In Germany it was up today not possible to erect a general system of comprehensive school. This was the aim of the Social Democrats. We have today a situation of competition between traditional grammar school and comprehensive schools which were under government of Social Democrats and the Green Party also in fulfilling desires of parents, but - for instance - not in Bavaria. There is the CSU-party leading, we have in Germany 16 different systems of education, this considers regional traditions but is a hindrance for a uniform system. If the state weak is the private market of education strong. Many parents are not content with the public system, some "Volksschulen" or the primary school have 60 % and more children from refugees there is much trouble, conflicts and aggression - so "Waldorfschulen" (and other private schools grow), although they have to pay fee. Teacher of Steiner-Schools were not so good payed and have more to work than stately teacher. Many Waldorf-Schools need urgently teachers. A very complex situation. Also in ´East Germany Steiner School flourishes, and also in Norway and other countries, although the parents mostly are not interested in the "Weltanschauung" of Steiner. Thiere would be much to tell but I finish, now, we may continue if neeed.

Kind regards, Hein

PS. Rudolf Steiner (1856-1925) was from Austria and had studied and joined the International Theosophical Society, split off from it in 1913 and founded his own ideological society with some followers, which represented his teaching, "Anthroposophy". In 1919 he founded a school of a special kind, it was a school of the employees of the Waldorf-Astoria Group, which had its German centre in Stuttgart. Steiner, who was originally a Catholic, had his own mystical idea influenced by Indian ideas of reincarnation, which is the basis of his pedagogy. He had opted for the private school, against the state schools.

Lieber Hein,

Das System hier in den USA geht mehr oder weniger davon aus, das Klassensystem von Generation zu Generation zu reproduzieren. Es klingt, als sei Deutschland hier von allen "Charter" -Schulen inspiriert worden, ja? Die Weimarer Verfassung war vorausschauender und gerechter als das, was Sie bisher beschrieben haben.

Übrigens gab es in Charles Dickens 'Zeit (Roman _Hard Times_) ein System von "Charter" -Schulen, die für die Arbeiter, die sich in Manchester und anderen Städten niederließen, streng zweckdienliche Linien bildeten. Sie wollten, dass sie nur Grundrechenarten und Lesarten kennen, aber keine "Vorstellungskraft" oder Phantasie.

Eine Frau, deren Tochter hier in einer Waldorfschule unterrichtet (ja, auch für Lernwillige), sagt, dass Steiner nicht an die Evolutionstheorie glaubte und in Tucsons Waldorfschule nicht unterrichtet wird. Das ist etwas überraschend, aber in privaten Schulen kann die Wissenschaft optional sein. Das ist witzig, weil der Ehemann der Waldorflehrerin Universitat Geologe ist. Sie werden ihr Enkelkind der Philosophie der Waldorfschule ausgesetzt sehen, aber sicher zuhause werden einige Wörter der Evolutionstheorie hereinbrechen.

Ich bin froh, dass ich in East Chicago aufgewachsen bin, wo unsere Schulen in dieser Zeit rassisch miteinander verknüpft waren und auch die Lehrer wissenschaftlich gebildet waren. Jetzt gibt es immer einen Mangel an ausgebildeten Naturwissenschaftslehrern. Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass wir in eine Art Zeitschleife geraten würden, aber du musst jeden Tag leben und das Beste tun.

Freundliche Grüße,

Gloria