{"id":11056,"date":"2020-12-03T15:18:57","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T23:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11056"},"modified":"2020-12-03T15:18:57","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T23:18:57","slug":"schools-of-thought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11056","title":{"rendered":"Schools of Thought"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Schools<\/a>

Schools of Thought introduction, originally published in the November 19, 2020 issue of Santa Barbara Independent.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our Annual Education Guide Looks at Schooling\u00a0in the Time of COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n

What a difference a year makes, particularly when that year\u00a0is 2020.<\/p>\n

As I revisited some of the latest news and trends related\u00a0to education in Santa Barbara County for the second year in a row\u00a0to prepare this special issue, priorities have shifted dramatically.\u00a0Outdoor space is at a huge premium \u2014 not only for its educational\u00a0value and the boost to our Zoom-fatigued spirits\u00a0that nature provides, but also simply because being
\noutside has a much lower risk for COVID-19. With\u00a0depression and anxiety at high levels for people of all\u00a0ages, social-emotional learning and strategies that\u00a0embrace the whole child as a priority over straight\u00a0academics are also more important now than ever\u00a0before. And as always, so is keeping in step with the latest\u00a0technologies, both programmatically and with new facilities.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, like just about everything else in 2020, the\u00a0pandemic has amplified the inequities in education even further.\u00a0I\u2019m a public school daughter of two public school teachers,\u00a0and I\u2019m a big believer in and supporter of our public school\u00a0system. That being said, if I had a K-12 age child at home right\u00a0now, this would be the year I would be scrimping and saving\u00a0to send them to an independent school. For one thing, they\u2019re
\nactually able to open.<\/p>\n

And make no mistake, the inequity here is not about political will\u00a0\u2014 it\u2019s all about the money. The independent schools simply have\u00a0drastically fewer students to worry about with far more resources to\u00a0take care of them right now, which translates to much better teacher\/student ratios and the ability, in some cases, to devote separate teachers\u00a0to online and on-campus teaching cohorts. They enjoy\u00a0much more outdoor space to spread out and be physically\u00a0distanced, and they have the money to make facility\u00a0improvements more easily \u2014 both indoors and outdoors\u00a0\u2014 to accommodate health and safety concerns.\u00a0They also have more resources to test and regulate student\u00a0and staff health and to enforce consequences on\u00a0those who don\u2019t follow the safety rules.<\/p>\n

That being said, Midland Head of School Christopher\u00a0Barnes<\/a> summed up the way I think most everyone in every\u00a0kind of educational institution is feeling these days. \u201cWith all of my
\nheart and soul, I\u2019m pouring everything I can into our particular little\u00a0project, but also being a participant with other schools \u2026 that aspire\u00a0mightily to follow all of the recommendations of public health, and be\u00a0their partner, not their adversary,\u201d he said. \u201cDo I have too much stuff\u00a0to read and figure out? And does it sometimes contradict itself? Yes,\u00a0absolutely. In any case, we\u2019re dealing with a global health pandemic.\u00a0This is not some little thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this special section, we asked the issue\u2019s sponsors about what\u2019s exciting in their schools and organizations,\u00a0and then produced the editorial content independently.<\/h6>\n
\"SB<\/a>

SB Independent Cover, Schools of Thought, November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a> on November 19, 2020. To read the section as it appeared in print, please click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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